Bad things happen to good people and good people do bad things. It is like good parenting: it is important to make a distinction, to tell our child that he/she is not bad but that he/she has done a bad thing.
The media has reported the Joanna Yeates murder tragedy intensively. In an earlier post I spoke of my feelings toward the handling of Christopher Jefferies by police and media. Now I am moved to comment on the common pattern of ‘handling’ which will accompany the now charged suspect, Vincent Tabek. This time the media have been more restrained in any negative portrayal of this man prior to his being charged, but if he committed the crime (IF), the reaction from police, media and public will be unreservedly negative. To signal the beginning of a more advanced world, what if we were to collectively say: This man has done a terrible thing, but he has previously shown himself to be a good person, so, how can we help him recover himself?
Because, if he is not by nature a murderer, he will need help not punishment to recover from this crime.
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