I watched an HBO documentary last night about the "Cannibal Cop," Gilberto Valle, an NYPD officer who was found guilty of conspiring to kidnap and eat women. There were a bunch of emails and chat logs where he discussed his "fantasies" with others. These fantasies even included wanting to eat his own wife. The verdict was later overturned by a judge who decided that there was insufficient evidence to show that the defendant planned to carry out his fantasies in the real world.
It's a very bizarre and disturbing story. I don't want to get too much into the details of that case here, so look it up if you're interested. It may have even been discussed here at some point. I don't remember. But that's not really the point of this thread.
The documentary raised some good questions about thoughtcrime. Where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality? At what point should people be punished for their thoughts? Yeah, some people fantasize about sick and disturbing things, like eating their wife or raping children, but when should those fantasies be treated as crimes?
It's a very bizarre and disturbing story. I don't want to get too much into the details of that case here, so look it up if you're interested. It may have even been discussed here at some point. I don't remember. But that's not really the point of this thread.
The documentary raised some good questions about thoughtcrime. Where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality? At what point should people be punished for their thoughts? Yeah, some people fantasize about sick and disturbing things, like eating their wife or raping children, but when should those fantasies be treated as crimes?