lew (09/02/82)
I think the reaction of outrage at Jo Jo's release shows a lot about our own inner workings. After all, there must be a hundred worse injustices perpetrated every day. Also, the reaction belies all of our usual rationales for incarceration (rehabilitaion, protection of society) and shows it to be irrationally motivated. I believe this outrage is as Freudian as can be. Jo Jo represents our own dark side. Deep down, we know ourselves to be capable of atrocities such as Jo Jo actually committed. His release triggered a fear that our own darker sides were threatening to break out. Putting him back in prison made us feel secure again, but from ourselves. His gross obesity makes him the perfect symbol of the id and is the key to the whole phenomenon. Lew Mammel, Jr. - BTL Indian Hill
dvk (09/03/82)
"...deep down, we know ourselves to be capable of atrocitites such as Jo Jo actually committed". Well, Lew, I really don't know about that. I don't think I could *EVER* commit a rape. (Have you ever been robbed? I think about how invasive that is, and I get the willies...) Sure, mock rape is fun when both parties involved are consenting, but real rape? No. Even other atrocities like torturing small animals are too nasty for me. (There must be other humanists in the world besides me.) -Dan Klein, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh