Jon Venables

[poliphilo]

The authorities may be desperate to keep Jon Venables' identity a secret, but the man himself seems to have been trying- even more desperately-  to out himself. The story that's seeping through the official firewall reveals a haunted, young man- often the worse for booze and drugs- who has been buttonholing strangers and workmates and confiding his horrible secret to them- and then getting into fights when they reject him. We all find it difficult to live alone with our secret selves; how much more terrible when the secret self is a notorious murderer. Venables is not a psychopathic monster. A psychopathic monster doesn't reach out for acceptance and understanding. A psychopathic monster is sufficient unto himself and lives easily in his own skin.

I am implacably opposed to the death penalty- chiefly on the grounds that it degrades the society that operates it- but  this case makes me wonder if bringing a guilty, self-hating existence to a sudden end isn't in fact the  kinder, more merciful option.

Comments

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

God, how tragic.

I have recurrent dreams in which I've murdered someone, and am covering a secret shame. The dreams themselves are unbearable enough, I can't imagine what it would be like to live that as a truth. For the rest of my life.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I have those dreams too. They're some kind of stress/worry dream, but I really wish my brain could come up with some other symbolism to represent whatever it is it is fretting over.

As you say, the dream is disquieting enough. To wake up and find that it was true would be awful. :(

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've had those dreams too- that I've done something completely unforgiveable and totally destroyed my future life.