Would you forgive him?

[Allanbrito]

I was thinking that if any of you would come to meet a guy who uploaded one of these videos where he is torturing an animal just for the sake of it. He's been suffering terribly because of the video. It's been two years now and people still harrass him, abuse him and assaults him in the street, he is treated like garvage and he feels so terribly awful for what he did and he askes for forgiveness. Would you forgive him?

[TomorrowShines]

I'm not a priest or a social worker, and there's far, far too many other interesting and let's face it good people in the world to meet and interact with. Barring any sort of other irrevocable connection (close relative, fellow "co-worker in hazardous area") I don't see the point... the hypothetical in question is simply heinous.

So... absolutely not.

edit: yeah, I'm judgmental as heck

[mrtoontastic]

Well after a while, yeah, I'd forgive him since its been two years. You can't always bar and harass someone for one act, especially when there's more difficult and serious problems out there. Even if you aren't close with the person, their actions were wrong and should get a sort of punishment for it, but this type of long-term harassment and the inability to forgive is completely unrighteous at all. There's more realistic problems to assess to. Besides, animals have lived longer than humans anyhow. They should be cared for and maintained, but not all should be equally pampered as humans.

[Evan]

Well, I personally believe in a person's ability to change.

I certainly wouldn't forgive him after a week, but after 2 years I think that would be enough time for him to reflect and know what he did wrong. Now if he hasn't learned his lesson, I wouldn't forgive him, but judging by what you've said he has.
I think about it this way, if we were all judged by the stupid mistakes we made as a child, most people would be cast out of society.

[onyefrankie]

I don't know the guy and I'm not his maker. He does not need me to forgive him and I'm not some high lower he needs to apologize to. If we did meet at any point in life, I'd punch him in the throat.

[NickRowler]

I would not harass him or assault him, and I would tell others to leave him alone too. This is not me forgiving him, I think the best punishment for awful Youtube stars is them being ignored and forced to have a normal (non-Youtube) life.

On his end, I would also recommend for him to take the effort to turn his life around. Which may include no more posting on Youtube or Twitter, taking his time to help others and spending more time with his love ones. If he was actually a changed person, he should be able to show it, not just say it.

[Jenny-Toons]

a guy who uploaded one of these videos where he is torturing an animal just for the sake of it.

So this heavily implies that he knew what he was doing, he most likely knew it was wrong, but still did it.

With this in mind, no, I would not forgive him.

Such actions like this are the actions of people who may or may not go a step further and harm a human. That's how a lot of serial killers start out. Maybe this person does repent and knows he was fucked up for doing it. And maybe he is sorry and would never do something like this again.

I will definitely acknowledge his apology as sincere, but I will not forgive him. I would actually probably be cautious of him, if not fear him.

This action is not akin to a "mistake as a child". Behavior like this would make me wary of him as a person and actually question if I am safe around him.

Also: Just because someone apologizes and repents for their behavior doesn't mean they are entitled to forgiveness, especially if they do something like this or a step further. People have the right to not forgive just as much as they have the right to forgive. So this guy can ask for forgiveness all he wants -- it's not up to him. It's up to the people he's asking. Some will forgive him. Others will not.

I am an "other".

Of course, the people who harass and abuse him are no better because they are wasting their own time and life and energy doing these things, and they're becoming the very thing they're "so-called against". You don't continue to harass when the elephant in the room has been addressed. You acknowledge what happen, you hope for a justified punishment, and you keep walking (avoiding people like that). In all honesty, people who continue to harass after a justified punishment has been made make me question if they get off to just being that way.

If I saw this guy, I would be walking on the other side of the street. Because even if he is sorry and does feel horrible and would never do that again, he has created this thought in my mind that I need to keep away so that I am safe.

My supposed fear of him would be the product of what he did.

[silverraven0]

The matter of forgive and not is actually not really in my hand.

If I'm gonna say something, I'll say that I was in the neutral about it.

And coincidentally, around a week ago, there a viral video of a kid throwing a puppy for a crocodile to eat and no, its no hoax, although I'm not clicking the video.

They say that the peoples around that area is used to throw chickens or something for the crocodile to eat for sometimes now, and the kid probably just following suit. If i have to blame someone for it, I'll blame the cameramen and the lack of supervising of the parents.

But really, who am I? I'm not a saint, ant neither do the guy who torture the poor animal.
He have his problem, and I do too.

We never knew what he's been through in his life to become that twisted.

We're just a random human on the internet that judges peoples out from a video that gave no much information about him. Just a video about an animal torture.

[silverraven0]

Btw, if you were wondering about my morality, I say that I don't want to hurt living creature, but I'm not the person who have that much attachments with them, so I really have some problem in that area.

[LordVincent]

I think we need to create a couple of huge distinctions here.

Forgiving a person is one thing. If a person improves properly, then forgiving them is only reasonable. Partly for your own sake (many people forgive others without them even deserving it, simply because rage is a horrible feeling to have to carry and it is generally recommended to learn to forgive for your own sake) and partly because it's the rational thing to do.

Forgiving a person's actions is another. The actions that have been committed here are unforgiveable for the rest of eternity. Animal torture in and of itself is unforgivable.

In a third note, whether you forgive someone or not, harrassing and attacking them is never justified.

[dawgofdawgness]

I dunno, why was this guy torturing animals in the first place? Obviously it’s a horrible and immoral thing to do, but maybe he has some mental problems or he’s had a bad childhood.
I think I would forgive him. Nobody should be treated like garbage if they’re trying to change their ways.

Obviously I’m biased here, though. If it were a child rapist who was being treated like garbage on the street, I would say eh. He deserve it 3000%.

[ratique]

It doesn't really matter if I would forgive him. It's not like he did harm to me or my pet, so there isn't really much I could forgive.

Judging, that I can do however. And torture is one of those things that I and most others judge very harshly. It is one of those things that humanity is based on.

You can't really stop judging a person and their actions. You may be able to accept them and move past them. Or you simply can't. In this case, I could not move past it. I would avoid this person at all cost.

Never mess up your reputation, everyone! When it's ruined, it's usually ruined for good.

[Vanesalisa]

nope he knows the consequence on doing that so he has to walk with it and the damage has been done
unless he may change for the better redeem himself by taking care of animals or something I would forgive if not then no

[SpavVy]

As someone who lost my beloved pet mouse because another person wanted to throw it against the wall for shits and giggles when I was a kid the answer is NO.

[A-weird-girler]

No. Fuck no. If anyone tortures anything be it animal or human I will always be against it.

[A-weird-girler]

Oh wait two years? Maybe but only if they have truly changed

[IdiotWithPencil]

as a guy who has a dog and loves animals.... give him 2 more years in hell your honor
/ >: /

after that I might MIGHT think about forgiving him

[eleoza]

I'm vegan and a huge animal lover. I think all animals deserve love and respect.
Animal abuse is probably the thing I hate the most.

But I'm also a very forgiving person, so I'd think after 2 years it's been enough for the guy, if he's sorry and realizes he was wrong and betters his life helping animals instead, I personally would forgive him.

[indagold]

I mean if this person was super close friend or partner I knew and was very close to i'd have a lot of mixed emotions... a stranger? I don't think I would care. I don't know who he is or anything about him to really feel anything? There's so many people in the world I couldn't really show pity on someone like that. I'd give them advice see a goddamn therapist and realize you have some serious fucked up issues, never own a pet or have a child and change your name/location so the harassing will stop but I wouldn't really forgive them or pity them. At most give them advice to somehow change as a person, though I doubt that type has empathy if it was premeditated and people like that always are repeat offenders. Most I can do is hope this person gets treatment.

[Kimcchirific]

If he really feels sorry then he should be the one to forgive himself not anybody else and those people who harasses him are no better than him at all. They are only using the sin that one has committed as an excuse to justify their acts of punishing him. people who drown in self righteousness are the ones I despise the most.

but if he come to me asking for my forgiveness then sorry, It's impossible for me. I hate those kind of people. I lost a cat once because of those kind of humans. but also since it is not me whom he tortured, made fun of, left out to die by the hands of their pet dog, I don't think he should be asking my forgiveness. My cat is dead and no amount of forgiveness can bring her back.