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Jae Florence Corales

Prof. Andrew Hoogheem

English 101-300

26 June 2019

An Eye for An Eye; A Life for A Life

Introduction

According to the bible, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 19, verse 21, “You must

show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for

hand, foot for foot.”

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, had over 20,000 drug pushers, users,

drug lords killed during his “Oplan Tokhang” (Operation Knockout); that means to knock a drug

trafficker or user to persuade them to surrender and stop their illegal activities. It started when he

announced the start of the drug war in the Philippines back in 2016. But according to the official

update of the Real Numbers by Philippine National Police, there were only 5,176 drug

personalities killed during the war from July 2016 to January 2019, as well as 170,689 arrests

including 295 government employees, 263 elected officials and 69 uninformed personnel. People

called it cruel, children being killed, families being broken, and very much comparable to the

Holocaust. Contrarily, some say drug users and pushers deserve it because they are dangerous

and some of them kill and take lives. In the movie Where to Invade Next? a Norwegian prison

warden said that their weapon is their mouth. They believe that fighting violence with kindness

can overpower violence, and fighting violence with violence achieves nothing at all, or does it

really work that way? It is retribution and rehabilitation in a nutshell.

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Killing criminals make other criminals afraid to commit more crimes. Church does not

agree with this idea and sides with people who committed crime to save them. Some people

cannot be rehabilitated; a criminal will always have the heart of a criminal. People slowly

evolve, they do not change much; they slowly evolve based on what habits they have. I dreamt to

be a pilot, but there are no pilots in the family. My dad was an artist, so I became an artist.

According to the National Institute of Justice, about 68 percent of 405,000 prisoners released in

30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison,

and 77 percent were arrested within five years. That means that killers from those prison, went

back to the prison because they probably killed someone again. Although death penalty is a great

way to lessen the crime rate, innocent people can be blamed for other people’s crime. But would

it be better to kill a criminal for the greater good? Would you kill a killer to save 10 innocent

lives? If I was given a chance to decide, I definitely would. It is like paying a dollar to buy ten-

dollar bill. Yes, locking them up for the rest of their life is a pretty good choice, but not as pretty

as what they did to their victims.

“White Bear” Summary

“White Bear” is the 4th episode of the dark, futuristic, science fiction anthology TV series

called Black Mirror. It is a very intriguing story that features the ethics of hedonism. Hedonism

is the pursuit of pleasure; it is the purpose of life. But it is supposed to be moderated.

It starts with Victoria Skillane, the protagonist, who woke up with a headache, on a tied

chair, pills spilled on the ground, confused about what is going on, and has no idea of who she is.

As she walked through out the door, people were just staring at her and taking a video. Victoria

kept asking them if they know who she s, but no one was answering. Few moments later, a blue

van stopped, a man wearing a black ski mask came out holding a shotgun. He was chasing
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Victoria until she ended up in the gasoline station where she met Jem. She helped Victoria elude

the creepy man with a ski mask. But as a consequence, Jem’s friend Damien died for trying to

stop the gunman. She told Victoria that the cellphones are the cause of people’s hypnotism and

that a signal from the “White Bear” tower should be destroyed to stop it. They stumbled to a guy

that offered to help them. Victoria remembers who the stranger was by the glitches from her

memory, but she cannot really tell if she was sure. They ended up in the middle of the woods,

with no signals, no crazy hypnotized people, and no creepy gunman. But turns out, the stranger

who helped them was one of the hunters who hunts normal people and kills them for fun. He led

them to a site that looks like a place for rituals. There were dead people hanging from the trees,

tied in a cross with a sack on their heads, and in the middle of the site, there was a bed-like tree

for killing people. When the stranger was about to kill Victoria, Jem managed to escape and

found a way to kill the stranger with his own gun.

They headed to the White Bear when Victoria had another glitch from her memory

remembering something bizarre happened to her in that place. But Jem insisted on going inside

and determined to stop the signal to revert people’s lives into normal. While pouring gasoline on

the machine that can stop the signal, they were ambushed by the hunters. They tried to fight

back, Jem tried to stop the girl with a kitten mask that was holding a mini chain saw but she was

cut on her wrist. Victoria successfully seized the shotgun from a guy that was wearing a welding

helmet. She pulled the trigger but instead of shrapnel, a bunch of confetti came out from it. It

was revealed that all that happened to her was part of the show, she was the main character. It

was all planned. From the pills on the ground, to the people who were “hypnotized,” to Jem, up

until the White Bear tower signal. Victoria was tied to a chair and they revealed her that she was

a fiancé of a ruthless psychotic sadistic vicious killer. She was an apprentice who recorded the
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tape while Jemima, a 6 year-old-girl, was being tortured and burned to death. After the show,

they did a little celebration where people throw sponges with red dye on Victoria, who was

riding on a glass paneled vehicle. They drugged Victoria using a headset and the show repeats

again, starting with Victoria waking up on a chair, with pills spilled on the ground, confused of

what’s going on, and has no idea of who she is.

Death Penalty in the USA

According to Nick McKeown, an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science professor

at the Stanford University, “criminal justice system is a huge, expensive, and failing government

program.” His talk focuses on inequality and racism, it is biased, but based on our current

situation, it is correct. Most government has a bad criminal justice system; racism, sexism, and

poverty are some of the reasons why. 1 out of 3 black men, born today, would probably go into

prison. “As of 2016, one million African-American are in prison today, 6 times the rate of

whites,” he added. The justice system in the USA is a joke if you don’t have the capacity to

lawyer up on your own dime. The state has unlimited resources to pursue a case and the defense

doesn’t. It is based on the state being able to induce a defendant into pleading guilty without

going to trial.

Wanda Lopez, 24 years old was stabbed to death while working in a gas station in Texas

on February 4, 1983. Carlos DeLuna was executed for the crime, but the problem is he is

innocent. There were two men named Carlos that day. An eyewitness tied Carlos DeLuna to the

murder. The trial lasted 6 days and he was executed 6 years after. According to Columbia Law

School, Carlos was innocent, and the authorities executed the wrong Carlos. This is an example

of a wrongful execution, a hole in the law. In some cases, money can bring you the bacon, some

believes the inferior races better, some sides women over man and vice versa.
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Considering the fact that every decision has two sides, the good and the bad, there are

some cases death penalty made a good outcome. Ted Bundy was a 1970’s serial murderer, rapist

and necrophiliac. Around this time, women keep missing around Seattle area and in nearby

Oregon. Witnesses says that they say a young, dark-haired man known as “Ted.” In the fall of

1974, Bundy moved to Utah to attend law school. Like what happened in Seattle, women began

disappearing there as well. Bundy was arrested in the kidnapping of Carol DaRonch on fall of

1974. He was pulled over by the police a year after and started a search in his car. An uncovered

cache of burglary tools was found such as crowbar, facemask, rope and handcuffs. He admitted

killing 36 young women across several states in the United States. Although he admitted killing

36 people, authorities believe that the final tally may be closer to 100 or more. Around 7 a.m. on

24th of January 1989, Ted Bundy was put to death because of his crimes. It was the electric chair

known as “Old Sparky” that fried him at the Florida State Prison.

I grew up being part of the student council since I was in grade school up until college. It

harnessed my leadership skills. One thing I learned was to make a decision that will benefit the

most. Utilitarianism is morally permissible if they produce at least as much happiness as any

other available action. The more happiness and less suffering that results from our actions, the

better the action is. I only agree with the death penalty if and only if the criteria for candidates

are as solid as a diamond. Most people justify it by feeling strongly in favor of it when someone

really commits a heinous crime. The idea of that person being killed outweighs their fear that

they might also see an innocent child killed. And the thought of a very guilty person avoiding the

death penalty is too much to bear. Ted Bundy deserves his consequence for killing numerous

young women. He is proven guilty, admitted his mistakes and crimes, authorities have a very

convincing evidences, strong witnesses and coincidences. If Ted Bundy was killed with his first
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crime, 35 or maybe more than 35 women will still live their life to the fullest. That is the concept

of utilitarianism, sacrificing one life to save more lives.

Death Penalty as Retribution

Death penalty is still retained in 58 countries,102 countries put it on hold and 32

countries abolished it altogether. In most countries it is saved for the most heinous crimes, such

as murder, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. Saudi Arabia is one of the most controversial

country in this kind of idea. They consider adultery, robbery, witchcraft, homosexuality and

repeated drug-use as a crime punishable by death penalty, you could literally lose your head. The

first death penalty according to DIPC or Death Penalty Information Center was first established

as far back as 18th century in the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. In about 10th century

A.D., hanging became the usual method of execution in Britain. This influenced America’s use

of the death penalty more than any other country. Capital punishment was brought by European

settlers to the “new world.” In 1608, Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of

Virginia was executed, and this event became the first recorded execution.

It is common that every law has it’s benefits and flaws. Death penalty is a very bloody

punishment that a human can do with humans. One of the benefits of the death penalty is a

induced crime rate. According to a study conducted in the late 1960’s, there was a 7% crime rate

increase on the years when death penalty was abolished. On the other hand, fewer crimes were

committed with the increase in the number of inmates in the death row who were executed each

year. In my personal experience, after President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines approved the

“Oplan Tokhang,” I felt safer to walk at night time. Before the ‘drug war,’ there is a lot of people

drinking on the streets, holduppers (a thief who threatens to kill you), and drunk-ass people who

would catcall girls walking in front of them. Now, people who were rumored as “drug-addicts”
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are now being sober, looking healthy based on their looks and weight. Before, people are not

afraid to shoplift a low security grocery shop. Now, there are almost no crimes to be witnessed. I

saw the change in my own eyes, therefore I found it working.

Of course, in contrary to the positive effects of death penalty, innocent people are being

wrongfully executed. This is one of the arguments of the opponents of death penalty, the

inevitability of sending innocent people who are wrongly accused to death row and eventually

execution. On the examples given on the early paragraphs of this research, Carlos DeLuna was

proven innocent after years of his execution. He knew he was innocent, but authorities didn’t

believe him. If one of my love one has been killed, I would definitely like to kill the culprit. But

to send an innocent person to jail and execute him/her afterwards is a “no-no” for me.

My point is not to kill every criminal, of course given that humans can change in a proper

and effective way of rehabilitation. But criminals who have been caught a lot of times, pleaded

guilty for more than one, claimed lives of more than one people should be a perfect candidate for

the death penalty. These monsters deserve the consequence that they will get for their crimes.

“An eye for an eye,” as what most people say, is a very interesting way to judge and punish

criminals. If you slit a throat of a man, your throat should be also slit. Shoot a man on his head,

and your brain would have a bullet inside it. I personally think that this works perfectly for

criminals who had a crime of passion. Although I agree with the concept of “an eye for an eye,” I

only want to see people who killed a fellow man, to be in the death row.

Out of 6 people I asked whether they are in favor of death penalty, two people said no,

four people said yes. Frankie, a government worker and a professional teacher said ‘no’ because

he thinks that Philippines have a very weak justice system. I really agree with that; I don’t want

innocent people to be killed for the crime they did not commit. “Although I don’t support death
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penalty for now, there’s a part of me that wants to agree with the idea. But only in heinous

crimes,” he added. Aldrin, a city councilor, didn’t agree with the idea of death penalty. He states

that “I still believe in justice and that it must be tried before a competent court.” Obviously, I am

in favor of the death penalty and I oppose his view on this matter. But his point on trying the

current justice system in the Philippines before a competent court is a great idea of rehabilitating

prisoners. I just do not believe people who committed numerous crimes to change, they will

always go back to their ways. Ira, my girlfriend who is an animator by profession, agreed with

the idea of the death penalty, but only for murderers and rapists. She said that she would rather

have the culprit die than to sacrifice innocent lives. We also have similar views on this idea. It is

really common that most people agree more in a utilitarian approach. Ryss, a political science

graduate and currently practicing law agreed but in a completely different view. He believes that

people who committed heinous crimes should be tortured, “slow death” as he refers to it. “White

Bear” shows the exact same thing as what he wants, and I oppose. Torture is a way too far

punishment for a criminal. Although it feels good to watch a criminal suffer, it is unfair to the

criminal to suffer longer than his victim. Franco, a businessman and a client of mine for graphic

design agreed with the idea of death penalty. He believes that “Some crimes are so heinous and

wrong that they deserve strict punishments.” Lastly, John Joseph, a Pastor favors the death

penalty. Philippines abolished death penalty last 2006 and it was effective in the same year. He

states that “In fact, I have to strongly agree that the death penalty should be revived if we really

want to make a dent in the alarmingly high rise in crime in recent years” in which I agrees. I

really believe that death penalty will resolve the high rise of the crime rate in the Philippines. “if

this measure were once again available in our judicial system then perhaps criminals would have
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something to fear,” he added. I also believe that a harder stance on crime is required in order to

make ‘real’ change.

Filipinos have a different approach on teaching their children proper discipline. I grew up

being scolded, hit by any solid object like hangers, and my mouth being slapped for my

mistakes. I even remember being in a small accident and my mom still beat me and told me to

take care of my actions. It’s a little bit weird to read this if you grew up in the United States

because being “grounded” is the probably the only consequence of your wrong actions. But it is

very common in the Philippines to see and hear a loud argument between the children and their

parent. Although I suffered a lot when I was a little kid, I still thank my mom for doing that. I

realized my mistakes, I learned to have a good attitude and had a good moral character. I am not

saying that I am a ‘perfect’ example of a good person, but at least I know what is right and what

is wrong.

It is not surprising if one of these days, all countries will lift up the death penalty again.

More and more people are becoming criminals. From robbing someone to committing school

rampage and killing numerous students. The only thing that would oppose the death penalty in

the future is the Church. The bible believes that the life is a gift from God, and it should not be

taken by anyone, even by yourself. But church and state should be separated, forever. You can’t

just believe everything that the bible says. It contradicts it’s moral values. There should always

be an impenetrable wall between the two such that matters of religious faith would never leak

into government. Parents want their children to be safe, and I believe that they will do all the

things they can do to protect them, even signing petitions to approve the death penalty. There is

no parent that want his/her kid to put in harm.

The Greater Good

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The trolley problem, would you reroute a train to run over one person to prevent it from

running over five others? I would, it’s better sacrifice one to save many. Vsauce, a youtuber,

started a study about the trolley problem. Out of 5 subjects that they tested, all of them made the

same choice; to save the five people and run over one person. It is common for us to make a

quick decision and come up with this idea of ethics, the utilitarian approach. Utilitarianism is the

moral theory that focuses on the results, or consequences of our actions, and treats intentions as

irrelevant. In this field, good consequence is equal to good action. Utilitarians suggest that we

make our moral decisions from the position of a benevolent, disinterested spectator. Rather than

thinking about what we should do, they suggest that we consider what we would think if we were

advising a group of strangers about what they should do.

Contrarily to utilitarianism, hedonism is an approach where self-pleasure is the most

priority. This approach was used in the “White Bear” episode of Black Mirror where people

enjoys watching someone being tortured. In the movie, there is a theme park for torturing

felonies. Organizers hands them cellphones to record everything that happens inside. They have

their freedom to record and capture everything. One of the rules is actually “enjoy yourself”

which depicts its ethics approach as hedonist.

I am more of a utilitarian guy than hedonist. But that doesn’t mean that I enjoy torture. It

is disgusting, sickening, foul, nasty and unpleasant way to punish a criminal. Given that in the

story of “White Bear,” the ‘criminal’ was only an apprentice and doesn’t even have an idea of

who she was. Utilitarian approach is the best known and most influential moral theory. It seeks

to create the highest good possible. This approach focuses on the majority as a group for positive

outcome instead of everyone. Again, saving lives is better than saving a life.

Does Lives Matter?

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It’s true that some people might ignore conversations about these issues because they

haven’t been placed into a situation where their loved ones were killed. It is still important

because you don’t know your future. I’m afraid that some countries are failing to provide equal

justice for all, for people and for color. They should perfect the process before starting and

funding a torture park. They should have a powerful criterion before punishing someone who

committed heinous crimes. Because an innocent people can always be accused of something they

didn’t do.

Works Cited

“Destruction - Mind Field (Ep 3).” YouTube, uploaded by Vsauce, 25 January 2017,

m.youtube.com/watch?v=zD68reVP0Ek

Kine, Phelim. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘War on Drugs.’ Harvard International

Review, 2017.

Kraut, Richard. What is Good and Why: The Ethics of Well-Being. Harvard University Press,

2009.

“Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?” ProCon.org, 9 December 2016.

https://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002000

Taylor, Kathleen. Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain. Oxford University Press, 2009.

“Ted Bundy Biography.” Biography.com Editors. A&E Television Networks, 24 June 2019.

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/ted-bundy

“The Catholic Church Opposes the Death Penalty. Why Don’t White Catholics?” Gale, 2017.

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”The Death Penalty in the USA | Nick McKeown | TEDxLosGatosHighSchool” Youtube,

uploaded by TEDx Talks, 16 February, 2016.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_YK72Xb6BtA

The Horrible History of The Death Penalty” Youtube, uploaded by The Infographics Show, 13

February 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PZDIlJcmNA

Willis, Adam. Church vs. State. Virginia Quarterly Review, 2019.

“White Bear.” Black Mirror, season 2, episode 2, 18 February 2013. Netflix,

https://www.netflix.com/watch/70279174.