Pray for the Perpetrators

     

When I first read the article about the Matthew Shepard murder, I was instantly horrified, as I'm sure most people had the same reaction. The fact that any humans could commit such an intense hate crime is far beyond my realm of understanding. My deepest sympathies go to the family of Matthew Shepard and all those affected.

                As I reflect on the incident more, I divert my attention to the two young perpetrators. Along with Shepard’s friends and family, my deepest sympathies go out to the perpetrators and their families as well.  Any human who would commit such a crime obviously has issues in their life, whether that is mental issues or perhaps personal issues that have caused them serious distress. I am by no means justifying what the two young men did, I just do not agree with how they are attacked by the media. The way the two were de-humanized is also a crime. More than anything, those two men need a re-guidance and re-direction in their life. This cannot happen if they see themselves portrayed by society. Repercussions of course needed to be had, and I do believe they both received what they deserved by their life sentences in prison.

                I thought it was humble and courageous the way the father of Matthew Shepard rose and stated that the families and perpetrators needed love and prayers. If Americans are so appalled by heinous acts of these two men, citizens should do everything in their power to take preventive steps to ensuring an incident like this never happens again. How incredible would it be to hear a story of gentlemen such as these two as “converts?” Showing that they were remorseful and perhaps wanted to apologize and speak out on the wrongness of their actions. A scenario such as this could really bring about societal change and get a message out, in my opinion. I’m not saying these two would definitely do that, but they have not been given the chance. The media has already labeled them in a way that portrays they are not average citizens, just horrible human beings, or perhaps not even that. This does not foster an environment that the two can maybe turn their lives around.  Also as we discussed in class, showing that the two were not average citizens reinforces the idea that society does not need to change, which is obviously not true. I hope more prayers go out to all three victims involved in this case.