essay 1.3

[Narine Akopyan]

English 101

Student: Narine Akopyan

Instructor: Professor O'Connell

 

 

     In his books and articles Goldhagen synchronize ideas how to prevent mass murders, and one of

them was "target people WANTED for such offenses, and not only those indicted. " ("Worse than

war", p. 579) He also appeals to encourage those who kills or helps to kill offenders. I actually don't

think what this is the best idea how to prevent murders and to enforce humanity, maybe one of many

methods which can be used but of course not the only one and not the main method. It seems to me I

understand motivation of Goldhagen: he wants people to avoid even think about killing somebody

and every single person who contravenes a law has to know that one way or another sooner or later

he will be punished. I know we shouldn't set such things aside but retribution of evil for evil just

multiples the evil. To become convinced it is enough to look at the prisons - they are always

overcrowded and number of criminals doesn't decrease. I also don't think what such politics can

grow atmosphere of humanity. And right to kill don't give stability and feeling of safety.

 

     What if we start to kill everybody who is guilty? Can it stop muss murder or other types of crimes? I

am not sure it can. It sometimes can help people to "make a choice" between crime and orderliness by

keeping them under penalty. Well, why having stringent law in USA we still have thousands of

judicial trials every year? Did punishment make somebody more kind and more humane? Not all

people. For example many people know about rule of gravitation and consequences of falling but it

rarely keeps people from flying or mountain climbing if they want it. People just think that they will

dodge this fate.  Goldhagen offers to start a chase or hunt for such people, he said "anyone who has

the chance to kill those who commit mass murder should do just that".  ("Deterrence as the Only

Prevention for Genocide") But if we start to do it can we be better than these criminals? I remember

the story of Mahatma Gandhi whose spirit was strong enough to liberate his country without using

weapon. He chose another ways to save his country avoiding cruelty.  I also don't like atmosphere

of suspiciousness and danger that can appear if people will be given right to kill extrajudicially. Of

course I don't want to say that we don't need to apply system of punishment and don't need to

persecute offenders, I simply would like this method is not the main way for preventing cruelty in the

world.

 

     I like that people like Goldhagen try to understand that triggers such things like killing and mass

murders because it gives us a chance to find remedy or better method of prevention. If I compare

society with alive organism I would say that wars are similar to deceases. Medics know that it is

usually easier to prevent a decease than to treat it. And if we find any decease in patient we don't

need to punish him but to bottom that is wrong to fix it.  I know that people usually (but

unfortunately not always) less aggressive if they have predictable safe environment, don't need

necessity primes and food, employed and taught to keep an order, to obey a law and have ho prejudice.  This is work of

politics to organize such life and make an order in country, to rise an economics and to give people

enough education and opportunity to produce enough tools and food to feed themself. As Goldhagen fairly noticed "The nature of the political regime -- the nature of the leaders themselves -- is absolutely critical for whether this potential will be turned into an actual genocide." ('Mass Slaughter Is a Systemic Problem of the Modern World') But I also

want to ordinary people not to support cruelty, it would be better than kill somebody  whom they

don't like. As famous writer Dovlatov said: "Of course Stalin was  unsympathetic person but he is not

who wrote millions of delations."

1 Deterrence as the Only Prevention for Genocide Interview with Daniel J. Goldhagen
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-1263/i.html

2 Daniel Jonah Goldhagen "Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity."

3 'Mass Slaughter Is a Systemic Problem of the Modern World'SPIEGEL Interview with Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,653938,00.html