After watching Bailey Junior Kurariki snarling and spitting while being subjected to yet another poking and prodding from the media I have come to the conclusion that while bear baiting and dog fights are no longer social acceptable human baiting is still permitted.  

I believe that a person, no matter how young they are, must accept that their actions have consequences and must take responsibility for what they do. I accept that for the common good it is sometimes necessary to deprive and individual of their freedom. I do not believe that torture is every acceptable, and torture is what this man is being subject to. While it would be easy to absolve ourselves by blaming the media, there has been good and bad media coverage of Kurariki and the reality is that the media usually faithfully reflects the public it serves. What I wonder is, are we as a nation in danger of regressing to an earlier age, replacing  a justice system, no matter how imperfect, with mob rule and vengeance.

Margaret Visser in her 2002 Massey Lectures examined the concepts of honour and shame. She argued that honour and shame are two sides of the same coin – the notion that a person is what he or she is in the eyes of other people. Visser claimed that Christianity transformed the classical world, substituting guilt and forgiveness, not guilt alone, for honour and shame… Those who are guilty can be forgiven and restored to the community. Those who have been shamed are banished into life sapping loneliness

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