USA to live-stream public execution, confirmed by Pentagon

[LoveheartBear]

This is absolutely barbaric. Just when I thought Pete Hegseth/Trump etc couldn’t sink any lower.

Ok, but it isn’t needed.

If you have watched 2 people die, one in real life, and think you are not traumatized, and believe that you feel nothing on witnessing death, it really is needed. The fact you can't see that is more worrying still.

I’ve already said I wouldn’t choose to watch this live-streaming.

It’s horrific. Beyond barbaric to livestream it. It’s bad enough having the death penalty in the first place but to livestream someone’s death. Words fail me.

The cynical part of me thinks that this is being announced more for effect than anything else. The mid terms are drawing ever closer and who knows what will happen once the public has had its say. So I hope this is being announced more for dramatic effect than because it is likely to actually happen.

I wouldn’t choose to watch, but I also don’t care that he’s being killed or that it’s being streamed. A bad person being killed won’t impact everyone. They’ll just either not care or be glad that another bad person is gone. it doesn’t mean they’re damaged, and it doesn’t mean your undamaged or ‘normal’ if it does bother you.

I remember a relative telling me they had seen footage of Saddam Hussein being hung and saying they felt sorry for him. I checked they knew what he had done in his life and yes, they still felt sorry for him being killed. This was a woman who had stood by and watched her husband abuse her children and minimised the abuse or denied it as they got older.

I have now seen that hanging and didn’t feel anything but I’m glad he is no longer in the world.

How patronising. Imagine thinking you can judge someone as damaged or needing therapy based off a couple of posts. Armchair psychiatrists are 🙄

Yes, I wouldn't choose to watch it either, but I have unexpectedly encountered footage of shootings online in recent years, and as a young adult I caught part of a documentary on executions around the world that actually showed several, and I've not been traumatised or damaged. It's very sad when people are killed who shouldn't be, and I feel a lot of empathy for their fear or confusion in their last moments, but witnessing their actual death isn't the upsetting part.

Real life shootings are generally much less confronting or gross than those in films or TV, and while obviously the fact that one is real does make it have more impact in the moment, I don't see why it would have any lingering negative effect unless you knew the person.

Just read earlier today that the handmaid's tale is banned in quite a few state libraries.

I almost can't believe they would do this. I mean life stream an execution. What on earth is wrong with these people and their supporters?

I doubt the live-stream will go ahead anyway. The execution itself might well not either, but even if it does, knowing the Trump administration I'd say this is yet another clickbait statement that won't amount to anything.

I know what he did but I did feel sorry for him. Just as id feel sorry for anyone else. Not because I'm a Saddam fan but because If nothing else he was human and capable of pain and fear and suffering.

I agree. I saw the Saddam execution and carried on with my day. Bad people being killed wouldn’t traumatise me.

The Charlie Kirk killing mentioned already was more shocking. I thought about it a few times after, but I wasn’t traumatised.

I imagine if I saw this man’s killing, it won’t traumatise me either. I read about what he did which will stay with me more.

Not seemingly capable of empathy though was he. See, if he felt even some of the pain, suffering and fear that he did to others, I’m glad. I’m sure the do gooders will say I need therapy too, but I don’t. I have no sympathy for a man who was truly evil.

I get very upset when innocent people die. I have cried when reading what Saddam did to people, including children. I have cried over women and children being murdered by violent partners and strangers and I’ve cried over animals being abused. Seeing a bad person killed, I’d never feel sorry for them, I’d only be glad they couldn’t hurt anyone else.

They could equally just leave him in prison forever and I wouldn’t care. These people really don’t matter to me.

Public executions were abolished in this country nearly two hundred years ago. Just when you think the USA could not get any more barbaric under the present regime, they manage to surpass themselves yet again. Do they even qualify to be called a civilised nation anymore? The whole thing seems positively mediaeval. Whatever the man has done, he and his family do not deserve this.

I can understand those that take tissue with it - if their objection is that they wish to avoid a morbid sensationalism.

But though I wouldn’t watch I do think that there is a case to be made of ‘justice seen is justice served.’ The man is being executed for a heinous crime - is that only acceptable if done away from the public? Surely a hidden act is worse?

Orderly documentation under military law seems the antithesis of the public square and a repudiation of terrorist ideology that seeks to glorify the perpetrator. It reveals the ‘martyr’ to be an ordinary man executed under law.

I am assuming it would be a controlled, military, clinical, documentary style, single camera type coverage.

If it involved close ups, or excessive commentary I would change my mind.

I am appalled. I think it is a sop to the MaGA lunatics re the mid terms.

hegseth also said if he brings in the end of times, so be it. This man is an absolute horror, a terrifying lunatic. And millions of Americans are lapping it all up.

They are a morally bankrupt nation

It just desensitises you to violence. First you watch those who have committed the most heinous crimes die in front of you. Tomorrow we’ll be a little bit less sensitive to it…:and so on we slide backwards.

The "special relationship" is the one the UK needs to leave
Trump and his ilk constantly criticising UK,free speech,Iran war,abortion buffer zones,and a myriad of other untruths.

The free speech is a bit of a laugh as you're ok to spout hatred but not criticise Trump pre approved question etc at the dept of war etc
The buffer zones I'm sure it was eye liner boy that said Scots couldn't pray in the privacy of their own homes.pure lunacyT

The whole Trump administration is a global nightmare.

I don’t believe that is true for everyone. I saw footage of a lovely lad, perfectly innocently going about his day, then being beaten up by thugs and a couple of weeks ago and I’ve thought of it most days since.

I’m not desensitised. I just don’t care when it’s horrible people being killed. I care when it’s innocent people who haven’t committed terrible crimes.

I agree. I'm completely unbothered when evil people are killed, but like you I'm still empathetic and sensitive to the suffering or deaths of the average person, or the abuse of animals. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to watch a live-streamed public execution. It's putting too much importance on people who should be dealt with (however they are, whether prison or execution) without fanfare. Given he was an Islamic extremist, he'd probably be pleased to have his martyrdom broadcast.

Children and teenagers, the latter of whom have a lot of access to social media, was my first thought. The amount of parents out there, who won’t see issue with allowing their children to watch this will be staggering. This is the way the psyche of a country is indoctrinated for the next generation. We are seeing a shift to the more extremes of the right around the world.

Well said, Hegseth is indeed a horror, an awful combination of the worst human traits; toxic masculinity (tick), low intellect (tick), dishonesty (tick), sycophancy (tick), resentment, covetous, coarse; tick, tick, tick

I'm not saying public executions are a good thing that should be done, but...

Children who want to seek out 'edgy' and 'shocking' content can already see people die whenever they like. LiveLeak was a thing, as well as r/watchpeopledie, and Twitter frequently shows shootings, while Youtube and TikTok have shown livestreamed suicides or murders (albeit fairly briefly, before they're removed).

I hope there would be a mass boycott of any product advertised around this.

is there any way we can block this sort of stuff from UK aiccess? I know nothing is foolproof, but at least it would send a great message if practically every country stopped it from coming into their territory;

Do you have children?

Are you happy for them to watch?

What about children living in chaotic environments? The kind of house where parents would watch and not care if their 5year old is in the room.