Why do I feel sympathetic towards the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev?

[Anonymous]

You know those pics of Dahmer and Bin Laden do feel good at all. They both look crazed and potentially very weird even as young boys, so no, PP. It's not just that they were cute or whatever. There's a crazy look in their eye that makes your blood run cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know those pics of Dahmer and Bin Laden do feel good at all. They both look crazed and potentially very weird even as young boys, so no, PP. It's not just that they were cute or whatever. There's a crazy look in their eye that makes your blood run cold.

And that's how some people feel when they look at the childhood pictures of the Tsarnaev brothers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know those pics of Dahmer and Bin Laden do feel good at all. They both look crazed and potentially very weird even as young boys, so no, PP. It's not just that they were cute or whatever. There's a crazy look in their eye that makes your blood run cold.

Umm yeah, no shit. That was the point I was trying to make. They were evil when they were little. I was trying to make a point to the "no one is born bad" poster.

[Anonymous]

Keep trying to make your 'points'. You are wasting your time.

[Anonymous]

I've researched Dzhokhar's legal team. He could not ask for better defense representation than this group.

[Anonymous]

OP: you feel sympathy beucause he is white and good looking- and you are delusional! Sweet and innocent? How do you figure? Stupid, f*ing dumb (good for us actually b/c he could have killed more people if he had a brain in between his ears). WAKE up!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've researched Dzhokhar's legal team. He could not ask for better defense representation than this group.

Any Federal Public Defender office in a major NE city is going to have the best defense lawyers in the country. You actually could not remotely buy a better defense team privately. I hope some stupid family member doesn't advise him to switch to private--they will regret it--but hey, they don't now the system. And his family seems half crazy, so they'll probably try to hire Roy Black or Robert Shapiro or something crazily stupid like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also feel sadness for Dzhokhar. I also felt sadness for Lee Boyd Malvo, Dylan Klebold, Sam Manzie (http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/08/nyregion/eddie-was-murdered-sam-s-doing-70-years-but-who-is-to-blame.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm), Seung-Hui Cho, and even Jeffrey Dahmer, who, as a child, had selective mutism and collected road kill and kept the bones of the dead animals displayed on poles in his backyard. There could not have been more obvious signs of a problem, and no one helped.

It saddens me that in so many of these tragic cases there were signs that people ignored and that help wasn't available for the mentally unstable who eventually became murderers. But sometimes even when family and friends try to get help for their loved ones, nothing is done (Sam Manzie being the best example of this I can think of in recent history).

It's not to say that I can't understand the outrage that some feel when hearing people express sympathy for the perpetrators. It just that I feel it is somewhat necessary to feel sadness for them, because the ability to realize that we may not know the whole picture, and that we are so very fortunate that it wasn't our son or nephew doing the killing - that perspective is what keeps us human and it's what will hopefully help us spot the next one before it's too late.

Bleeding heart drivel, makes me want to hurl. Wake.up.

You are sad. So, so, sad. All of this saddens you. Well guess what? It makes me so &*(()(*& angry that I would be happy to execute the death penalty on them myself. And I am not "so very fortunate" that it was not my son or nephew who did the killing. You see, it would never be my son or nephew, because people in my family are not raised by mothers who steal merchandise from department stores, fathers who abandon the family and people who think it's cool and OK to be on public assistance for years.

I'm sad foe YOU. I hope you get help for your anger problem. It's not healthy to be so hostile toward compete strangers just because they have a different opinion than you. And I also hope that your pride doesn't come before a fall, since you're so confident that it could never happen to your family.

Anger is pretty appropriate pp, when you have two guys who blew up innocents, killing three and severely maiming others. Feeling empathy towards the attackers is really for the ones feeling empathy - to show how thoughtful, engaged, and 'aware' they are. I doubt anyone expressing empathy here would say the same things to the families of the three killed, or to the ones injured so gravely.

It's clear that the only one with any kind of chutzpah is the uncle in MD. Others grow up in difficult families, and in difficult circumstances and go on to do great things. These two? Not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've researched Dzhokhar's legal team. He could not ask for better defense representation than this group.

Honest question...what if they get him off on a technicality?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've researched Dzhokhar's legal team. He could not ask for better defense representation than this group.

Honest question...what if they get him off on a technicality?

I think you've been watching too much TV...

[Anonymous]

Not that it is completely relevant to this question, but the stories of revenge by God in the OT are the main reason I became an atheist. I just can't wrap my head around all that revenge killing or even the desire for it. It is immoral.

[Anonymous]

OP,
You sound like you are a kind, thoughtful person and you probably try to find the best of every person you meet. I'm hoping that you are just naive and misguided, and not outright delusional.
I personally do not feel sympathy for the bomber, curious perhaps about what brought him to this juncture in his life, but sympathy? "A natural feeling of kindness and understanding you have for someone experiencing something unpleasant"
No possible way.

Please tell me that the apologists on this thread are not going to be taken in by some of the current claims on the internet that the young man who had his legs blown to bits is actually an actor and that the whole situation was staged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've researched Dzhokhar's legal team. He could not ask for better defense representation than this group.

Honest question...what if they get him off on a technicality?

I think you've been watching too much TV...

That's not really an answer.

[Anonymous]

I hate people like the OP. They feel sympathy based on their own limited experience (nice white boy = wasted potential = feel sad.)

This kind of crap is not a real commitment to social justice or equality. It's just emotional. And it's the same narrative trotted out to defend rapists (his life is ruined!) and the same reason why statistically African Americans get harsher punishments for the same crimes. They don't look as innocent.

The OP thinks she is some greater evolved being acting on some greater moral calling, but really it's just intellectual laziness with a dash of racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those family pictures of the brothers were interesting. Tamerlan was a sweet baby once. The whole scenario is outrageous and tragic. For everyone. And I have news for those who continue to denigrate the sympathy for Dzhokhar --There are many who feel this sympathy. This sentiment will continue to build. Many people want to make sure this kid didn't get railroaded into a crime not of his making. Many want his rights to be assured as the US citizen he is. There is more to the story than we know.

I absolutely want to make sure his rights as an American citizen are protected. Fair trial, robust representation, impartial judge and jury, appeals, the works.

Right up until the moment they throw the switch.

As for "a crime not of his making" and "there is more to the story than we know" - care to enlighten us?