justice

There's no real justice in the world of man. That's a fabrication, a production, a comforting idea that's packaged and sold. There is, however, the constant balance and interplay of cause and effect. As a collective, we always reap what is sewn.

The actions of the condemned individuals of society are the manifested consequences of what's done and created on a collective level. Assigning blame onto specific individuals is essentially scapegoating, similar to that in dysfunctional families, relationships or any group of humans really. If we say that they're the problem then we don't need to confront the consequences of our own actions or make uncomfortable changes to our own lifestyles. We also get to enjoy the comforting belief that bad people are easy to spot and put away while we and those like us are good. The truth is that the condemner has the same potential for wrongdoing as the condemned, but the condemned needs to be lowered (materially or psychologically) so that the condemner can enjoy the luxuries of the elevated position without an equal burden of personal reflection or responsibility. Basically, some need to have/be less so that others can have/be more.

This only works in practice if some have more power and privileges while others have less, which is the norm. Children, for example, are essentially at the mercy of the physically and legally more powerful adults around them who set into motion (cause) whatever is to follow (effect). Similar patterns of imbalance are embedded in most systems, and the dominos of cause-effect can be traced back indefinitely.

Until we find ourselves in similar circumstances to those we condemn, our judgments and punishments can appear to us and those like us as righteous. Until then, we can enjoy inflating ourselves and each other by comparing our ideals with their realities. Until then, or unless we actively explore and reflect, we can't really know ourselves or others but only our preferred and projected self-images. Psychologically, the denial of this is why the condemned are needed in the first place. To displace guilt, shame, anger, fear, responsibility and other rejected qualities onto so that we can maintain and enjoy a comfortable sense of superiority (another fabrication).