The wrong type of Justice.

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well.

 

Hope you’re more alive than these guys!

 

It’s the month of Halloween, which means all sorts of scary themes are now in fashion, and I thought I’d talk about one that came up during the ENV1101 lectures and tutorials. Recently, we learnt about the human impacts of environmental degradation, one of which was on increasing instances of violence. It was deeply unnerving to learn about the silent hand climate change has on armed conflicts and terrorism. American scientist Peter H. Gleick described how the pressures from water scarcity fanned the flames of war in the Syrian conflict (Gleick, 2014), while militant groups like the Niger River Deltas have carried out attacks on Nigerian oil-producing facilities, damaging the country’s economy and quality of life.

 

Additionally, my tutorial group was presented a difficult question for discussion: “Is it ever ok to break the law in the name of environmentalism?”

 

This question, coupled with the instances of climate change related conflicts and terrorism, gave way to a train of thought that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. For a fleeting moment, I almost considered the use of violence for environmentalism justifiable, even if it meant breaking the law. This thought was wrought with frustration, sprouting from the realisation that even after countless environmental movements, governments and corporations have done little to address the issue, even going as far as to suppress it!

 

It was a bone chilling revelation that turned my blood cold, and it reminded me of a particular character in my collection.

 

THE PUNISHER

Meet the Castles.

Frank Castle was a decorated US Marine who survived the trauma of losing his family in a brutal mob hit. From that moment on, he became a murderous vigilante known as the Punisher, striking out at criminals and corrupt organizations alike in order to protect the innocent.

 

Since his debut in 1974, the anti-hero has cemented himself in pop culture. His quick (and gruesome) dispatch of criminals has earned him a steady fan base, particularly from law enforcement agencies in America . Their admiration for the character is borne out of his quick execution of justice, unhindered by the bureaucratic, restrictive machinations of the US justice system and its affiliated agencies’ rules of engagement.

 

However, it is crucial to recognize that the Punisher’s brand of ‘Justice’ is not justice at all. It is vengeance thinly veiled as justice, fueled by unchecked rage with no regard for reason or empathy (Worcestor, 2012). That law enforcement agencies would unofficially endorse this by slapping the Punisher’s trademark skull logo on their vehicles is both unsettling and a grim testament to the values held by the uniformed officers.

Grim, edgy and a distorted way of Justice.

 

 

Such values are not ones that we as environmentalist and conservationist should hold. Having them would undermine our efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the environment, and by extension, humanity’s survival.

 

Frank castle maybe fictional, but the perversion of justice he represents is very much real. We must be wary not to fall for this fallacy and recognize that the use of violence will not bring about effective change needed to revert the climate crisis. In fact, it would most likely exacerbate it!

 

Peace out and see you in the next post!

 

References.

Worcestor, K. (2012). The punisher and the politics of retributive justice. Law Text Culture, 329-352.

Gleick, P. H. (2014). Water, Drought, Climate Change, and Conflict in Syria. Weather, Climate, and Society , Vol. 6, No. 3 , 331-340.

Akwagyiram, A. (2017, November 4). Nigeria’s ‘Delta Avengers’ militants end oil hub ceasefire. Retrieved from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-oil-idUSKBN1D3268

Williams, O. (2016, January 28). The Punisher: a complete history. Retrieved from Empire: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/punisher-complete-history/

Riesman, A. (2020, June 2). Why Cops and Soldiers Love the Punisher. Retrieved from Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/article/marvel-punisher-police-cops-military-fandom.html

Linzy, B. (2020, June 22). The Activist History review. Retrieved from The Badge and the Skull: Cops, Militants, and a Punisher Fetish: https://activisthistory.com/2020/06/22/the-badge-and-the-skull-cops-militants-and-a-punisher-fetish/

 

 

2 thoughts on “The wrong type of Justice.

  1. Hey Joseph,

    This is such an interesting topic and I personally find the punisher to be a really cool character.

    When you mentioned the type of “justice” he represented however it got me thinking about my time in national service when many of the logos and patches we had were modeled from the punisher skull. In fact, my own company’s crest has a similar skull on it. This was a shocking realization to me as I never put much thought into the possible values it represented, and that no matter how “cool” of a character he was, it might not be the best model for justice.

    My question to you, considering your views on environmental justice, would be which character would you say best describes the ideal form of justice?

    I am looking forward to hearing from you 🙂
    Mark

    1. Hi Mark!

      If I were to pick a character to embody the virtues of environmental justice, I’d probably pick Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars! I think he is compassionate and fair yet firmly stands against unchecked aggression!

      With regards to the Punisher, I do agree with you on how cool the character is, particularly the whole “Rambo” vibe he has. He’s also a very complex character in that he recognises the extremity of his brand of justice, yet firmly believes it is the only way to prevent tragic scenarios like the loss of his family. Because of the inner conflict that arises from this, he is constantly in a state of anguish.

      It goes without saying that that is a pretty bad way to live.

      Cheers!
      Joseph

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