this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket.

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[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 83 points 8 months ago (21 children)

The death penalty is a barbaric institution. It always has been, and it always will be. The government says it’s okay to murder this person, so let’s murder him.

I don’t get why that doesn’t shock people’s consciences and sense of basic decency.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 77 points 8 months ago (5 children)

I think it's that guys like this one aren't a hill anyone is eager to die on. Like, it's bad, but let's not make this guy the poster boy for ending the practice. There are other cases I'm much happier to cite in arguments opposing the death penalty.

[–] teamevil@lemmy.world 55 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps one of the many innocent folks on death row, which includes a not insignificant amount of African Americans too.

But this guy can fuck right off, I am not losing a second of sleep to his suffering.

[–] CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world 13 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I am never worried about guilty people on death row. I am worried about those that kill them, those that help kill them, those that witness the killing, and those who believe falsely that this form of justice will heal anyone from harms or prevent future harms.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago

You forgot to worry about those who are raised in a society where it's okay to kill people for any reason other than preventing another person from being harmed.

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 31 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Even a single innocent person getting murdered by the state makes the practice barbaric. The state is imperfect. It should not have a license to murder.

[–] LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 33 points 8 months ago (2 children)

We're all in agreement, but as OP said, this
particular person isn't the time to make your stand on. We've all been vocally against the death penalty for a long time, but this specific person is not the one to make an especially strong "this is the line, no further" kind of stand for. I'm against him being killed like I'm against all cases of the government killing prisoners, but I'm also not doing any extra standing up for this particular person.

[–] aniki@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

who's upvoting this coward bullshit?

[–] Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

People that understand strategy. Rosa Parks wasn't the first person to be arrested for violating the seat law, but she was unimpeachable as a person and made an effective figurehead.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works -3 points 8 months ago

this particular person isn't the time to make your stand on.

Those of us who are vehemently against the death penalty tend to be vocal about it every time it comes up, not just when it's happening to awful people. It's important to make it clear that even in cases like this, the death penalty should not be a thing, because otherwise we tacitly agree that sometimes, the death penalty is a good thing.

This particular person is absolutely the time to make our stand against the death penalty, because if we don't, then we don't stand against it at all.

[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world -2 points 8 months ago

Do you want judge Dredd instead?

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago

I have a friend who went to protest outside the federal prison when Timothy McVeigh was executed. He had no love for McVeigh. He thought McVeigh was a monster. That wasn't the point. The point was that capital punishment is always wrong. The state should not have the power of life and death over its citizenry.

And I have great respect for him for doing so. Protesting capital punishment in cases like this are just as important as in lesser cases because the reason for the punishment isn't at issue.

[–] Coasting0942@reddthat.com 5 points 8 months ago

I’ll be glad when death penalty is abolished. But we’ve still got time till then, and this guy live streaming himself doing the murders doesn’t leave much in the way of wiggle room for innocence.

Gonna be tragic when we learn it was secretly racist nano robots controlling his whole body by time traveling confederates.

[–] MindSkipperBro12@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

Probably because our morals and principles collapse at the first speed bump.

[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 9 points 8 months ago

Too busy getting our consciousnesses shocked by mass killings at supermarkets, I guess. By the way, nice work blinding that cyclops.

[–] Moira_Mayhem@kbin.social -3 points 8 months ago

It may be barbaric, and considering how many innocents have been railroaded into it via abuse or neglect of justice, ethically untenable on the face of it.

That said, I feel there are certain people who's actions are so horrific and ideologies so dangerous that should not be allowed to harm society again, and that includes having to pay for their upkeep.

There are many worthy of execution that have been released to kill again.

In our imperfect world it is not right to levy a judgment that cannot be reversed.

If we magically had perfect knowledge of guilt and innocence, I would have zero issue with the death penalty being applied.

Since that world does not, and cannot exist, I will accept life imprisonment, grudgingly. Some people simply cannot or will not be rehabilitated.

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world -3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

The government says it’s okay to murder this person, so let’s murder him.

By that "logic", states also shouldn't be allowed to imprison people.

[–] ABCDE@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

One you can reverse, mate, you know that.

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world -3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Woah, now we're moving goalposts.

I thought the argument was, "the state says it's not okay to do this, and then they go and do it."

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] chitak166@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago

So the original argument was pointless.

Got it.

[–] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Imprisonment is theoretically less permanent than execution.

But people definitely shouldn't be profiting from imprisonment, and the conditions should be humane.

[–] chitak166@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

So what's the point of the rhetorical argument: “the state says it’s not okay to do this, and then they go and do it”?

[–] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 0 points 8 months ago

Oh, please don't misunderstand. I think the death penalty is barbaric. That wasn't my argument at all.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world -2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

But people definitely shouldn’t be profiting from imprisonment, and the conditions should be humane.

I have a friend who is a plumber and most of his work is from jails.

[–] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

Good point- my thought was poorly worded. I meant that if people with lots of money are making more money by putting people in prison, then they will find ways to ensure people keep being put into prison.

Imprisoning people shouldn't in and of itself be profitable since then imprisoning people is incentivized.

Your friend's work goes towards making prisons more humane, I'm in favour of him and you can tell him so :)

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