Prison Gladiatorial Death Matches

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. It's bad. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

Well, it is The Escapist. Incest? Check. Self diagnosed mental illnesses? Check. So it really isn't a far stretch to imagine they would also be into snuff.

What confuses me is that most people here are such moral warriors on trivial issues, yet completely condone barbaric acts such as this. I still stand by what I said earlier, that most of these people are just full of it.

It seems like you guys didn't even read the OP's posted, where he says very clearly that it is completely voluntary. In no way was the OP suggesting that we "make" convicts slaughter each other. It's just giving them the option to. How this is barbaric when they are already dead men walking you both have yet to explain.

What you have done is strawmanned the hell out of OP's post by saying that he wants to force inmates to fight.

It is still making a sport out of two people fighting to the death. And making it pay-per-view was brought up as a option, so it is also exploiting their pain and suffering for profit. This idea is not defensible in any way. I worry for the mental health of anyone that would derive pleasure from watching something like this.

 

[Treblaine]

Uuuurrrggg, I mean cannibalism in the sense of "hunting people down, killing them and eating them". I just been playing Red Dead Redemption where I almost ended up on some crazy guy's spit roast. Not like in a survival situation.

OK, to go extreme: child sexual abuse. There. I think that is one thing we can all agree is not permissible and those who do, well they are crazy. Even if pornography was once prohibited and now legal, that doesn't necessarily mean anything else that is illegal today may be legal, including gladiatorial condemnation for criminals.

In fact, now I realise that's the exact opposite. Western world DID used to condemn criminals to gladiatorial combat as in Ancient Rome, and since the Enlightenment Era such practices have been seen as abominable and hedonistic. It did not serve a sense of social justice, it was shallow entertainment rather than justice.

I'm merely looking at it from a prisoner's point of view. If I'm sentenced to life in prison with no chance of getting out, shit, I'd want to go out in a blaze of glory.

I'd take the death penalty over life in prison anyday.

Yeah well fighting is fun, and prisoner guilty of heinous crimes don't get to have fun.

Prisoners often are given choice in their mode of execution. I believe the last person in the US executed by firing squad elected for that mode, seems like a safe choice as it's kind of hard to botch being shot 6 times in the chest. But lethal injection and gas chamber, you can end up brain damaged and lingering in pain if it's done wrong.

UK doesn't have the death penalty but we are home to the most prolific (known) serial killer Harold Shipman who murdered over 220 elderly people by abusing his position as a doctor to poison them. He didn't seem to like solitary confinement, he hanged himself in his cell. But the victims relatives felt cheated, they wanted him to rot in prison and not get the easy way out.

On reason I think death penalty may be so popular is I don't think Americans trust the prison system to actually hold prisoners in confinement and actually do so for the rest of their life. If they don't escape then they are released by some myriad factor or another, certainly the american people have been betrayed by their government ineptitude before.

There hasn't been a huge call to execute the 9/11 conspirators. I think that's because everyone knows those guys won't ever be released. But someone who murders a little girl? Well, 20 or 30 years down the line they claim they "found jesus" and that they are a "changed man" and that they can be trusted on the outside. That's the problem, parole board are mainly worrying about safety, not justice. But that little girl's father was told that man would never walk free again... no matter what. Lies. But if he's dead, it's over.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. It's bad. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

Well, it is The Escapist. Incest? Check. Self diagnosed mental illnesses? Check. So it really isn't a far stretch to imagine they would also be into snuff.

What confuses me is that most people here are such moral warriors on trivial issues, yet completely condone barbaric acts such as this. I still stand by what I said earlier, that most of these people are just full of it.

It seems like you guys didn't even read the OP's posted, where he says very clearly that it is completely voluntary. In no way was the OP suggesting that we "make" convicts slaughter each other. It's just giving them the option to. How this is barbaric when they are already dead men walking you both have yet to explain.

What you have done is strawmanned the hell out of OP's post by saying that he wants to force inmates to fight.

I am strawmanning nothing. What you seem to be unaware of is that I was merely talking about the act in general of watching two people beat eachother to death is what is twisted, and that is why I was knocking a good population of the website for being so full of shit and talking about how much they would love it, and how much these prisoners deserve to die. Involuntary or not, the act is still barbaric and twisted.

Having two people beat each other to death as opposed to giving them a nice, clean death is what makes it barbaric. I just feel like too many people on this site must have used Gladiator as a masturbatory aid, and not for Russell Crowe.

I agree.

People killing each other as proposed in this thread is not glorious, It isn't a sport, it isn't a measure of skill.

It is visceral, it is terrifying, and it is sickening.

Thinking that this is good idea may very well make you a sociopath.

 

[Redryhno]

Well, besides the huge implications that these guys more often than not, have family that still care about them, you've got a big chance for the prison system to be screwed and sued(not exactly in that order) by these guy's family for wrongful death, mistrialed for them to have to fight and kill more people, etc.

Besides that, I think there's a statute or bill or something that imposes huge taxes on any network that shows real-life violence (as in people actually being killed on tv for no more reason that public entertainment, I hope you kind've get what I'm saying. the news not being counted in that) that stretches back to around 1969-1978 region.

But the prisoners are doing this willingly. There's nothing else to it. They're already going to spend the rest of their life in prison, an effective death sentence, so why not let them have at each other if all parties are consenting?

It doesn't matter if it's voluntary or not, that's more than enough for anyone to be sued these days, seeing as how an employee at McDonalds can get sued for someone going to the drive-thru, ordering a cup of coffee, and while in the parking lot(after having paid for and gone through all the motions of supposed sue-safe territory) slams on the brakes and spills hot coffee all over themselves. it's roughly the same ballpark there, a person can sue for "emotional trauma" and win thousands in a court after all that happened was that some stranger on the street said "hey fatty" or the like to a friend behind them and they assumed they were the one the joke was aimed at.

 

[The Towel Boy]

I love this idea, if people were sentenced to death they should at least give them a chance, but the bad thing is what if they are actually non-guilty, which is not likely is still possible.

 

[chuckman1]

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Hahaha you've been brainwashed too.

I think this would be a pretty bad idea.

 

[kinggamecat]

Entertaining as it may be, it's still cruel and inhumane, there still people, just awful people.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Screw ethics, that would be awesome!

Your friend is dumb. Humans have come a long way from gladiatorial death matches, both as a society and as a people. Why would we suddenly revert to old, archaic ways of unbalanced tomfooloery? While we are at it, why don't we make petty crimes punishable by public ridicule in stocks, or maybe we can solve all of our disputes with ten paces? Hell, why don't we just pit two people against each other that use newborn babies as their weapons.

EDIT: Of course most people on The Escapist like the idea. The Escapist, like most sheltered and uneducated groups, thinks that every single criminal on earth is the worst piece of scum ever. Did that guy go to jail for unpaid speeding tickets?! FUCKING HANG HIM BY HIS TOES AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH. You people disgust me sometimes.

EDIT 2: I also love the people saying that they would totally watch it. No, you most likely wouldn't. You're saying that to look "edgy". Despite all the self diagnosed medical problems people have on this board (all of which are most likely non existent), I highly doubt many, or even a few, of you are as "twisted" as you say you are. I guarantee that most of you would get nauseous, or even start crying uncontrollably, when seeing 2 grown men fight to the death. Hell, most of you barely have the courage to speak to members of the opposite sex, so I highly doubt you could even watch two people punch each other if blood was involved. Grow the fuck up. This isn't high school. Stop lying to yourself.

I regularly watch bloody UFC, Dream and StrikeForce fights, partake and spar in BJJ and do Muay Thai - don't tell me how to think. I don't think I'm 'edgy', I think I'm fairly normal, instinctively, I like watching people fight.
(Unless you're - quite possibly - trolling, in which case well done:3)

UFC fights must be very similar to watching a man punch another man's face until it caves in on itself. Oh wait, they are not.

Ahh, quoted a second time. Again, referring to this bit

I highly doubt you could even watch two people punch each other if blood was involved.

 

[jimbob123432]

I think enough people have stated why this is such a bad idea that I don't even need to go into detail.

But Seriously, it's an atrocious idea for ALL the reasons stated by everyone else. I already disagree with the death penalty as it is. (*is Canadian*)

If this kind of thing ends up happening, I can safely say that I will actually not want to live on this planet anymore. Or at least this continent.

Hey, that's the reason I posted this here. I'm Canadian as well, and I just wanted to get more opinions on this, particularly from people who live in countries that do have the death penalty.

 

[jimbob123432]

Your friend is dumb. Humans have come a long way from gladiatorial death matches, both as a society and as a people. Why would we suddenly revert to old, archaic ways of unbalanced tomfooloery? While we are at it, why don't we make petty crimes punishable by public ridicule in stocks, or maybe we can solve all of our disputes with ten paces? Hell, why don't we just pit two people against each other that use newborn babies as their weapons.

EDIT: Of course most people on The Escapist like the idea. The Escapist, like most sheltered and uneducated groups, thinks that every single criminal on earth is the worst piece of scum ever. Did that guy go to jail for unpaid speeding tickets?! FUCKING HANG HIM BY HIS TOES AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH. You people disgust me sometimes.

EDIT 2: I also love the people saying that they would totally watch it. No, you most likely wouldn't. You're saying that to look "edgy". Despite all the self diagnosed medical problems people have on this board (all of which are most likely non existent), I highly doubt many, or even a few, of you are as "twisted" as you say you are. I guarantee that most of you would get nauseous, or even start crying uncontrollably, when seeing 2 grown men fight to the death. Hell, most of you barely have the courage to speak to members of the opposite sex, so I highly doubt you could even watch two people punch each other if blood was involved. Grow the fuck up. This isn't high school. Stop lying to yourself.

A) I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my good friend like that. He came up with this idea during one of his Political Science courses when a debate arose about what should be cut in federal budgets to make room for more prison cells. He thought it was unfair that departments like Education and Healthcare (we're from Canada) should be getting their budgets cut because of the growing prison population.

B) If you don't like the people on the Escapist, why are you here?

C) I used to be a competitive fighter (until I went into university), so I can watch fights with blood in them.

D) I think you're the one who needs to grow up. All you've done is call someone names, makes general assumptions about other people's social lives, and jump to insane conclusions (not many here are as Draconian as you seem to think)

In short, this is a public forum for the free exchange of ideas. If you don't like the ideas presented here, no one's preventing you from leaving.

 

[jimbob123432]

I don't see why we would limit it to just prisoners. Killers gonna kill. Might as well have a good portion of society's horrendous murders happen in a controlled environment for entertainment and profit. I love how people think that watching people fight to the death would be such a huge stretch and such a horrible thing. People die. It's not a big deal. Happens literally all the time. If people were willing to risk their lives in mortal combat against each other I'd be up for watching at least once, to see if I liked it. I've never been a huge fan of boxing, wrestling, the whole fighting shabang; although I'd be interested to see how it'd work out if there were some weapons, maybe some armor.

I was thinking of this extrapolation, but I was scared that this would devolve into a bunch of people yelling at me for being "amoral". Some people just don't understand that this is a place for a free exchange of ideas.

 

[jimbob123432]

To put it bluntly, this is a stupid idea. Firstly, why would we condemn people for committing murder and then forcing them to kill each other while the are prisoners? Second, having this for our amusement would twist society and I can guarantee rates of violent crimes would skyrocket if such a thing was allowed.

This idea that "Oh they have nothing better to do, let's make them dance for our entertainment" is horribly cruel. Not meaning to sound offensive, I don't think your friend a sick person or anything like that, just wrong about this one particular thing. Also the comparison to pornography doesn't hold true as sex is not inherently a crime in every culture. Murder usually is though.

The idea was bounced around in a poly-sci course, but I brought it here to get a larger point of view.

 

[chadachada123]

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

I always thought the reason we had prisons was that we weren't monsters.

Truest, most poetic response I've read thus far.

I'm pro-death penalty, but this little idea the OP's friend has? It's sick. You shouldn't make convicts slaughter each other for your amusement. It's bad. Can't believe I actually have to tell you people that.

Well, it is The Escapist. Incest? Check. Self diagnosed mental illnesses? Check. So it really isn't a far stretch to imagine they would also be into snuff.

What confuses me is that most people here are such moral warriors on trivial issues, yet completely condone barbaric acts such as this. I still stand by what I said earlier, that most of these people are just full of it.

It seems like you guys didn't even read the OP's posted, where he says very clearly that it is completely voluntary. In no way was the OP suggesting that we "make" convicts slaughter each other. It's just giving them the option to. How this is barbaric when they are already dead men walking you both have yet to explain.

What you have done is strawmanned the hell out of OP's post by saying that he wants to force inmates to fight.

I am strawmanning nothing. What you seem to be unaware of is that I was merely talking about the act in general of watching two people beat eachother to death is what is twisted, and that is why I was knocking a good population of the website for being so full of shit and talking about how much they would love it, and how much these prisoners deserve to die. Involuntary or not, the act is still barbaric and twisted.

Having two people beat each other to death as opposed to giving them a nice, clean death is what makes it barbaric. I just feel like too many people on this site must have used Gladiator as a masturbatory aid, and not for Russell Crowe.

Apologies, the person that I quoted above you was strawmanning (distorting OP's words), I thought that yours had a similar tone (or at least was quoted by him or that you quoted him, something along those lines). Apparently I was mistaken for you.

 

[jimbob123432]

No, this is a terrible, terrible idea. Firstly: Allowing the strongest and most blood-thirsty prisoners to live longer and get better perks than the rest? Sends out the complete wrong message to prisoners, we shouldn't encourage those kinds of things.

Secondly: Murder shouldn't be a spectator sport, any society which encourages and allows murder on television (actual murder) and brands it as entertainment is effectively condoning murder.

Thirdly: I think the death penalty is awful any and should be abolished

Fourthly: Prisons shouldn't directly make money, they should only recieve it from the government. Prisons should focus entirely on the welfare of the prisoners, not on profit.

Fifthly: It's hardly voluntary, if the choice is fight or die, then that isn't a real choice.

Edit: Sixthly: What about prisoners on death row who are innocent? The justice system always fucks up, and you end up forcing (see point 5) these innocents to fight for their life.

I didn't consider you're 6th point. Then again, I'm from Canada and wrongful imprisonment isn't as common/as overblown as in other parts of the world. However, this idea was spurred by the fact that prisons are seen as a drain on government resources and the money spent on prisons could be spent elsewhere. Also, I was under the impression that certain US prisons did make money via prison labour, but I could be wrong.

 

[jimbob123432]

I'd literally be in favor of naval battles with old school ships.

That is awesome. I know it's off-topic, but that's just awesome.

 

[jimbob123432]

Your friend is dumb. Humans have come a long way from gladiatorial death matches, both as a society and as a people. Why would we suddenly revert to old, archaic ways of unbalanced tomfooloery? While we are at it, why don't we make petty crimes punishable by public ridicule in stocks, or maybe we can solve all of our disputes with ten paces? Hell, why don't we just pit two people against each other that use newborn babies as their weapons.

EDIT: Of course most people on The Escapist like the idea. The Escapist, like most sheltered and uneducated groups, thinks that every single criminal on earth is the worst piece of scum ever. Did that guy go to jail for unpaid speeding tickets?! FUCKING HANG HIM BY HIS TOES AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH. You people disgust me sometimes.

EDIT 2: I also love the people saying that they would totally watch it. No, you most likely wouldn't. You're saying that to look "edgy". Despite all the self diagnosed medical problems people have on this board (all of which are most likely non existent), I highly doubt many, or even a few, of you are as "twisted" as you say you are. I guarantee that most of you would get nauseous, or even start crying uncontrollably, when seeing 2 grown men fight to the death. Hell, most of you barely have the courage to speak to members of the opposite sex, so I highly doubt you could even watch two people punch each other if blood was involved. Grow the fuck up. This isn't high school. Stop lying to yourself.

A) I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my good friend like that. He came up with this idea during one of his Political Science courses when a debate arose about what should be cut in federal budgets to make room for more prison cells. He thought it was unfair that departments like Education and Healthcare (we're from Canada) should be getting their budgets cut because of the growing prison population.

B) If you don't like the people on the Escapist, why are you here?

C) I used to be a competitive fighter (until I went into university), so I can watch fights with blood in them.

D) I think you're the one who needs to grow up. All you've done is call someone names, makes general assumptions about other people's social lives, and jump to insane conclusions (not many here are as Draconian as you seem to think)

In short, this is a public forum for the free exchange of ideas. If you don't like the ideas presented here, no one's preventing you from leaving.

A.) Of course I'm going to insult your good friend. I would insult anyone who came up with such a foolish idea. Unfair budget cuts? Jump immediately to death matches. Makes sense to me.

B.) Mainly to browse and watch Zero Punctuation.

C.) Okay.

D.) Clearly I am not the one who needs to grow up. "All I did" was point out how incredibly foolish of an idea it was, albeit in a harsher tone than most. It gets people to actually pay attention. And I don't make general assumptions, I base them on a lot of the threads I read on here. It's in front of me.

In short, this is a video game forum with a lot of try hards that attempt to discuss extremely radical ideas in terrible ways. I refuse to leave based on principle.

In case you didn't notice, this is on the "off-topic" section, ie: the non-video gaming section. Perhaps you should go back to familiar waters.

 

[jimbob123432]

Your friend is dumb. Humans have come a long way from gladiatorial death matches, both as a society and as a people. Why would we suddenly revert to old, archaic ways of unbalanced tomfooloery? While we are at it, why don't we make petty crimes punishable by public ridicule in stocks, or maybe we can solve all of our disputes with ten paces? Hell, why don't we just pit two people against each other that use newborn babies as their weapons.

EDIT: Of course most people on The Escapist like the idea. The Escapist, like most sheltered and uneducated groups, thinks that every single criminal on earth is the worst piece of scum ever. Did that guy go to jail for unpaid speeding tickets?! FUCKING HANG HIM BY HIS TOES AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH. You people disgust me sometimes.

EDIT 2: I also love the people saying that they would totally watch it. No, you most likely wouldn't. You're saying that to look "edgy". Despite all the self diagnosed medical problems people have on this board (all of which are most likely non existent), I highly doubt many, or even a few, of you are as "twisted" as you say you are. I guarantee that most of you would get nauseous, or even start crying uncontrollably, when seeing 2 grown men fight to the death. Hell, most of you barely have the courage to speak to members of the opposite sex, so I highly doubt you could even watch two people punch each other if blood was involved. Grow the fuck up. This isn't high school. Stop lying to yourself.

A) I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my good friend like that. He came up with this idea during one of his Political Science courses when a debate arose about what should be cut in federal budgets to make room for more prison cells. He thought it was unfair that departments like Education and Healthcare (we're from Canada) should be getting their budgets cut because of the growing prison population.

B) If you don't like the people on the Escapist, why are you here?

C) I used to be a competitive fighter (until I went into university), so I can watch fights with blood in them.

D) I think you're the one who needs to grow up. All you've done is call someone names, makes general assumptions about other people's social lives, and jump to insane conclusions (not many here are as Draconian as you seem to think)

In short, this is a public forum for the free exchange of ideas. If you don't like the ideas presented here, no one's preventing you from leaving.

In other words, it's a public forum for the free exchange of ideas, so long as they aren't in violent opposition to yours. If so, they can just gtfo, I guess.

Okay, you caught me on this one. I just got a little ticked off when they attacked my friend instead of the question, assuming the poly-sci major with a 4.1 GPA is "dumb" because their opinion was provocative. I apologize.

 

[Colour Scientist]

As I said, it's not a really a choice if it's the only chance they have of surviving longer.

And don't you think that many will opt for just the regular death penalty instead of having to fight to "earn" a little more time.

Your reasoning goes against suicide, for example.

No, it doesn't. These people are being put to death, not opting for it, most of them would love the opportunity to survive that little bit longer (as would most people outside of the prison system and rightly so). I don't see what suicide has to do with it. People who commit suicide have lost the will to live, these people are being forced to die.

 

[ElPatron]

People who commit suicide have lost the will to live, these people are being forced to die.

And why is that? Pain. Emotional or physical.

Do you think someone is going to live longer just to feel more pain? That goes against suicide because even people who have lost the will to live will chose to delay their suicide to live a little longer.

Plus, if they are forced to die in the first place, it is most likely that they will wish for death sooner than later.

TL;DR people will chose the less painful way to go, specially if said death match does not grant them freedom.

I've never been in jail, but you don't value freedom that much if you think someone in going to chose a few months in the death row over a quicker death.

 

[Magnus]

It all sounds very similar to this; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_the_Sex_Olympics

And it was broadcast 44 years ago!