When the criminal justice system is perceived as absent, incompetent or corrupt, it is the vigilante who steps into the vacuum. The vigilantes who dominate the news cycle are not comic book heroes with supernatural powers, but ordinary citizens who dare to step apart and take on powerful institutions to exact their version of justice for those perceived as victimized or oppressed. Think Bernie Goetz and Daniel Penney (the subway vigilantes) and Luigi Magginone (the health insurance CEO vigilante). In this class, we will examine the history of vigilantism; the enabling factors that promote and sustain vigilantism: our “gun culture” and laws promoting its proliferation; the empowering phantasy of doing something extraordinary; our emphasis on Individual rights, at the expense of the greater good; the distrust of the justice system’s ability to right society’s wrongs; the “stand your ground” laws; the ambiguity of self-defense rules. A list of proposed sub-topics will be provided to all class members.
