Kubo wrote:

Never happen, man. There's no such thing as right or wrong anymore. There's just excuses as to why people act the way they do. After all, don't you know Saddam had a rough childhood??? <sarcasm> I mean, that makes what he did okay. </sarcasm> Relativism pisses me off sometimes. Once in a while it acts as a way for people to bury their heads in the sand to avoid looking at what needs to be done, even if it's ugly.

I would disagree.

Relativism asserts that their is no true answer. Unfortunately, whether human beings would like to admit it or not, there is always a right and a wrong answer. The problem is being able to determine which is the right answer. How do we even begin to measure what is right and wrong in a society that clearly bases their opinion solely on emotional reactions? If we decide that the "truth" is the scientific truth, then social opinion is meaningless. Psychologists for years have studied social phenomenon, measuring levels of social acceptability. But, this doesn't provide an absolute answer. This only provides us with the most common response. We cannot say that the most common answer is the right answer. For example, I personally studied "eye for an eye" revenge, and found that the most acceptable type of revenge is [the act of revenge equal to the initial transgression], no revenge being semi-acceptable, and high levels of retaliatory revenge being unacceptable. But, does that mean the right answer is equal revenge? No, it simply means more people agree with the eye for an eye theory. So, it's the most acceptable response... no way to tell if it's the right response. (Maybe killing someone for stealing your spot in line is the right response, but that would be the most unacceptable response when studied)

Unfortunately, scientific research is not advanced enough yet to go beyond measuring averages & levels of acceptability when it comes to social issues. The issue of Capital Punishment is one of social values and judgement. Can anyone truly say what is right in the eye of science? Or are we simply saying what is right for us?

</rant>

Kubo wrote:

That's my point. Relativism allows people to opt in taking the "we better not do anything to the bad people because we're better than they are or it's cruel or whatever" stance. I never said there was any truth value to taking that course of action, I just think it's fucking stupid and potentially destructive, no matter how many people agree with it.

I don't think Relativism encourages people to be of the opinion that doing nothing is good, I think it allows for more discussion as to what should be done. If everyone was of the same opinion, discussions such as this would not exist. We would all be robots. For those people who think it's better to do nothing, they are entitled to have that opinion. But, I think it is flawed. People of that opinion assume that punishing those who deserve it makes them look bad. Human beings have always known that someone out there disagrees with their actions, and like I said in my previous post, the right answer is not necessarily the most popular answer. So, yes, it's likely that people will see you as "bad" or "cruel", but does it really matter? I still think that finding the right course of action is still quite a task to undertake...

As for those who think that killing Saddam will bring closure, studies have shown that this doesn't appear to be the case. Domino & Boccaccini (2000) found that "execution-watching is less about a family's closure and more about celebrating the death of a human being".

Insert the [you're a psychology nerd] remark now!

Also, who's to say the punishment should have anything do with the victims desire? I read an article once that mentioned that the entire Timothy McVeigh trial was focused on victim's families needs. So, since the families felt a strong desire for revenge and "closure", McVeigh was sentenced to death. Should the punishment be based on personal opinions?

I know this opens a whole new can of worms, but in the case of sexual assaults, victims often say they want the perpetrator killed or tortured. They want revenge the only way they know how. But, I believe in rehabilitation not revenge. What would killing a rapist really do? Most would say it would get him off the street, make the world a safer place. But, these people are also ignorant to the fact that recidivism (relapse in the crime) is actually very low. The television, though great at reporting current events, history, and "fun stuff", has made it seem like "once a rapist always a rapist", and scientific research points differently. So, I guess I'm saying that the victims needs, though they should be address in therapy, should probably not be considered when approaching the topic of punishment/rehabilitation of criminals.

* breathe in *

JEW wrote:

This was totally copy/pasted from somewhere. I don't see how the same girl that writes this, can write this: Quote: How do I put this lightly? JEW is a retard! Valdronius doesn't stand for America! He's CANADIAN, you douchebag!!! The only part of that he may stand for is Hulk Hogan, but even so, probably not since the early 90s!!!

I have a BA in Psychology, so I can probably write about psychology while I'm sleeping. But, I also have a personal opinion, not one supported by any research. I am of the opinion that you must have been dropped on your head as a child, or something far worse maybe. And I am not Jeebus' girlfriend, I don't have to be dating anyone to point out that you're a douchebag.

Kubo wrote:

Could one make an argument that Saddam shouldn't have been executed? Probably. But I haven't heard a good one yet.

Aside from saying he was a bad guy, and he killed lots of people, I haven't heard any reason why we should have killed him. If the only criteria for execution is that they have killed innocent people, then I'll be back later tonight: I have to round up a crew to nab George Bush, because he certainly fits the criteria.

If anyone can think of a reason we should have executed Hussein, I'd like to hear it.

What would be the mathematical equation we could use to justify killing him?

Bad Ass Rating score out of 10 x Number of innocent people killed