Killing a convicted murderer is similar to beating a child to show that hitting others is wrong, so when dealing with the death penalty, it's important to develop attitudes and terms that allow us to overlook that irony.
Whether for or against the death penalty, I think most people would agree that it's a distasteful deed. Our society usually deals with repugnant acts by giving them less repugnant euphemisms.
Euphemisms are a standard tool used in propaganda; in a linguistic sleight-of-hand, they obscure reality and lessen the impact of various kinds of nastiness. The military marketing geniuses are experts at this; they changed the name of the "MX-Missile" to "The Peacekeeper." One sounds scary and threatening --- the other sounds like a title given to a pacifistic Messiah. See how that works?
Corporate Spawns of Satan (aka "marketing consultants") also have their own set of euphemisms to distract the public from the sinister stunts of CEOs: instead of being 'fired', a person is 'made available to the industry'. Shipping millions of jobs overseas is now called "outsourcing." Massive layoffs are known as 'downsizing', which takes a horrifying word and makes it sound like a technique used by the jolly town tailor.
Hitler was well aware of the benefits of euphemisms as propaganda: his most infamous trick was to call the mass murder of Jews "The Final Solution", as if carrying out his plan would ameliorate all future problems on Earth. It not only sounded extremely positive, but it hid the fact that millions of people would be killed.
Politicians always need new euphemisms, which is where I come in. During the 1990s, I was one of the top Satanic Aides, ie. Marketing Brains in the entire Southwest. George W. Bush, during his first term as Texas Governor, hired yours truly to spiff up his official language with a bit of creative writing. Bush had a slight publicity problem, he was a born-again Christian, believed in forgiveness, called himself a 'compassionate' conservative, and yet he was the leading state-sanctioned killer in the free world. (When I joined the team, Bush had overseen 130 executions in Texas, including one of a woman who claimed to have been 'born-again' in prison: Karla Fay Tucker.)
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
I am opposed to the death penalty for a number of reasons and I agree about the cognitive dissonance between how the modern government and politicians want to present themselves, and the messy cruelty of "conclusive retribution" (love that one). Great job.
I am all for blowing up foreigners under the right conditions, however.
2 - Joe
I'd have really liked to have seen a Barcelona chair or a LaZboy in the artwork. Nice touch with the Camus, though.
3 - CW Fisher
True, you worked for Bush? Either way, good post, and love the chair.
4 - Shark
Thanks, kids. I do it all for you.
And Joe, the chair is a few years old, part of an ongoing series of art works I created as very inside jokes for art fanatics and intellectuals with no lives to speak of.
5 - Shark
re: Camus -
I highly recommend "Reflections on the Guillotine" for anyone who hasn't read it.
(But this crowd probably already has.)
6 - Shark
Fisher, re. working for Bush; don't I wish! I would have loved to have been a bodyguard -- or his travel agent.
[ winky-winky ]
7 - Dirtgrain
We tend to dehumanize our enemies, making them out to be monsters, while we humanize and de-monsterize ourselves by distancing ourselves from the nature of the nasty acts that we commit. Is there a Freud defense mechanism that explains this? Could we get back to focusing on getting laid, maybe?
8 - bhw
Dirt, did you not recently take advantage of "steak and blow job day"?
9 - Dirtgrain
Is it some sick form of necrophiliac bestiality? Damn, I totally missed it.
10 - Chris Kent
Just read this post Shark. Excellent...
11 - Shark
Chris, thanks. It's so good -- I can't believe I wrote it!
Merry Xmas, yall,
Shark
12 - Shark
PS: Would it be completely tasteless to say I made myself laugh out loud at: "Terminal Vaccination"?
Gawd, I love that!
13 - Bennett
Heh! Ditto!