Video Executions

The U.S. is one of the countries that still has the death penalty for a few crimes. I am opposed to this, but that's not my point here. With the history of the country including such things as those wild west cowboy hangings it's unlike to change. But what is new about capital punishment now is that courts have put an end to the long banned "public hanging" of criminals in favor of allowing"death videos" that record the execution of the criminals.

Some states now record the executions for private use, and that makes one wonder if one day they might be shown on public airwaves. I wonder if this is cruel to the executed and his or her family? The reason given by states for taping executions now is that by taking them away from a secrecy level, there is greater assurance the criminal will be put to death in a more humane, painless way.

But in this age of idiotic Yu tube video and fools with cell phone cameras posting anything and everything, it seems inevitable that executions would make their way to television or to Yu tube. It is impossible to not expect such video to become publicly accessible. Too, a society that lusts to see a human put to death may not be a healthy one. Showing executions would encourage that unhealthy attitude. Too many people today have difficulty separating reality from "reality TV' and the like. Would not displaying executions make life seem cheaper?

There is something disturbing about people lining up to watch humans being put to death. Might humans become more indifferent to death if they witness it routinely, kind of like how we accept the policy of animals at a local animal shelter being put to death because there is no more room to hold additional ones. Sometimes transparency isn't for the best.