Society is to blame

Earlier, the detective leading the investigation into the attack said New Zealand society "needs to have another good look at itself".

I've already discussed this at length: If it's my problem, give me the power to fix it.

The people of NZ, when this incident came to light have poured in messages of condolences and support, along with donations. Let's not disregard that as the various hand-wringers who wish to blame every-one but the actual perpetrator ask for more government intervention and raising the minimum wage by $3/hr to cure this evil.

If society itself needs to take a look at itself, lets start by shining the light very brightly on the animal evil person that inflicted this horror.

If we really must go one level deeper, then look at his upbringing. I suspect easy access to porn and violent movies from a young age might figure largely in his history. Possibly also a life of some level of abuse. Whatever the case, this should not deter us from punishing this person for his heinous actions, and it would seem likely that we need to protect others from such indifferent evil. Equally though, those that helped shaped this person must be held accountable for their actions. It is quite possible that such an accounting might find them innocent, and that finding made public would be a small mercy for the shame they must now feel for this crime. I am puzzled though why the police had to "negotiate" with the family to get the youth into Court.

And when the debate moves to the general, and we agree that our society is losing its moral core, then you can turn to this blog for further conversations on that topic.

Finally, my deep condolences to the victim and her family. The clock cannot be turned back, but as a society we can take steps to ensure that justice is given and others are protected from this monster. When we fail to do even that, then yes, society is to blame.