The concept of dirty hands, having
to do something morally wrong in order to do the right thing on a larger scale, is one that
is so ingrained in human nature, an experience every individual has to face (large scale or small), that it is imbedded into our culture, our
literature, our TV shows, and even our artwork. One quote by one of my favorite literary
characters of all time, Albus Dumbledore, reminded me of this situation of
having dirty hands:
"Remember, if the time should
come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy,
remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he
strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort.” This idea of what is right or easy seems
to be a simplified way of explaining the expression “dirty hands.” While their may not be an easy way out of
most “dirty hand” situations, doing the thing that will best benefit the
majority is usually the right things to do, even if means unpopularity with the
masses at the time, as well as a sense of questioning ones own morals. Using another example from the Harry Potter series, Severus
Snape has “dirty hands”.
Let us recall Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Dumbledore tells
Severus Snape to kill him in order to save Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.
Killing Dumbledore was a crime unforgivable to the wizarding world as well as
most of the Harry Potter fans until we learn that Dumbledore and Severus Snape understood it was
necessary for Snape to get back in the good graces of the dark lord, and
eventually, bring about his defeat. Snape, understood that doing the right thing was NOT going to be easy, and went against everything he believed, and he would have to live with the death (and dirt) of his closest, most trusted friend, on his hands but that it was necessary to save the world.
Photo of Severus Snape: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=711&bih=656&tbm=isch&tbnid=bq2cvFAS3Xx-fM:&imgrefurl=http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Movies/Harry-Potter/09/06/Life-Lessons-from-Harry-Potter.aspx%3Fp%3D3&docid=Cs53FqTdu4xjiM&imgurl=http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/54CD7A5F6A6D45E9A94B8FB5C90E88EC.ashx%253Fw%253D333%2526h%253D250&w=333&h=250&ei=biu0UMGeCIPRyQGes4GQBA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=1&sig=109781831346978620682&page=1&tbnh=131&tbnw=154&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:110&tx=51&ty=44
Photo of Albus Dumbledore: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1310&bih=656&tbm=isch&tbnid=Y_5cwkr6Up4mWM:&imgrefurl=http://film.guardian.co.uk/pictures/image/0,8545,-10704927902,00.html&docid=1lc4R09lgfYhgM&imgurl=http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/gallery/2004/05/19/dumbledore3.jpg&w=300&h=245&ei=Vya0UK2WOcOrygHI6IHgBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=333&vpy=349&dur=3347&hovh=195&hovw=240&tx=100&ty=94&sig=109781831346978620682&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=191&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0,i:207
I agree with you Lucy; I am completely comfortable with the idea and practice of dirty hands. What is right and what is easy is rarely the same thing, for convenience is not a gift most people receive when hard decisions must be made. The main dilemma, to me, is what to do with people who have participated in dirty hands. To get the 'dirt' one must do something to earn it in the first place. The 'dirt' is essentially a bad thing, even if its longterm outcome is beneficial. This dirt, to some, can simply stay there; ends justify the means in this case. To others, the dirt must be washed off, aka punishment is still needed. This can be seen in various movies and other forms of culture, just like your example of Harry Potter. In Law Abiding Citizen, Gerald Butler's character is extremely pissed off that the rapist/killer of his wife got to walk free. He took justice into his own hands and killed the man responsible. He dirtied his hands, but people can say he was justified because A) multiple rapist murderers receive the death penalty anyway and B) this man could easily do it again, so Butler is protecting future potential victims. Butler does this deed in full knowing he will be caught and he accepts that fact. What he does next kind of goes against my point, aka he uses prison for his own gains in basically attempting to redo the justice code through a solo and violent revolution, so ignore that. Anyway, Butler accepted that his dirty hands had to be washed. I am not the Harry Potter expert by any means, but did Snape have this washing of the hands? He has to hurt at what he did, but he still received no punishment directly (as fas as my knowledge goes anyways). Do you think people who dirty their hands, even if for good results down the road, should have to wash off the dirt, so to speak?
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy, along with Michael, I enjoyed reading your post and I completely agree with your assessment of dirty hands being something that will happen in everyone's lifetime. I even wrote my second essay on the fact that the concept of dirty hands is an unavoidable feature of politics. The fact of the matter is, whether it is a politician or just a regular person who has to make a difficult decision, it is up to that person to make the best decision with respect to who the decision will affect. Like you mentioned, the key to these dirty hands cases is the fact that the person making the decision has to look at the group of people his decision is going to affect, and then in most cases, make the decision that is going to benefit the majority of the people, even if that means getting his or her hands dirty. I do, however, have a few questions. In the middle of the post, you said that the right thing to do is usually the thing that benefits the majority, but in the next sentence, you say something about that decision upsetting the masses. I'm just a little confused how a decision would benefit the majority yet upset them at the same time. Also, I'm not saying that your comparison between Albus Dumbledore and the dirty hands problem is wrong, I just would have liked a little bit more explanation of how you came to your conclusion. Personally, just be reading the post, I don't quite understand the connection between what is right and what is easy and the dirty hands problem. To me, that quote has more to do with the amount of work one is willing to do as opposed to whether it is morally right. In general, it was an interesting post and I always enjoy reading about Harry Potter, so that was interesting too!
ReplyDeleteI love Harry Potter so Im pretty pissed that I didnt think of writing this blog before you, but anyway. I love the connection to Snape and Dirty Hands because I feel like its a pretty unique situation in which the world is totally unaware of Snape's true intentions for a year or two. A real life equivalent to this story would be if artifacts were uncovered clearing Benedict Arnold's name. Snape's dirtied hands are so unique in that he keeps his true, good, intentions a secret until his death. I feel as if most individuals who dirty there hands for the greater good are pretty vocal about there decision, trying to justify there actions in front of the world. Snape's situation is totally different, and speaks to his character, in that he was willing to risk the entirety of his reputation in an attempt to aid the greater good.
ReplyDeleteThis is a prime example of dirty hands and I'm disappointed I hadn't thought to write on this topic. Throughout the Harry Potter series, Snape is seemingly the underlying villain, according to Harry, however, this all comes to be known as false in book 6. For years, Snape did his best to protect Harry, no matter the consequence. He snooped around and spied on him and put his life on the line by carrying on a split identity in working with Voldemort and the Death Eaters in order to "kill" Harry. At the end of his part in the story, he shares with Harry all that he had to do in order to protect him; which included killing the man they both knew, loved, and respected so very much; Albus Dumbledore. Ultimate example of inflicting great harm for the greater good.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great example of explaining the dirty hands dilemma. I think that the Harry Potter series is filled with these types of situations, and it is often a really difficult decision to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong, and what will ultimately work to the greatest benefit of the greatest amount of people. I think that even in real life we are faced with these situations quite often and it is sometimes very difficult to decide what to do. For example, what if you saw a friend's girlfriend cheating on your friend---Would you tell your friend? Would you confront the girl? Would you confront the other guy? Or would you just keep your mouth shut and not say a word? I mean, it is a very difficult situation to deal with, and requires a lot of thinking and weighing the pros and cons. I think the movie "The Dilemma" does a pretty good job of showing how this situation would play out. Personally, I would probably have to think very hard about this, and even though I'm not 100% confident in this answer, I would probably end up telling my friend because my morals tell me that it is the right thing to do, and sure, people are going to get hurt, but in the end it will probably be the best thing for the greatest amount of people because it is most likely going to become a bigger problem, and in the end getting it out there will probably be the best possible outcome.
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