Can you put yourself in his mind?   (02/04/00)
   
 
    Kevin wrote:
    The real question is, "*would* you put yourself in his mind?" For most of us, the answer is "no". Having the capacity to recognize that some things are off-limits is the basis for rational morality.
What things are off limits? Who says they are? What if people don't accept those rules?
    Kevin wrote:
    There *are* instances of yki*N*ok. Sex with children is one of those instances, and getting a "power rush" killing someone is another. If we don't recoil at the thought and absolutely reject such things, we might let it linger in the psyche until it starts feeling acceptable. That's the real danger of carrying ykiok too far.
I disagree. I don't believe that "fantasizing" or "identifying" or "understanding" people that do bad things leads to thinking that something is or is not acceptable. Murder is wrong. But I can identify with both the dr and his "victims" (if they *were* victims, and that isn't very clear right now).

Despite that, and despite getting off on the power rush that identifying with the dr leads too, I'm not going to go out and murder anyone. It's against my morals, values, and ethics to do so. The only people that *will* do so are already inclined to do so...the "identifying" with someone who has committed a murder won't affect them in the least when it comes right down to it.
    Kevin wrote:
    (And for the record, I'm not saying SilverOz has that kink, or that sie's not ok. I'm just offering MHO about letting ourselves "understand" things that we know are wrong. A little intolerance is a wonderful thing: it's *good* to be intolerant of unjustly depriving someone of life.)
What does being intolerant of murder have to do with identifying with the person who committed the act or getting off on the power rush *of* that identification.

If he murdered one or more of the people, then they should fry the bastard. My feelings on the matter are independent of "identifying" with him.

There is no excuse for intolerance....particularly intolerance that you try to explain away as being "moral."