Selective Outrage: Denying The Existence Of “Individual Moral Responsibility.”
Crime and violence happen every day in the Philippines and the world. Let us not pretend this is happening for the first time. Young women, innocent children, teenagers, and even senior citizens are not spared from the crimes against humanity. No matter who the president is/was, these kinds of crimes persist.
The deaths of Kian Loyd Delos Santos, Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman sparked an artificial “selective outrage.” A fabrication that gave rise to criticism of the Philippine National Police, which has been in the public eye since the start of President Duterte’s war on drugs. The Liberal Party (LP) is using these new victims as poster boys against Duterte’s anti-drug, anti-corruption, and anti-crime campaigns.
It is better to stay focused on the real issue: the scourge of drugs and related crimes. Based on observations, Methamphetamine (Shabu) is a deadly drug and its addicts can get violent. Aside from the need to steal, cheat, and lie to get their next fix – many addicts do far more unthinkable, heinous crimes. And the bigger problem is they don’t want to stop taking drugs. The idea of stopping, entering a program, or rehabilitation is not an easy choice. They are hooked. Shabu addicts stay up all night, many nights at that, doing what? Tripping, wanting more drugs, thinking of sloppy plans with their shrunken brains to get other people’s money, that’s when their criminal plans are being hatched.
An analysis of this is a simple exercise in common sense. The more addicts, the more crime, the more violence arises. Addiction, violence, and crime are related. One thing leads to another.
Violent criminals continue to wreak havoc in our streets, yet many institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights, continue to defend criminals more than defending and protecting the victims of their crimes. The criminals are seen as the victims, like a sick person rather than an apparatus of criminal offenses. This discernment leads to my conclusion that we are getting used to denying the existence of “individual moral responsibility.”
The opposition prefers to blame their condition, upbringing, environment, and socio-economic status in life to excuse those criminal addicts from felonious behavior. Suddenly, it becomes a social system problem, and no longer an individual moral responsibility.
The opposition also claims that the drug menace is a result of poverty, a lame excuse knowing even highly developed nations still have drug addiction problems. Even worse, they downgrade the problem to a health issue rather than admitting that the drug problem is a pandemic.
We demand to regain moral outrage in response to all crimes, not just a few crimes that support the selfish political agenda of a small group of cowards rallying behind this newly fabricated hysterical frenzy.
It is imperative to underscore that all criminal behavior is punishable without exception. An exception is a complicity. An exception is an injustice.
“Selective outrage” is the worst possible response in reducing the prevalence of heinous violent crimes. It was and is the worst thing ever.
It’s high time we bring back a just and orderly society, built on virtue, and not on vice.
It is time to draw the line and say: ENOUGH!
By: Claro Ganac
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