Two movies in two days. I'm getting lax, aren't I?
Well, I got a lot of work done throughout the day and decided that I wanted to waste a few brain cells.
Spy Game was a good movie. Not great. Not as bad as Zoolander. It kept me entertained and made me want to be a spy. Or did I want to be Brad Pitt? Hmm... not sure on that one... was it Brad that got the ladies or the spy thing that got the ladies?
I may have to test this. Here's the plan: I'll have two test groups. In test group one I'll walk around the mall and act like a spy, hitting on women. I'll tally the number of women that will agree to a date with me... Uber-Spy. In test group two I'll send Brad Pitt out to a similar mall and have him do the same. The catch is that Brad can't act like a spy. Yeah, that'll really screw him up. He'll be lost without that angle. By comparing numbers I'll see if it's the spyness or the Brad Pittness that works with the ladies. I'm betting on the spy thing myself.
One of the interesting concepts that's raised in Spy Games is the concept of greater good for the greater number. This theory holds that in some situations a few people may have to die to protect the greater freedoms of the masses.
In America we believe in a different approach. We believe in concept of justice above and beyond the concept of the greater good for the greater number. It's a beautiful view... the entire society agrees that it will sacrifice so that no one person is unjustly harmed.
An example: Let's say that in a strange nation, far far away, we find a group of people that love to see somebody innocent hanged. In this strange land it's been proven that if the population sees one innocent person hanged per year then they will not commit crime and will not kill each other. In fact, they will be happy all year round.
If we argue for the greater good for the greater number then it's an easy argument: once a year we pick an innocent person out of the phone book and hang them. This will cut crime saving lives in the process because there will be no crime. It's logical. It's rational. It saves more lives.
If we argue for justice however, then we would not choose to hang a person. By prioritizing justice over the greater good for the greater number we ensure that none of us are the one poor sap that gets picked from the phone book. This is how we're raised in America. Yes, there will be crime. Yes, there will be more innocent people that die. But our government system will not have unjustly killed anybody.
In practice both concepts are idealistic and fail to be fully implemented. Reality is a much more blended version of the two. But the ideals serve their purpose.
In light of the events of September 11th, we find ourselves looking at these issues a little more closely. In the last few months I've given the above example to a number of people, but I've painted it in a light that presents the US government rooting out terrorists. In such a pursuit we have to ask whether we are willing to sacrifice the rights (justice) of a few to protect the masses. Invariably we will convict innocent people, given the heightened urgency of homeland defense. I ask people how they feel about this reality.
Most people are glad to see this. They seem to argue that these few innocents that may lose rights in the US are equivalent to the great men and women that may lose their lives in a war. Or that they are equivalent to other innocents that may lose their lives in terrorist attacks that could have been prevented.
While I understand this from a logical perspective, it scares me a little. It is a very pragmatic view and that's one of the things that has made our nation great. But another thing that has made this nation great is that we won't draw mathematical equalities to explain people. We value justice over the greater good. We won't reduce a person to mathematics because it is unfair. Our founding fathers believed that such judgments were too complex for humans. They created a system where humans did not have to make such decisions.
Which brings us back to the movie. In Spy Games you see a government that does make these decisions. They operate on the concept of greater good for the greater number. They are willing to sacrifice a life here and there to get information to protect our nation.
I always have mixed feelings about this. I pride myself on being both pragmatic (I'll get the job done) as well as idealistic (I'll get the job done the right way). I have no doubt that given the power as an elected official I would be able to make the best decision for our nation... but I have to admit that I would need to talk to more people. From an idealistic perspective I would want people to help me understand what they want. From a pragmatic perspective I know that this would be difficult.
It seems that when it comes to this one core issue Americans, after a few hundred years, are swaying a little. They are no longer fearful of a dictatorial government. They are comfortable with their government making some rather difficult decisions on their behalf... decisions that are easily explained as protecting the masses, but decisions that have morbid impacts.
Again, I am still struggling with this issue and have not concluded where I stand. I think that only by discussing this with as many people as possible can I begin to understand my own viewpoint completely.
SufferFest 08 Day 4
