Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Believing/Doubting

Arthur Miller's satirical piece "Get It Right. Privatize Executions." is clearly a critique of capital punishment. However, the ideas that Miller presents may actually have some validity.

Idea-Privatizing executions is a good idea

Believe- Miller presents some ideas that may make sense if executions were privatized. He mentions the fact that the executions would draw an audience, which could than lead to money for the state. He also brings up the fact that witnessing the executions of criminals would deter anyone else from thinking about committing crimes and would reward those who are honest. If murderers witnessed capital punishments daily, they may think twice before committing it. Miller references the idea that the criminal would than achieve a sense of purpose in life and may feel that they lived for the entertainment of others, rather than for nothing.

Doubt- The privatizing of executions would lead to more violence that is not necesarry. Children and families do not need to witness the murders of others because these images will be extrememly disturbing. If children grow up witnessing murders they will be much more prone to violence. As Miller wrote, the executions will become boring and people will continue to murder for excitement because they will no longer get the rush they needed from the private executions. Murderers are also not detered by seeeing acts of violence, because it takes a derranged person to take the life of someone else deliberatly. By witnessing an execution, many murderers would not think twice before committing a crime. More executions will also lead to the death of innocent people that may have been later released on new evidence after they have been accused. This practice would not prevent murder it would merely expose more to the idea of taking another's life.

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