Since the beginning of humanity, one of the few things that has remained consistent is the belief that murder is wrong.
asserted
murder → remain → things
Yet the Lindsay Clancy situation is calling that dynamic into question.
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situation → call → question
If this situation isn’t handled properly, it’s hard to say where this rabbit hole will lead.
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hole → handle → ?
There was a time when the Lindsay Clancy case would have been a slam dunk: a mother brutally murders her own children, and the aforementioned mother confesses to the crime.
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mother → be → crime
Clancy did not argue insanity to explain her actions; she knew what she was doing.
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she → argue → what
In normal times, this kind of crime would bring back a conviction by the jury.
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kind → bring → jury
Yet we do not live in normal times.
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we → live → times
After more than a week of deliberations, the judge in Clancy’s trial declared a mistrial.
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judge → declare → mistrial
Reportedly, one man on the 12-person jury was the lone holdout insisting on Clancy’s guilt.
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man → insist → guilt
Much to the chagrin of Clancy’s lawyer, this one juror refused to let Clancy off the hook.
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juror → refuse → hook
How could only one person of the 12 be convinced of Clancy’s guilt?
uncertain
person → convince → guilt
Some women on social media not only think she is innocent, but they also say that Clancy, not her three children, is the victim here.
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Clancy → think → media
Not only is there a flurry of social media content defending Clancy, but Clancy’s supporters have given thousands of dollars to a GoFundMe for her legal defense.
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supporters → defend → defense
This case, and the public’s response, demonstrates the dangers of empathy reaching toxic levels.
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empathy → demonstrate → levels
For much of human history, the focus has been on punishing the guilty.
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focus → punish → guilty
The French Revolution is a good example of how this goes too far, sending people to the guillotine for crimes as simple as holding unpopular political beliefs.
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this → go → beliefs
Only recently has the aim shifted to “reforming” the guilty so they can rejoin society once they have served their punishment.
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they → shift → punishment
Even newer is the idea that perpetrators deserve empathy, even when they are guilty of heinous crimes like the murder of their children.
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they → deserve → children
It’s bad enough that thousands are casting their lots with a murderer, but what are the consequences of not convicting Clancy for her crimes?
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consequences → ’ → crimes
We may be seeing the early signs.
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We → see → signs
In the aftermath of the trial, we have seen potential examples of copycat murders.
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we → see → murders
If the hammer of justice does not fall on Clancy, who knows how many more similar cases we’ll see.
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we → fall → cases
Critics may dismiss criticism of Clancy as grounded in sexism or an inability to sympathize with mental illness.
uncertain
Critics → dismiss → illness
However, women aren’t the only ones who commit acts of violence due to mental illness.
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who → commit → illness
Former NFL player Jovan Belcher and former WWE wrestler Chris Benoit suffered from CTE, which resulted in murder suicides.
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which → suffer → suicides
Their suffering from CTE is indisputable but so is their guilt over the murders they committed.
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they → commit → murders
As WWE personality Paul Heyman said about Benoit, three people died that night, but only one of them had a choice.
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one → say → choice
The law couldn’t hold Belcher and Benoit accountable for their crimes, but society still had a chance to do so with Clancy.
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society → hold → Clancy
None of this is to deny that Clancy was not suffering from postpartum depression or that it doesn’t exist.
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it → deny → depression
It very much does.
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It → do → ?
However, that does not mean we need to lead someone off with literal murder because of it.
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we → mean → it
Mental health is a serious issue, and not treating it properly can sometimes be a matter of life and death.
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treating → treat → life
As a society, we need to empower mothers to seek the help they need.
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they → need → help
That means being open about your feelings and not using them as an excuse to indulge your darkest thoughts.
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That → mean → thoughts
Postpartum depression is indeed common, with almost 1 in 5 new mothers suffering from it.
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mothers → suffer → it
Even more common are intrusive thoughts of harm to themselves or others, including children.
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thoughts → include → children
Clancy supporters, and even some of the jury members, would have you believe that because these thoughts are common, violent actions taken as a result are excusable.
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actions → have → result
The right response is to identify these thoughts and act before anything happens.
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anything → identify → thoughts
This responsibility lies with mothers, but fathers, friends, and other family members need to be aware as well.
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fathers → lie → mothers
The Lindsay Clancy murder case is a horrible situation; that much we agree on.
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we → agree → much
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
