By Joshua Christensen
To say something as simple as vigilantes are good or bad doesn’t really make sense. There is a spectrum of “radicality” ranging from the very worst and most mentally twisted to the most helpful and most supportive. In between is a gray area where these individuals, just like everyone else, try to do their best to uphold the standards they believe in. This very human characteristic proves their innocence and demonstrates their extreme value to all.
Vigilantes are individuals who take the law into their own hands because they believe that the current system of justice is either inadequate, corrupt, or inefficient. They tend to be normal, brave people who want to do something about a problem in their community. Those that stand up for what’s right, administer fair punishment, and lend a helping hand are an extremely important and helpful part of today’s society.
In the freshmen’s famed summer reading mystery novel, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Justice Wargrave takes it upon himself to murder those who had already committed a murder outside the law. Wargrave’s actions did create a positive outcome overall. He helped out the justice system by solving 10 different crimes at once. Wargrave also tried to determine if they were guilty by evaluating their expressions as he accused them. This makes him seem like he is very careful and is trying to uphold the rules of the community to the best of his ability.
However, if this were to happen today, social outrage, at both Wargrave and the current police system, would erupt. Vigilantes should try to collaborate with the police before they take matters into their own hands. In Wargrave’s case, he could have delivered the same evidence he used to create his conclusions to the police to help with their investigation and serve justice.
Vigilantes, such as Batman or Green Arrow, help the police to corral powerful villains that the police would be unable to tackle on their own. While, sadly, Green Arrow nor Batman exist, there are real life vigilantes that dress up and assist their local police in taking down the bad guys. Such as Giest who, “helped direct traffic at the scene of a fire (with the blessing of police), joined missing-person searches, and provided food to the homeless (which he pays for himself),” writes the Star Tribune. These local heroes are extremely beneficial to their community and potential victims.
The main objective of a vigilante is to make sure that the morals are upheld, people are held accountable, and that law enforcement can perform their jobs. While saying vigilantes are good maybe too simple and too generalized, but it’s not too simple to say that vigilantes are just trying to do the right thing.
