We've heard a lot in the past week about evil. With the horrific shooting in a Connecticut elementary school killing 26 innocent people; many of them very young children, its not particularly surprising that term has been bandied about. By the media, by pundits, by people on the street; even by the vice-President of the NRA - who spoke of 'good guys' v. 'bad guys' and the evil person who committed these crimes - in a terrifying show of just how outrageous the US gun lobby is (more on that later...).
But I don't believe in evil; not in this sense anyway. Call me idealistic, but I do not believe we can term people 'good' and 'evil'. I passionately feel that humanity is essentially good, but that some are corrupted by outside influences - taking from Blake, they are born innocent, but through experience become corrupted. Some commit acts that are unspeakable, disgusting and awful - but they are not evil. Talking in the absolutes of good and evil shuts down all discussion; it allows us to say 'this person is evil, was always evil, and therefore we have no duty to assess why they committed these acts, or what we could have done to prevent them'. If we label someone evil, then we feel justified in locking them away with no attempt to rehabilitate them or; in the case of the US and other countries around the world, kill them in state sanctioned execution chambers. We feel justified and vindicated.
Talking in these dichotomies harks back to a time when religion ruled the world; when explanation was unnecessary in the face of absolute faith. The Christian religion, and the Catholic church in particular, were very good at shutting down all discussion by talking about Evil. They could simply say this is wrong, it is wrong because it is evil, and there is no need for further discussion. In an age where we are bombarded with knowledge every day, where we are consistently cynical, it is against the grain to do the same. Unfortunately, tabloid headlines, talk show discussions and broadcast news regularly label people as evil. I understand it, its easier then suggesting society had something to do with it, that perhaps we need to look at ourselves and our culture, that perhaps there were underlying issues with this person.
With evil, we can lock someone away and ignore them, without feeling guilty. They won't ever change, so why should we help them. I, however, believe in redemption, in rehabilitation, in the possibilities for everyone to be good. We need to begin to see crime as a product of society or of mental instability; petty theft usually comes from poverty and a poor education, horrific murders often come from underlying mental health issues that have long been left untreated. These people are not innately evil; yes, they have committed wrong and should be punished, but they should be given the chance to show that they are good again.
Where does this fit into the debate about guns? Well, unfortunately, the US gun lobby still talks this way. Yes, it blames violent video games and movies (perhaps something we should look at - although in many other countries this isn't such a problem), but it still talks of good guys v bad guys. And this is shrewd for their motives. If people believe that there is evil out there, evil that cannot be changed, then they will feel the need for protection. And so, buy guns. Buy hundreds of guns, with thousands of rounds of ammunition, because there is nothing else they can do. They will believe that guns are not bad, in fact guns are good, they just happen to turn evil in the hands of those we label evil. That is why they suggest 'good guys' should be in schools with guns; because crime only comes from those who are evil, we can trust everyone else with guns. At best naive, at worst incredibly dangerous.
And it suits their interests further not to look at the underlying causes of violent crime. The wealthy who are in charge of the NRA would never suggest that poverty or lack of opportunity create crime lest their wealth is redistributed to help people. The relative cheapness and ease of access to guns only compounds the problem; in the UK we have the same problems of disgusting wealth inequalities, gangs and lack of opportunity - but our rates of violent crime are far lower.
So, this Christmas period, lets not talk of evil. Lets talk of the things we can do in society to give people a chance, to help them, to give them something to aspire to that isn't gang membership or gun ownership. And let's see the best in people; that every single person in this world has the capacity and capability to be exceptional, to succeed, to be good.
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