I thought Smith’s portrayal of the juror was extremely moving. I was really happy to see that Smith displayed this side of the trial process as well. I think that in this sort of case where there is such a deeply emotional aspect, it is easy to believe someone is clearly in the wrong; however, there are often much more complicated parts of decision making than there appear to be. Hearing the story of a juror who was threatened and harassed after performing a legal duty for which they did not ask really humanized the side of the story that we may all look at and immediately judge. I think it was interesting that Smith did not discuss the decision making process behind the case much at all and instead she focused on the emotional aspect of the jurors’ lives after the decision was public. In doing this, Smith is able to convey to her audience the true fear and emotional turbulence of being a juror on a case like this and how the disruption to one’s life does not simply end with the termination of the case: these jurors were heckled afterwards and likely had significant, ongoing emotional trauma. What’s truly sad is that jurors are not volunteers; these people did not choose to put themselves in such a dangerous position. I would imagine that if I were one of the jurors on this case, I would not only have great fear for my safety and the safety of my family, but I would also carry a sense of guilt and responsibility for Mr. King, despite not personally knowing him, as I would have heard all the gruesome aspects of this case and been in a position to punish those who beat him.
Changing course just a little bit, I wanted to quickly address my thoughts on Elaine Young. While I was watching this clearly privileged woman's description of going out on an evening of the riot, my mind immediately went to Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway", the internal monologue of Clarissa Dalloway, a rich woman, who goes to buy a fancy pair of gloves for a party she is hosting in the midst of World War I. In this story, Clarissa is continuously avoiding the topic of the war, even in her own mind, only briefly mentioning it when the shop girl apologizes for the fact that the war has caused the quality of gloves to decrease. Oh how DREADFUL for Clarissa. I find Elaine's recounting to be a near replica of Woolf's societal commentary. Elaine is afraid for herself, a wealthy white girl who would never be the victim of the violence the blacks and hispanics were (and unfortunately today remain) facing, so she goes to the upscale Beverly Hills hotel, only to be annoyed by the fact that it is crowded. I don't really know what I can say beyond the fact that both these women's privilege has clearly destroyed their ability to empathize which I think is incredibly sad. And the fact that Mrs. Dalloway is a fictional character intended to make commentary on society makes it even sadder that Elaine Young is a real person who displayed a nearly identical selfishness and lack of empathy.
Changing course just a little bit, I wanted to quickly address my thoughts on Elaine Young. While I was watching this clearly privileged woman's description of going out on an evening of the riot, my mind immediately went to Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway", the internal monologue of Clarissa Dalloway, a rich woman, who goes to buy a fancy pair of gloves for a party she is hosting in the midst of World War I. In this story, Clarissa is continuously avoiding the topic of the war, even in her own mind, only briefly mentioning it when the shop girl apologizes for the fact that the war has caused the quality of gloves to decrease. Oh how DREADFUL for Clarissa. I find Elaine's recounting to be a near replica of Woolf's societal commentary. Elaine is afraid for herself, a wealthy white girl who would never be the victim of the violence the blacks and hispanics were (and unfortunately today remain) facing, so she goes to the upscale Beverly Hills hotel, only to be annoyed by the fact that it is crowded. I don't really know what I can say beyond the fact that both these women's privilege has clearly destroyed their ability to empathize which I think is incredibly sad. And the fact that Mrs. Dalloway is a fictional character intended to make commentary on society makes it even sadder that Elaine Young is a real person who displayed a nearly identical selfishness and lack of empathy.
There is a lot of truth in your comments about the jurors. This is really emerging as a complicated aspect of these sorts of situations, and one that isn't discussed much.
ReplyDeleteYour comparison to Clarissa is astute, particularly in your observation that it's not only that Clarissa avoids the topic of war with others but also WITH HERSELF. It's one thing to be reticent with others but still be contemplating issues internally -- it's another thing to cultivate a habit of disengagement.
A lot of these threads have made me think about how privilege can destroy one's ability to empathize: and, as a result, how important it is to actively cultivate empathy when one is in a situation of privilege.