News Article
Analysis
When determining if someone is a good person or not, you must first know what it means to be good. With this being said, however, the definition of what is good changes depending on the context of the situation and application of word. For example, in ethical systems based on virtue, a good person would be one who possessed the virtues the ethical system held. In duty systems, a good person follows the rules. With this in mind, it is clear the application of the title of “good person” changes with the situation. With this being said, I believe that dubbing someone to be a good person must come from an in-depth analysis of their actions and the motives behind those actions, and this can be utilized to determine whether or not the individuals included in the above news pieces are to be considered good or not. To begin, local breast cancer survivor Theresa Carriere completed a run to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. She is seen as an inspiration to many individuals and she is completing a rather selfless act in order to improve the lives of others. With this being said, I believe that Theresa can be characterized as a good person. In contrast to this, the Moncton shooter, Justin Bourque, has committed a criminal act of murder against three RCMP officers, and injured two others. He is reported as being anti-police and anti-gun control, and appears to have hatred towards authority. Killing is considered a wrong act, especially the killing of police officers, as they are respected authority figures in our society. Regardless of the situation, murder is depicted as being an act of wrong, and with this being said, I believe that Justin Bourque should not be considered a good person. The police officers were innocent citizens who were working to protect the citizens of our society, and as such, they represent good people. They put their lives at risk for their community and made the ultimate sacrifice, at the hands of someone who committed a serious criminal offence for no good reason, and as such, should be considered a bad person. Finally, I believe that Elliot Rodger, the perpetrator of the Isla Vista shooting rampage, should also be considered a bad person, because he too committed a criminal offence against multiple innocent citizens and took many innocent lives in the process. He murdered seven individuals and injured thirteen more, all due to the fact that he has hostile feelings towards women, for rejecting him sexually, and other men, for leading more sexually –active lives then himself. This motive is quite terrifying and is definitely not an acceptable reason for murder in the eyes of society. He put many innocent civilians in harm’s way and acted in a manner that would suggest that he had no remorse for his actions. With this being said, I believe that he too should not be considered a good person. Overall, deeming someone to be a good person is a difficult task, one that requires an analysis of their actions and their motives for these actions. With this being said, however, the above individual’s actions and motives make it quite easy to classify them as a good or bad person and I believe that the majority of society would agree with my classifications.