Due Desserts
Oct. 4th, 2006 11:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kokopelleThe revelation of Mark Foley's online conversations with teenage male pages has resulted in his resignation and admitting for drug/psychological treatment. In the aftermath of Mark's departure, MSN is reporting "Congressional leaders, who called for an FBI investigation as Foley resigned, turned to finger-pointing over who knew what about Foley’s behavior, when they knew it and whether anything was done to protect the teens."
This brings to mind a beef I've had a long time...
I get grumpy about people who cannot accept their due desserts. Whimpering about "why me???" is dishonest. The archetype of this is the villain who attacks the hero again and again, trying to kill, dismember and maim his foe. The hero survives and eventually corners the villain. The dishonest villain is the one that sputters, "oh please please please don't hurt me!!! I beg for your forgiveness!!!". The honest villain looks the hero in the eye and accepts the punishment. Does this mean that the villain cannot attempt to escape his 'fate'? Of course not. The villain can try to escape, and fight another day. Are we heroes or villains in life? We are both, depending on the perspective of oneself and the world around us.
An extreme example of honesty in the face of energy physics is the serial killer. While it is immoral (some can argue) for the serial killer to do what he does, the act of killing others is not unnatural. The serial killer is doing what he will. Society will also do what it will when the serial killer is captured. The natural act of a healthy society is to keep itself safe, and this includes the imprisonment or execution of the serial killer.
A less extreme case is political leadership who sought to retain Mark Foley in their midst through the time of the November elections. Where is the acceptance of their fates now???
This brings to mind a beef I've had a long time...
I get grumpy about people who cannot accept their due desserts. Whimpering about "why me???" is dishonest. The archetype of this is the villain who attacks the hero again and again, trying to kill, dismember and maim his foe. The hero survives and eventually corners the villain. The dishonest villain is the one that sputters, "oh please please please don't hurt me!!! I beg for your forgiveness!!!". The honest villain looks the hero in the eye and accepts the punishment. Does this mean that the villain cannot attempt to escape his 'fate'? Of course not. The villain can try to escape, and fight another day. Are we heroes or villains in life? We are both, depending on the perspective of oneself and the world around us.
An extreme example of honesty in the face of energy physics is the serial killer. While it is immoral (some can argue) for the serial killer to do what he does, the act of killing others is not unnatural. The serial killer is doing what he will. Society will also do what it will when the serial killer is captured. The natural act of a healthy society is to keep itself safe, and this includes the imprisonment or execution of the serial killer.
A less extreme case is political leadership who sought to retain Mark Foley in their midst through the time of the November elections. Where is the acceptance of their fates now???
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-04 04:28 pm (UTC)As much as I try to explain that to people, they don't understand.
As for they rest of it, you have a way of making it so clear with your words. I often have problems with that.
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Date: 2006-10-04 04:46 pm (UTC)My thoughts do go some controversial places. The extension of the serial killer thought is that there are no unnatural acts in the world. Nothing a person can do is inherently prohibited by the laws of nature. The most base and crass acts imaginable are possible. You can fold, bend, spindle or mutilate life as much as you want to. We humans tend to do this, even in the face of finger waving moralities. The catch is that life can do the same back at you. The repercussions felt show that we humans are inherently fragile in body and soul, feeding the controversy of such explorations.
While can be wise to restrain explorations of the netherealms of life, for we do so at our own peril, there are rich rewards in the not often traveled shadows. One of these days I will write more of those shadows, for that is where a discussion of the "unnatural" truly leads.