Revenge Against the Dead

I think the terror most people are concerned with is the IRS. Malcolm Forbes, when asked if he was afraid of terrorism

From Wikipedia Dante described Wrath as "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite".

After the attacks on September 11, 2001 there were many people who wanted revenge, even though the people who carried out the attacks were dead. How can one get revenge against the dead? In order to carry out the feelings for revenge Americans held, someone must be brought to justice, even if the love of justice meant killing some innocent Muslims.

I think this desire for revenge runs deep in our psychic. Suppose a woman is raped by a man. She had a slight view of her assailant in the dark. Her assailant was a black man. She cannot be positive about his identity, but, if she does not identify a black man in a lineup, her rapist may go free, and justice will not be served. In the meantime her real assailant dies. After her real assailant dies, evidence points to a black man, and she identifies a black man, an innocent black man, just to make sure some justice is served. As Dante said, her love of justice is perverted to revenge and spite.

The desire for revenge shows daily when people want to punish sons for the sins of their fathers.

Reparations for slavery is another love of justice perverted to revenge. Blacks living today, some whose parents lived in other countries during slavery in America, others who were born long after slavery, want revenge against whites, even those whites who did not own slaves, nor lived here during slavery.

No amount of reasoning will mitigate the wrath felt by many people for behavior of those who are long ago dead.

Bilbo Baggins