Alison,

Well, I see what you mean here, and it is certainly true that war sanctions actions that in times of peace are considered criminal.

But I think it does matter to the victims of such violent actions what the actions are called. The naming of the act is very important to those who have suffered it, and the insistence upon justice is a claim that often depends upon that name. In an absolute objective sense, perhaps it does not matter what one calls the willful killing of another human being. But in human affairs, much of what does matter is what the crime is called, or even if it is viewed as a crime. So the debate of murder or killing, cold-blooded or a crime of passion is often connected to the idea and desire for justice.

I don't know, I was thinking of this when I went to a soccer game this morning and a young boy, about 7, walked by with his female Rottweiler puppy on a leash. I noticed that the puppy seemed a bit fearful, I found myself wondering if it would grow up and become a fear-biter, as many dogs are, and why the boy had a Rottweiler, when they are rather aggressive. When they came over, I said that he had a nice dog, and what was her name? and he said, "Killer." Well, that name is what the dog will be. And why is a boy about 7, wearing a death head cobra shirt, wandering around with a puppy named "killer?" there is not only an expectation of what the dog will grow into, but of how he will interact with the dog, what his role is as the keeper of such a violent creature, and an inheritance, some parental imparting.

Best,

Rebecca

Rebecca Seiferle
www.thedrunkenboat.com


-------Original Message-------
From: Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 04/19/03 08:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fw: from the dream we are having

>
> Thanks for teasing out those thoughts, Rebecca: very interesting.

At 10:48 PM -0600 4/18/03, Rebecca Seiferle wrote:
>However I wonder at the word "murder," for what makes "murdering"
>different than "killing" is that there is the expectation of feeling
>connected with murdering. Killing is murder without emotional
>involvement. It is 'cold-blooded' as defined by the state, and
>therefore, partakes of logic and necessity, the rigors of the mind
>and of actuality. In part what is held against Orestes is his
>feeling.

I don't think murder is either cold or hot blooded: it is just
intentional violence (and violation).  There was that distinction in
French law, the crime passionel (?sp) which made the crime of passion
a particular category of murder, and the passion was considered an
extenuating circumstance.  And I do remember when I did workshops in
the high security section of Pentridge Prison, meeting some people
who were there for particularly cold blooded murders.  It struck me
at the time (and it still strikes me) that people capable of the
kinds of acts these men were do particularly well when anarchy breaks
out in a country, as in the former Yugoslavia: their psychotic crimes
are then mandated, by a militia if not by a state, and, indeed, given
a veneer of logic and necessity.  But it doesn't make much difference
to the actual actions; to me, anyway, and I'm sure not to their
victims.  Such people are very useful to powers who wish to terrify a
population.

And then of course, it is interesting to read descriptions of the men
who made up Wellington's army, or Napoleon's (apart from his elite
corps).  War sanctions and gives a role to actions that in peaceful
society are considered to be criminal.

Best

A
--


Alison Croggon
Editor
Masthead Online
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