No, I agree. The system as well as his family quite obviously failed McInerney. If he is a monster, he is society's Frankenstein. He was indeed screwed up, as you say, and could have been helped by an intervention of some sort. But this gets back to my point...who knows what kind of resources were available to him or his family. The government has cut back on the kinds of programs that help at risk kids. Because of an inability to have empathy, it's easy for politicians to cut those kinds of programs because they see it as unnecessary welfare. They blame people for their own poverty and social problems, not realizing, or more accurately JUST NOT CARING what's at the root of such problems.
Yes, he got 21 years...and that is a LONG time. He could still make a life for himself. HOWEVER, who knows what things are going to be like in 20 years, and will he improve in prison, or simply become a victim once again to a system that doesn't care and isn't interested in reform. He may come out of prison, if he survives at all, infinitely more violent, dangerous, and anti-social.
And the fact that those jurors seemingly did not care about their depiction in the film, that's because they live in a bubble. Nothing gets in that they don't want to get in. What shocked me most was a couple of them were medical professionals. You would think they would have more progressive views about the world. They suffered from gay panic as well, frightened of or angry about people different from them. The one defense attorney, who got the tattoo...I have no idea what to make of her. She came out as a lesbian during the case, according to news reports. She's gay and she states how much she "loves" McInerney, though I can't imagine she spent enough time to REALLY get to know him. There's more than just wanting to help a poor kid there. That's many levels of messed up. I also can't imagine too many people in the gay community agree with her. Bottom line, there is nothing good about any of this case. Nobody seemed to learn a thing...not the school, not the community, and not ANY of the people involved. Only some of the other kids seem to have any common sense at all. Here's hoping they make it out of there with that common sense still intact.
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moviegeek1
9 years ago
The one defense attorney, who got the tattoo...I have no idea what to make of her.
You and me both. She completely mystified me. "I just love him." Based on what? I understand the importance of everyone being entitled to the best defense possible and I agree that he should be represented by people who believe in him, but she's taken this to a whole new level. And when you juxtapose her scenes with the security camera footage of McInerny engaging in those FOUR fights, it makes her sentiments seem all the more bizarre.
Sister, when I've raised hell, you'll know it!
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Jaybone23
9 years ago
It's been a long while since I've seen the documentary, but I certainly remember the cognitive dissonance I saw on the screen, not to mention the same feelings I had in watching it.
I can only think that the woman in question has long internalized her hatreds, and she is incapable of thinking otherwise.
And so much more insane, violent injustices have occurred since this film, I really do despair for the human race. As I said in my original post, despite the insanity, thinks will have to get worse before they get better.
Thanks for bringing me back to this thread. I may watch this doc again.
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moviegeek1
9 years ago
Yeah, I had seen this documentary when it originally aired, but HBO just re-broadcast it a couple of days ago, and I happened to be channel surfing and caught the last hour or so of it. It was still as powerful as the first time I saw it. And even though I'd seen this before, those housewives and that attorney still anger me.
But I happen to think that there is no better time in history than now to be gay. Society in general is coming around, laws are changing and gay is becoming more and more mainstream. The younger generation has far less bigotry and hang-ups than even the members of mine (Gen X). So, although we still hear about horrible atrocities being committed and there are still millions of ignorant people out there, I do have a sense of things getting better. I still have a sense of hope.
Sister, when I've raised hell, you'll know it!
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Jaybone23
9 years ago
Indeed. Now, if we could do something about poverty and inequality and the corruption that goes hand in hand with the 1% maintaining its stranglehold on the power centers of the world, then maybe the world could become a better place. Erasing poverty, I think, would take care of SO MANY other problems in the world.
Thanks for your comment and reply.
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Helena727
9 years ago
I can only think that the woman in question has long internalized her hatreds, and she is incapable of thinking otherwise.
I took a psychology class from a wonderful human who said to us, "There is no hatred as potent as the self-hatred of the outsider." He was referring to anti-woman women (ex.: Phyllis Schlafly), anti-Semitic Jews, black-bashing black people, etc. Luckily, many outsiders retain their identity and sense of self upon entry to the outer part of the inner circle, but some don't -- and their anti- views have the secondary "benefit" (for them) of making them valuable to the inner-inner circle. Horribly sad.
Thank you VERY much for sharing the depth of your humanity and compassion on this thread and no doubt in every part of your life. I too think that things will get worse before they get better -- and, sadly, usually I doubt that things *will* get better, because the propaganda machine is so much stronger than ever before; because the tools of diversion (Internet) are so potent and omnipresent; and because the means of destroying others (from guns to small bombs used domestically to atomic weapons) are so readily available. I hope but I despair.
Thanks again for your contributions. You put one more mark in the "hope" column.
"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."
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Jaybone23
9 years ago
@Helena727 --
Thanks so much for your insights. It's particularly interesting and goes far in explaining that dynamic, of the depressing phenomenon that is the acceptance of hate in our culture.
That you mention what you learned in a psychology class is telling. It proves that what we might need as a culture is a return to a liberal arts education with an emphasis on the social sciences. There's now an emphasis on the formal sciences (mathematics, engineering) because everybody thinks one only needs to know how to "code" or be conversant with computers and machines. Actually we need literature, philosophy, and psychology so we can be better equipped to understand each other.
It's feedback such as yours that should make us despair less, hopeful that noble human values will prevail.
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