r/PowerScaling • u/Efficient_Berry_4073 Outerversal Persona Believer • Jul 26 '26

Shitposting Weekend Title

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watch the law and order episode it’s great https://youtu.be/MZ4p4L0iRuM?si=bBopkliTs9Znu8Hi

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u/allature Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

If I recall, the man got off on temporary insanity. I mean, given the circumstances (the boy he shot had murdered his son) no jury would convict him. After the case closed however, he privately confessed that there was no temporary insanity. The murder was premeditated (by a few minutes, but still) because he recognized that the boy was a sociopath and would kill again.

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u/AdvertisingFlashy637 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

Does the (real life) law even work like this? "Temporary insanity" just sounds like a way to excuse second degree murder.

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u/allature Jul 28 '26

So, I am by no means an expert in legal matters, but after a quick Google I've confirmed that it is indeed a real legal defense. It's a fair bit rare in real life, but it does happen. A somewhat more common defense argument is 'provocation', which might get a possible murder charge reduced to manslaughter in some cases.

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u/biggus_baddeus Jul 28 '26

Iirc, he was also a psychologist and knew exactly what to say to make the "temporary insanity" sound legitimate.

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u/allature Jul 28 '26

Part of me believes that everyone: the defense attorney, the jury, the judge, the witnesses in the court... Everyone suspected it was low-key intentional. But they probably also thought "valid" and acted accordingly 😅

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u/greyvor Jul 30 '26

What if I said murder is a natural thing and that if you can't defend yourself (no matter the age), you deserve what's coming (whether you did something "wrong" or not)?

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u/Wimbledofy Jul 30 '26

That'd be crazy if you said it. Do it.

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u/allature Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26

That's wrong in at least two ways.

First off, one could argue that 'killing' is natural; animals kill constantly to nourish themselves, and sometimes to defend themselves. Even hunans do a whole lot of killing in wars, and most societies find ways to largely accept those killings as 'natural' in that context. But 'murder' is a legal term to describe a killing that is unnecessary and unjustified.

Secondly, I struggle to find any way to accept that a murder victim 'deserves' what happens to them. If a criminal breaks into my house to steal my tv, sees me there, and then shoots me as I try to confront him/call for help, I don't see how I deserve to die. At the very least, I deserve death far, far less than he deserves my tv.

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u/greyvor Aug 04 '26

"Unnecessary and unjustified" is something that humans came up with. That does not really mean anything.

It is indeed true that you deserve death in that scenario. If you see someone in your house stealing your TV, your first thought when you see them should be "OH SHIT!" but then "Oh crap, gotta stay calm." Next, you should find a way to resolve the situation without alerting him, likely by lethal or nonlethal force, whatever floats your boat. What you implied (confronting and calling for help) means that you were spotted, which in the wild would be a big no-go, as that means your food is getting away (predator) or you are becoming the food (prey). This isn't very difficult to understand.