Quote:
Originally posted by Melusine:
I'm not talking down to you and yes, I do find it crass to refer to concern about the death penalty as a silly thing and to compare innocents being executed to natural death.
You live in a first world country and try to help people who are poor. I could say that that is silly too, that you should concentrate on big things. People in third world countries have it a hell of a lot worse than even the poorest of people in the Western World.
But I'm not saying that. Firstly because I think that the poor in the first world *should* be helped, because even in the richest countries, there are horrible tales of people living on society's edge. Secondly because contrary to you I think it's fantastic if people try to make a difference, and it doesn't matter if that means they volunteer at a day-care centre (full of spoiled, well-fed western kids) or put their lives on the line providing medical care to people in Rwanda. It's the desire to make a difference, the fact that they're *thinking* about how they can help people, that matters to me. If all people had that attitude, it would help tremendously.
You consider the death penalty a small matter to concern yourself with. I don't. Many people don't. I'm an active member of Amnesty International and I just started a job trying to make more people members. One of our points of interest is the death penalty. Again you may think it immaterial, but like I said, many people might consider YOUR volunteer work unnecessary and immaterial. There are ALWAYS worse things in the world. Does that mean we should only help the one person in the whole world who has it the worst of all?
Oh, and you forget: I find it a good cause to stop death penalty because I'm against it on principle. So that means I don't care whether death row inmates are guilty or not. The fact that innocents do end up there is simply more incentive.
Bottom line is, I find it arrogant to decide that the lives of (possibly innocent) people on death row aren't important enough to worry about, and that people who do so are being silly and don't concern themselves with important things. Like I said bringing food to poor western families is silly in some people's eyes (not mine, BTW, absolutely not! - I'm just turning your reasoning around) but that doesn't mean it's not valuable work.
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1. I never once said the death penalty was a silly, immaterial, or trivial thing--please don't put words in my mouth.
2. I'm not going to get into a debate with you on on whose 'worse off' the 15 year old with terminal cancer or the innocent 40 year old exectuted on death row. Neither of us is qualified. Simply put...its sucks. Its not fair. It's just down right shitty. I'm not going to quantify suffering by saying this person has suffered x amount on a 1-10 scale and this person y amount as THAT is crass. I call them equal because they both suck, and to say one were to suck more than the other would be to make assumptions I'm not qualified to make.
3. You've got a major flaw in your argument...I CAN'T help people in third world countries without dedicating my life to it or contributing large amounts of money. I'm not willig to do either. The degree of effort between the two are unequal. What I could do, is put AS MUCH effort into helping people on death row and will achieve lesser results for fewer people.
4. I'm not arguing that innocent people on death row should not be helped, I'm arguing that the issue gets TOO MUCH attention...not that it shouldn't get ANY attention. Certain people are in a position in our culture to do MORE good for inncoent death row ppl than anything else. The average person, however, can do more good for more people (or at the very least as much good for more people) by volunteering at a local hospital than picketing a jail.
5. "THINKING" about making a difference changes nothing. Making a difference changes things. While thinking is imperitive to the process, thought without action is useless. You obviously dedicate your time to helping innocent people on death row...you've got me respect. Period.
6. It is important that people on death row are thought about. It is also important than we prioritize. You are simply against the death penalty. Thats fine, but what I DO think it is silly is worrying about some murders health while kids are starving. Innocent people on death row are another matter...and thats where prioritizing becomes important. Once again, with x amount of time I can help Y number of people or 1/2 Y number of people. The world is a horrible place my friend, and while some innocent people do get put on death row, most of them are the people who help make the world horrible in the first place. I'm going to try and solve the problems they've created for others before I decide to solve the problems they've created for themselves.