I agree with Penn, but I can’t help but think that if I was given a Death Note, I would feel morally obligated to write quite a few names in it. Names of people who are personally responsible for a great amount of suffering in the world.
It’s not that I want to kill people. It’s that if I had a guaranteed way of stopping these people with no personal risk, I would feel obligated to do so, even if it meant killing them.
Someone make a spin of that old capitalist mindset meme with the button “press to get 1 million bucks but a random person dies” and they spam the shit out of it. But now it’s you (and me) hammering away at that “you get nothing but a random billionaire or pedophile dies” buzzer.
It’s from Futurama. These are aliens who live 1,000 light-years from Earth, and therefore get broadcasts from Earth 1,000 years after they air.
The full line being shown here is, “This is ancient Earth’s most foolish program. Why does Ross, the largest Friend, not simply eat the other five?” to which the other alien replies, “Perhaps they are saving that for sweeps.”
I’ve been trying to reframe things like this in my mind.
Instead of contemplating if the world would be better if they were gone, I tell myself that my wish would be for them to just be a good person.
I’m not trying to be righteous. But I think, framed like that, a good person would choose the latter. And if it really came down the power to disappear somebody, I think most people would err on the side of good.
But retribution and vengeance are strong in our lizard brains.
Ya if you kill muskrat then someone else fills his place. Instead, if we’re talking magic, let him become a truly generous and benevolent person and spend his wealth recreating our economy to solve world hunger or some such thing
It’s that if I had a guaranteed way of stopping these people with no personal risk, I would feel obligated to do so
I understand the impulse. But I might also posit that an individual with the power to kill with impunity will quickly become a tool of national media and demagoguery. We’re seeing this play out in the age of Trump, with people like Laura Loomer and Steven Miller whispering in his ear to devastating consequence.
Anyone who claims they’d be more clear-eyed, more level-headed, and more rational need only go back a president or two to Joe Biden (genocide in Gaza) and Barack Obama (drone striker in chief, from Libya to Afghanistan). You’re going to have a modern day Allen Dulles on your shoulder, telling you all about how you’re going to be greeted as a Liberator once you put down the pen. And you’re going to kill a whole lot of people for reasons that make you feel good, but end up doing a lot of evil.
If nothing else, consider how many folks in NATO countries would have - if given the Death Note - immediately scribbled the names of a dozen world leaders from rival countries? And then a dozen political leaders from rival parties? And then a dozen national celebrities and media figures with rival ideologies? And then what would the consequences of this be? Did Iranian government become better when Khomanie’s name ended up in the book?
FFS, they explore this in the Anime. Light ends up killing a lot of good people simply because he’s personally resentful or fearful of being caught.
I agree with Penn, but I can’t help but think that if I was given a Death Note, I would feel morally obligated to write quite a few names in it. Names of people who are personally responsible for a great amount of suffering in the world.
It’s not that I want to kill people. It’s that if I had a guaranteed way of stopping these people with no personal risk, I would feel obligated to do so, even if it meant killing them.
Someone make a spin of that old capitalist mindset meme with the button “press to get 1 million bucks but a random person dies” and they spam the shit out of it. But now it’s you (and me) hammering away at that “you get nothing but a random billionaire or pedophile dies” buzzer.
Turn on the news and start slamming the button until i see what i want
What was Ross supposed to do? Sorry I’m not a fan of the Simpsons so I didn’t get the reference
Don’t look at me like that Stan Smith from American dad.
It’s from Futurama. These are aliens who live 1,000 light-years from Earth, and therefore get broadcasts from Earth 1,000 years after they air.
The full line being shown here is, “This is ancient Earth’s most foolish program. Why does Ross, the largest Friend, not simply eat the other five?” to which the other alien replies, “Perhaps they are saving that for sweeps.”
I think he should of handled it by hiring a single female lawyer…
You mean the Sampsons?
Killing in defense of innocent people is morally upright nearly without question, so you’d be clean either way.
But I’m with you that if I had a death note things would he different.
That’s kind of the second part, about removing them from society. Death is one mechanism for achieving that.
I’ve been trying to reframe things like this in my mind.
Instead of contemplating if the world would be better if they were gone, I tell myself that my wish would be for them to just be a good person.
I’m not trying to be righteous. But I think, framed like that, a good person would choose the latter. And if it really came down the power to disappear somebody, I think most people would err on the side of good.
But retribution and vengeance are strong in our lizard brains.
Ya if you kill muskrat then someone else fills his place. Instead, if we’re talking magic, let him become a truly generous and benevolent person and spend his wealth recreating our economy to solve world hunger or some such thing
Fair. But different than “wanting to kill” someone. You want to remove harm. Like the whole purpose of prison, leper colonies, community shaming, etc
I understand the impulse. But I might also posit that an individual with the power to kill with impunity will quickly become a tool of national media and demagoguery. We’re seeing this play out in the age of Trump, with people like Laura Loomer and Steven Miller whispering in his ear to devastating consequence.
Anyone who claims they’d be more clear-eyed, more level-headed, and more rational need only go back a president or two to Joe Biden (genocide in Gaza) and Barack Obama (drone striker in chief, from Libya to Afghanistan). You’re going to have a modern day Allen Dulles on your shoulder, telling you all about how you’re going to be greeted as a Liberator once you put down the pen. And you’re going to kill a whole lot of people for reasons that make you feel good, but end up doing a lot of evil.
If nothing else, consider how many folks in NATO countries would have - if given the Death Note - immediately scribbled the names of a dozen world leaders from rival countries? And then a dozen political leaders from rival parties? And then a dozen national celebrities and media figures with rival ideologies? And then what would the consequences of this be? Did Iranian government become better when Khomanie’s name ended up in the book?
FFS, they explore this in the Anime. Light ends up killing a lot of good people simply because he’s personally resentful or fearful of being caught.