I know I should feel sorry for someone who's been beaten up, but...

[MayaAngelsFromTheRealmsOfCool]

...when that someone is one of the thugs who killed Stephen Lawrence, and he's been beaten up in prison, I kind of don't. At all. And if he were sent back to that prison now I'd think: Oh well, tough, innit?

I know that logically it's unethical, but...y'know.
It's like when Gaddafi was killed (obviously his crime was on a far larger scale). Someone who's brutalised other people...I find it hard to work up any sympathy.

Anyone else feel this way?

I was about to come on this thread and get all enraged with you, until I was who you were talking about.....that's different, isn't it.

No
I felt no sorrow for Osama Bin Laden being summarily executed but I feel strongly justice has been done here so let's not sink to vigilante reprisals.

i do not like vigilante acts but it is hard to feel any sympathy

i felt very uncomfortable seeing Gaddafi been dragged through the streets i rathe rhe stood trial but that was not the way did he deserve it yes but is it punishment l like to see no it is not

I hate reactive violence, well any violence but yes I too find sympathy lacking when such people are given a piece of their own medicine so to speak.
It doesnt sit right with me though, especially seeing Gaddafi being brutalised over and over again on the news but if a person chooses a life of violence/crime thats entirely up to them and any thing that happens as a result is almost inevitable

Tbh I don't care about their well being at all really - they could have massive heart attacks and die tonight and I wouldn't feel anything one could describe as caring. BUT I'm not yippee-ing about them getting beaten up because they reality is unlikely to be revenge or violence of passion and anger at their crime- prison is full of violent people, people who enjoy violence and enjoy inflicting pain. People who want to "do" an important prisoner to get a name in the cells. I'm relunctant to mix this up with any kind of good for them vigilantism because I strongly suspect it was just a thug who wanted to inflict pain. I seriously doubt most prisoners in the sort of prison he's in agonsie about the stabbing of a young man 20 years ago.

Serenity - yes, I very much doubt he was beaten up as an act of vengeance for murdering Stephen Lawrence. I assume he was beaten up because that's what happens in prison. FWIW this is one of many reasons why I think prison should not be used as a punishment for crimes where, broadly speaking, people do not pose a danger to society.

I didn't see most of the Gaddafi footage; in fact I think all I saw was a single still image. I studiously avoided watching it. I can't think of any reason why I would want to watch something like that - I can't even watch faked horror films so seeing it happen in real life? Not for me.

Greythorne, I would say along with many others, that the conviction of these men is a partial justice. Better than nothing, but not good enough, really.

This question of violence perpetrated against violent criminals...it's an interesting one. Are certain types of prison violence more 'acceptable' (for want of a better word) than others? What about corporal punishment by the state? I would never have ordinarily condoned state corporal punishment (and certainly not capital) but now, having started this thread, it feels hypocritical for me to turn a blind eye to (which is the same as condoning, let's face it) violent criminals getting beaten up in jail. Am I happy to be a hypocrite?! Anyone else?

i get pissed off when i read stories like these....no doubt he will instruct his solicitor to seek compo, this will gain intrest and this thug will have a new life waiting for him in 15 years.

the person who beat him up was a fuckwit

It's a difficult one, but I think all but the most saintly feel the way you do OP. So I don't think that YABU to feel what you feel, but YWBU if you wanted the authorities to look the other way or advocated a legal position whereby vengeance should be tolerated.

Wasn't he beaten up last year and only found guilty yesterday?

What if he'd been found innocent?

Aren't his attackers in prison for murder also?

YANBU, for not feeling sorry for him. But this type of revenge attack shouldn't be encouraged or applauded.(I realise you haven't said it should be)

You raise a v good point about violence in prison vs state committed.

I think it's about choice to live in a society and the ideals that's governed by. And access tO information. I don't want to live in a society which advocates corporal punishment adminsitered by the state. That's controllable. A violent thugs hurting another violent thug is outside of my control
I suppose it's like hating someone so much you'd like to kill them or hurt them. You feel like you want to do this. Most of us couldn't actually do it- to carry on punching when blood was being splattered everywhere, to hit harder, to feel bone crunch against out hands; the reality is utterly different to the anger and violence you feel

UnexpectedOrange, the one I read about, the 4 attackers were black and at least one was in for murder. I think it was related. Who knows, maybe he said something to goad?

Totem, who knows? It could have been a vengeance attack, or it could just have well been for some other reason. The attackers' skin colour isn't enough to go on as evidence.

Serenity, while I agree that the controllability of violence is an important factor, what does that mean on the flip side of the coin? That if the law of the jungle takes over, we should just let it follow its natural course? I am just as uncomfortable about asserting that. Hmm...I think I might be happier to choose hypocrisy!

Yes, it isn't enough. I am leaping to conclusions.

S'alright, we all do that from time to time!

I think that the flip side of the coin referred to by the OP is feeing good when good things happen to good people.

Oh, and I admire your honesty - it's always so refreshing to see someone who's not afraid to admit error - I despair of people who bullshit their way through an argument to try and retain the illusion of consistency!

No I'm sorry I don't agree with the op. If one of the people that beat him up is also in prison for murder what makes him better than the Steven Lawrence killer?
murder is murder, just because one victim is on the front page of a newspaper and the other isn't the crime committed is no less, the people that beat him up are better than him and this leaves us as tax payers open to legal payouts to people I would rather not give my money to, it also raises serious concerns about the way prisons are run.

sorry that should read the people that beat him up are NO better

I was beaten up pretty badly a couple of years ago by the new girlfriend of an ex, I miscarried less than a week later and felt alot of anger towards her especially as all she got was a fine.

About 8 months later she was attacked and her injuries were horrific, one side of her face needed to be reconstructed and metal plates put into her cheeks, it took her along time to recover allthough she is now back to her thuggish self.

However I did feel sorry for her, I don't know, maybe I'm too soft,

Tsk, Dione. How ridiculous to consider the positive side of life.

Yes, that is a far better flip side to consider rather than my doom-and-gloom assessment!

moomins, that's awful, poor you. However, I certainly wouldn't describe you as being 'soft' for feeling for the woman. I think it's admirable that despite what she did to you, you can still retain human feeling for her. That shows enormous strength, IMO.

nancy, nobody has said that the prisoners who attacked Dobson/ Norris are any better than those two thugs.