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Didn't any boy cry? This girl certainly did...

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isabelle:
I just saw "Boys don't cry" for the first time on DVD last night, and am still trying to recover from the shock/pain/immense sorrow. I had heard of the film, as a good film to watch, which dealt with homosexuality, but I didn't read anything (not even the synopsis on the jacket really) before I watched. Even though I thought it was fiction, I was 'living' the bloody thing as I was watching. But oh, when I read at the end what happened to the main characters in real life and realised it was a true story, my blood curled. I froze and felt SO much for Brandon/Teena  :'(

Which brings me to this reflection: as a typical European, I oppose capital punishment. I know, it is easy for me, not having come remotely close in real life to anyone who has ever been seriously mugged. But when I read on the screen that one of the culprits had been sentenced to death and was trying to have his sentence commuted, my gut reaction that second was "you can bloody well die, you bastard!". Then 2 seconds later I came round and thought "and what good will it do Brandon/Teena?"
This was like a test for me: I felt so much for this girl/boy, and hated the rapists'/murderers' guts so much, I still quickly found it in myself, in my reasoning, to oppose that bastard's death sentence.

But boy, Texas, what a place, hunh??! And that happened in 1993. Makes me all the more certain that Jack was murdered.

Front-Ranger:
To put that barbarian to death would be too good for him, I feel. He should be made to live with himself and the memory of what he did for a long, long time, meanwhile being daily brutalized by his fellow prisoners, given some of his own medicine.

Jeff Wrangler:

--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on March 08, 2007, 02:40:45 pm ---To put that barbarian to death would be too good for him, I feel. He should be made to live with himself and the memory of what he did for a long, long time, meanwhile being daily brutalized by his fellow prisoners, given some of his own medicine.



--- End quote ---

That might be too good for him, Lee, but your suggestion raises a whole other set of questions, don't you think? Which speaks worse of our government--of us: To take away, at one stroke, the life of someone who showed such a heinous and callous disregard for the life of another, or to condone ongoing institutionalized brutality (um, sorta like Abu Ghraib)?

isabelle:
I want to apologize to all Texans here, don't take it personally, but it is known over here for... not being a very liberal place.

Yes, Lee, I wouldn't mind knowing the same would be done to him, but it is like the death sentence: it is sheer vengeance. No use at all. Best to put relentless efforts into educating the young to eradicate machism and homophobia, I think.

A little voice in my head keeps saying "but some of them are unredeemably evil"... Suffice it to keep them locked up for life to avoid any further danger to anyone else, let's say (which still costs less money to the community than carrying out a death sentence).

Does anyone know if that "man" had his sentence commuted?
And PLEASE could anyone give me the reference of the song in that film that says "the bluest eyes in Texas"? I love it...

opinionista:

--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on March 08, 2007, 02:49:15 pm ---That might be too good for him, Lee, but your suggestion raises a whole other set of questions, don't you think? Which speaks worse of our government--of us: To take away, at one stroke, the life of someone who showed such a heinous and callous disregard for the life of another, or to condone ongoing institutionalized brutality (um, sorta like Abu Ghraib)?

--- End quote ---

I agree with Jeff here.  Killing people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong, is not the answer. It doesn't even make sense. Of course, I don't know if I'm going to feel different about it if I or somebody I love is raped, or killed, but right now I don't see the logic in it.  Capital punishment exist since forever and to this date it hasn't stopped people from killing people.

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