Is Metal to blame?

IronDuke said:
Some fuel for the fire:

In California a few years ago, a police officer pulled over a young black man. The black man was listening to the Tu Pac Shakur song "Cop Killer", which, in essence, advocates violence against law enforcement.
The black man, apparently in a fit of frenzy, shot the policeman dead as he approached the car.
California has a 0 Tolerance policy for those who murder police officers - if found guilty it's an automatic death sentence. The lawyer for the man, however, successfully argued that the music to which the young man was listening caused him to be lost in the moment and commit the crime. He was still sentenced to life in prison, but the death penalty was commuted.

(this is areally great discussion so far guys!)
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Considering my views on the death sentence I suppose it's ok to give him life instead, but I don't buy the "lost in the moment"-line. You're always responsible for your actions and to blame music - even bad music like Tu Pac :innocent: - is never ok.
 
Anomica said:
Considering my views on the death sentence I suppose it's ok to give him life instead, but I don't buy the "lost in the moment"-line. You're always responsible for your actions and to blame music - even bad music like Tu Pac :innocent: - is never ok.
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We don't know the full permutations of the case.  If he was mentally disabled or otherwise had diminished responsibility, I don't think it would be fair to give him the death penalty.  However, if he simply did it because a Tu Pac song inspired him to, we need to keep people like him locked up for life.

And I mean life.  Not parole after 10 years or 20 or even 30.  People who can be proven to have willingly murdered any member of the law should be in jail until they die.  Killing another person is bad enough, but killing a police officer demonstrates a complete lack of respect for the law and all that it represents-that way the degradation of society lies, and a zero tollerance approach should be the norm in cases such as this.  However, saying this, I'm not too sure if I support the death penalty or not.  All life is sacred, yes, but sometimes there may be no other option-what if a convict is released and kills again?  Do you kill them then?  What if they show no remorse, and continue to kill?  But what if a mistake is made-does the state become the murderer?  All these questions are things that I can't make my mind up about.
 
I do buy the "lost in the moment" argument if it is overwhelming rage that is causing the blindness to reason clearly. Most people can succumb to that. On the contrary though I doubt most people "get lost" in their music to the point of killing somebody, thus... Rage, good reason; Music, bad reason :D
 
Onhell, you really have to be so full of rage to even contemplate killing anyone. That said, I agree with all else you stated.
 
Well, 98% of such cases is hubby coming home early and catching the wife with the neighbor/poolboy/bestfriend etc. I'd say that would fill ANY man with A LOT of rage ;)
 
It was your choice of words - Rage, good reason. I don't doubt that a person can be so enraged to do stupid things, but to consider rage a good reason? Maybe it should have been - Rage, plausible reason.

Just a thought. ;)
 
Raven said:
I'm not too sure if I support the death penalty or not. 
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I used to support the death penalty, but have learnt of too many instances where the "criminal" was wrongly convicted to fully trust in our "impartial" judicial system. 


People that kill cops because they listen to bad rap music  -_- should be put in jail for LIFE, literally, like Raven said.  This also goes for serials of any kind - killers, rapists. 


Onhell said:
Well, 98% of such cases is hubby coming home early and catching the wife with the neighbor/poolboy/bestfriend etc. I'd say that would fill ANY man with A LOT of rage ;)
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If a man catches his dear and loving wife having sex with another man (especially the pool boy), he should sue her slutty ass for all that she's worth.  Unless, of course, she's living off him, in which case he's a complete dolt -- or if he signed a prenup, in which case he is an even bigger dolt  :D.


Also, any person who claims that music made them kill, should have that music confiscated in their uncomfy jail cell and should be placed in a cell whose occupant likes to blast the most aweful music... probably Tu Pac or Ace is Base or Hanson kids :ahhh:
 
Genghis Khan said:
Also, any person who claims that music made them kill, should have that music confiscated in their uncomfy jail cell and should be placed in a cell whose occupant likes to blast the most aweful music... probably Tu Pac or Ace is Base or Hanson kids :ahhh:
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A combination of Cliff Richard and Demilich should be enough to thoroughly shatter their will.  Or perhaps an alternating playlist of Barney the Dinosaur and Emperor?
 
I may be unduly simplifying such a serious, complex issue, but I was always of the persuasion that everyone is responsible for their actions. You know, Free Will and all that. I guess I just think of 'X made me do it' is a way of absolving responsibility or passing it on to someone else.

Besides, if we blame anything, I would have thought that visual media would be more effective in such manners. Television, the nightly news, violent movies, and the like.
 
You are not oversimplyfing, it is that simple. However people forget that someone's RANGE of choices can differ greatly depending how high or low on the social ladder they are, their emotional and mental state and how integrated they are with the rest of society.
 
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