If you believe in the death penalty, could you do the job.

[HCM856]

I do believe in the death penalty in certain cases. When there is zero doubt and for certain crimes. As an example, Rose West and Wayne Couzens, wouldn’t be against them getting the death penalty.
I couldn’t be the one to kill them though, mainly because of the idea that there is a heaven/hell.. I’m not sure, I murdered someone but it was my job to do so would matter, I’d just be judged as a murderer.

According to the surviving children she was just as bad as him. He wasn’t even around when she murdered Charmaine West, he was in prison so I don’t know if we can give her that excuse.
Not that I’m obsessed with Rose West btw, just watched a documentary on it all which is why I used her as an example.

Society can only really function by delegating certain tasks and hiding them from public view. I’ve seen the most determined carnivores be absolutely traumatised after experiencing an abbatoir. I suspect that the same goes for the executioner. Easy to think you could do it, but I suspect a lot harder in practice.

Drs and surgeons can’t do this as for most of them it goes against their fundamental beliefs. You’d also be surprised that not everyone in the military could either. Ignoring the 70% of the military who aren’t combat personnel, there’s a long history of troops being reluctant or unable to kill in certain circumstances. People are so blasé about the reality of killing another human being. It’s so easy to say when you’re not faced with actually doing it.

Nope - I’d be in the crowd outside with the anti death penalty signs. You can’t both value human life and sanction the taking of it in that way.

I'm fairly sure I couldn't do it. On the other hand, I believe in nursing but I couldn't do that either.

100% I could do this job. Especially to serial killers, rapists, child abusers who physically beat a child to death and Peadophiles. I would happily watch them die and would happily be the one to do it. Especially if there is 100% no doubt they did the crime.

Automated? Putting the needle in someone's arm?

I think the death penalty is an abomination. It damages and degrades everyone who is part of it, and the whole of society.

Executioners in many countries in the past were social pariahs, ostracised from normal society. In some places, they were themselves prisoners, given an 'extension of life' in exchange for executing others.

I wonder how those who participate in executions in the US are viewed by their friends and family.

I get what you’re saying, people who are a little more sensitive to things probably do have issues from doing this in the past as a job. But I don’t agree with you saying the death penalty is an abomination. I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that prisoners are being released early due to ‘space’ which I find totally wrong, if we had the death penalty for certain crimes like serial killers, Peadophiles, rapists and child abusers and there was 100% evidence and no doubt they committed these crimes then ‘space’ wouldn’t be an issue. I don’t get why tax payers money should allow these monsters (because let’s face it they aren’t humans) to live, be fed and have ‘fan mail’ and even like Chris watts get married and have ‘relationships’ like normal people. They get money for working in the prison too, so if they are good they get an easier ride, access to gyms, TVs and what ever else. I think it’s wrong when they have caused so much trauma and hurt to families and friends of their victims. So I am 100% for the death penalty.

So let's say there is a vote and you choose yes to the death penalty, are you perfectly fine with the people carrying out your beliefs going to hell?

Not everyone believes in hell. That’s not really a reasonable argument when everyone’s beliefs are different.

I don’t believe in heaven or hell. So that wouldn’t cross my mind. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I was referring to the OP where she mentions being worried about heaven/hell.

No, I think anybody who does believe in heaven/hell couldn’t do the job. If we were to bring back the death penalty in the uk I think the salary would have to be really high before anyone would apply.

What method of execution? How much will I be paid?

What about if it was your child this person hurt, could you do it then? I could.

I am against the death penalty. But I could easily do the job
I am not a very emotional or empathetic person. To me it would just be a job.

Yeah, I agree with the death penalty and yes I could do the job. I don’t believe in Heaven or Hell so there’s no complication there.

And those are exactly the type of people who should never, ever be given the job.

Many of the people currently performing the job of executioner in the US Bible Belt will certainly be believers in heaven and hell.

(They’ll just think it doesn’t apply to them because their killing is justified because other humans have decided it is. This doesn’t seem to tally with their commonly-held belief that God is the only one who can judge).

No

Especially if there is 100% no doubt.

Especially? But if it was 90% or 80% you’d still be ok with it? Just not especially?

If they had harmed my family, yes

Yeah. Basically.

No I could never be an executioner. I can think of nothing worse.

So, my Grandad’s experience…

He was a hard man from the slums who fought on the streets for the Communists in the early 1930s, & was actually paid to fight Moseley’s Blackshirts.. which he enjoyed as my Grandad’s main hobby as a young man was getting drunk and fighting.

He then joined the army which meant more drinking and fighting as well as learning to fire guns & drive tanks.. he loved it.

But during ww2 he fought in Burma.. and sadly many of his comrades including his best mate of many years were killed in front of him by the Japanese soldiers.. or were taken prisoner and murdered in horrible ways / treated very badly - so my Grandad began to get a real hatred for the Japanese soldiers and, like many others, felt the enemy were like monsters, with no humanity.

He even brought home ‘trophies’ from dead enemy soldiers (a Japanese diary, a Japanese woman’s photo, some occupation yen).. many soldiers do this in wars unfortunately, it’s a well known practice.

One awful day as the British tanks advanced, a Japanese soldier charged his tank, shooting at the small gap my Grandad was looking through so he could see to drive the tank. And unfortunately he had no choice but to run over the enemy soldier as the tank was advancing so fast.
Then my Grandad had to wash down the tank tracks on his return to base.

He lived with that all his life. On his return from the war he had constant nightmares where he would hit out at his wife. Then in his old age he got dementia and every time I saw him, which was almost weekly, he would relive that enemy soldier’s death & the guilt he felt. Despite the fact that an enemy sniper had shot his best mate next to him, & he had so much hatred for the Japanese, he regretted killing that soldier to the end of his life.
And he’d been a hard man, from a hard background.

Similarly, a friend knows veterans of more current wars who have been Marines etc & who trained to kill as a profession.. & who often now suffer with regret & PTSD.

So, I really think most people would struggle with the reality of being an executioner.