Westgate Mall attack Nairobi

When reading this I was immediately angry and upset. What really got to me were the articles about some of the first hand experiences. I honestly do not understand how people could do this. One of the shooters told all the women and children to stand up saying that he only shot men and went on a rampage killing lots of the women and children who stood up, killing children who have no true opinion on religion.  Some first hand account quotes that really resonated in and stayed in my mind were:

“These people are insane. They are not human beings. They must have been brainwashed since childhood.”

“They don’t think like you and me. They have a warped, twisted reasoning. They are not Muslims. They are dangerous criminals who use religion to create divisions"

"They attacked innocent people and they should be punished. I’m a Muslim and this has nothing to do with Islam. The Quran says you shouldn't even kill a fly."

"The air was heavy with death and evil. You could smell it."

"They spray bullets on innocent children who don’t know good or bad. They are less than animals. I have anger inside and it makes me feel negatively about the Islamic religion. I hope they suffer in hell."

These quotes were very vivid and described the Al-Shaabab in a way that no one else accurately could.  A common theme in what the survivors were saying was that the shooters were brainwashed, evil, less than animals, and they mentioned lots of religious ties. These attacked were said to be rooted from Islam and the Al-Shaabab has ties to Al Qaeda. First off, how can somebody even do this and secondly how can they relate this to a religion. You cannot justify murder especially not by quoting a religion in this case muslim. When I hear about shootings, or other terrorist attacks I immediately wonder how humans could do this to people just like you and me. I can only wonder what would could be done to prevent future attacks. I do believe that the United States should not get involved as they have already done enough damage by basically giving the Al-Shaabab power. Kenya is a extreme situation that does not follow the traditional guidelines of everyday society.  What many people fail to realize is the power of extreme situations to transform attitudes. However, these attitudes are reckless and show no compassion or regard for human life.

Reini, James. "Mall Siege Survivors Recount Harrowing Ordeal." - Features. N.p., 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/09/mall-siege-survivors-recount-harrowing-ordeal-2013927102037658462.html>.

The Naval Yard Shooting

The Naval Yard shooting resulted in the death of 12 people, a devastating unexplainable act that is amongst a list of shootings that have happened in the past year. While our country is in mourning, many ask if this shooting was avoidable especially considering that it happened on a secure military facility.

As almost anything can be avoided in hindsight, I do not think this was something that could have been expected because “time and time again, Mr. Alexis’s behavior fell below a level that would have brought a serious response, like a less-than-honorable discharge from the military or involuntary commitment to a mental institution” (Gabriel 1). He was discharged from the military because of absences, etc. His offenses in the military were not something that screamed red flag or something that could in other words restrict him from purchasing a gun or deny him military access. However his episode with over firing the gun at tires and through his ceiling should have raised some sort of red flag towards his mental capabilities. This does not reveal a motive for his mass rampage, but should have raised some questions. I think the problem is that he was able to purchase a gun in spite of his gun violence, psychiatric issues, etc.  I also think a reoccurring theme in the devastating shootings lately is that it is so easy to have and walk around with a gun. This is because we would like to trust in the good of humanity, to the point where it is enough to not have to put a metal detector at every public place, but shootings have become “a ritual that we go through every three, four months” (Gabriel 1). We do not want to look at people and see a capacity of each individual to kill, we want to believe in the good of human nature.

Gabriel, Trip, Joseph Goldstein, and Michael Schmidt. "Suspect’s Past Fell Just Short of Raising Alarm." The New York Times. N.p., Sept.-Oct. 2013. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/us/washington-navy-yard-shootings.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Sympathy, Smith

Mandeville believes that we truly do not sympathize with others. He’s the dark horse that believes everything humanity does is out of self-interest that we’re all playing this “getting ahead” game, doing whatever it takes to put ourselves in the best possible position. Mandeville would say that one would pretend to have sympathy for another in order to advance their self-image. What I found strikingly interesting was Smith’s reaction to sympathy. In his writing “Of Sympathy” he explains the reason humans share pity. “As we have no immediate experience of what other man feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation” (Smith). The reason we have sympathy is not because of passion but because we see ourselves in similar situations (Smith). I found it extremely interesting when Smith said that sympathy does not arise from passion as that view is in a way a preconceived notion of the public. Smith even goes into how we sympathize with the dead. How can we sympathize with a feeling that no one on this Earth can actually describe? Well for starters we use our imaginations. We picture the darkness, lack of warmth, etc. The bottom line is that we do not like to see people in pain because us ourselves do not enjoy similar experiences.  

The imagination in regards to death brings Smith to his last point, humanity’s fear of mortality. Smith describes human’s dread of death as the most important principle of human nature. He says each individual’s fear of death protects the society as a whole. While reading this, I had to take a moment to really let what he was saying sink in. Society, the justice system in particular, is built around the idea of keeping people safe. It is ironic that our biggest fear is the driving force around a structured safe society. In a backwards way our society is based of the sympathy that derives from our own imaginations.

Smith, Adam. "Of Sympathy." Adam Smith, Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence Vol. 1 The Theory of Moral Sentiments [1759] (1759): n. pag. Print.

My response to Hutcheson's ideas.

Out of everything I have read so far for this seminar, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Hutcheson’s response to Mandeville. I found it very intriguing when Hutcheson said, “the world is well provided for mankind, but men are capable of a great diversity of pleasures” (Hutcheson). It is a different way to look at the way our world functions. Lots of the people who surround you have their basic necessities covered. They have access to food, water, and shelter; everything they really need to be happy. But lots of the people who surround you are not truly satisfied with their life. They want affection, money, etc. Mankind wants so much more than what is already provided in the world we live in. That’s what separates us from other species, which Hutcheson in an indirect way contradicts Mandeville’s argument. Mandeville compares humans to animals saying that they both work for self-interest. However, the difference between an animal’s self-conquest and a humans is that humans have access to a greater diversity of pleasures and interests. 

I also found it very interesting when Hutcheson presented the ship-wreck scenario. He brought up the idea of good versus evil. The ship wrecked and killed numerous people but at the same time that same shipping company supports a mass of people through trade. While the wreck was a terrible event, the company was good for the whole meaning that the good weighed out the bad in this situation. It is a very different way to look at tragedies or "evil". If you were to take a similar situation today, and think in similar ways as Hutcheson, you would be criticized and judged for your selfish thinking. People tend to want to focus on the bad. 

Hutcheson, Frances. Remarks Upon the Fable of the Bees (1750): n. pag. Web. 9 Sept. 2013. <http://socserv2.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/hutcheson/remarks.htm>.