Monday, February 18, 2013

Christopher Dorner: Hero or Villian?

There are many things I don't understand, but how someone can call Chris Dorner a hero, that is beyond me. It not that I don't think there is corruption and prejudice within the Los Angeles Police Department. I absolutely do. I just have huge problems with the thought process that excuses evil because someone believes that they have been wronged. 

The idea that the end justifies the means, is a modern moral axiom that I believe to be the root of all kinds of evil. In Chris Dorner's manifesto he wrote, 
"Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name." 
So, for him the evil he was about to commit would be justified because in the end his named would be reclaimed. The illogical claim that if you think someone did something wrong to you, it does not matter what you do or justifies any behavior no matter how grievous is wrong. 

This foolish and selfish belief is unfortunately embedded in our modern culture by literature and the media. Think of how in many stories the hero or heroin saves the day by breaking a rule. Isn't this the basic plot of the Harry Potter series? It must be a basic rule for Disney and Nickelodeon writers. 

I know someone will try to use the lie to save a life argument. You know. If it is wrong to tell a lie should people who lied to Nazi Germans about having Jewish families living in secret rooms  in their homes, have told the truth? Please. To allow evil to continue is wrong. Frankly, most lies contain a little bit of truth. If you are a Christian you know the devil quoted the Bible to Jesus when tempting him. 

Does the end justify the means? No. Is Christopher Dorner a hero? No. Apparently, he had a habit of filing complaints. My mom used to tell me that if I had a problem with one person it might be the other person. But, if I had a problem with two, three or more people, then the problem was me. Even if there was a problem with his training officer and all of LAPD, killing innocent people would never clear his name, only condemn it. 

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