Killing With A Code

I’ve already dabbled with this particular idea (see here) that heroes don’t kill. It’s one of the big rules of being a super hero. You wear tights and you don’t kill. Those seem to be the only requirements. But as I stated before, sometimes heroes DO kill. And it finally occurred to me as I watching The Walking Dead. Killing is okay if you have a code of honor.

What is a code of honor? Well to put it simply it’s a set of rules for your behavior. A bit of a simplistic explanation, but I think that sums it up pretty well. And it is because of a code of honor that you can kill and still be considered a hero. The problem with killing comes mostly in comic books. The Super Hero code of conduct says “No Killing.” And yet it is done and it is considered okay. If done within a code of conduct.

To best exemplify killing with a code I go to one of my favorite characters to embody morally justified murder, The Punisher. The Punisher kills all the time. He mows downs entire ballrooms full of people. But he still has a code. Everyone the Punisher kills is themselves a killer. He only targets criminals, people who have a lengthy record of murder without any sort of moral code guiding them to pick and choose their targets. The Punisher, when possible, avoids excessive casualties when he can. He also refuses to kill women or children, despite their connections to organized crime.

So the Punisher is not different than our own justice system. While there are states in America that do not apply the death penalty, some do. The citizens of those states have elected officials to enforce punishment by death for severe crimes. In essence they have condoned the killing of undesirable members of society. The Punisher merely takes it one step further, enforcing his own personal brand of justice.

As I said at the beginning, this blog entry was inspired by The Walking Dead. Specifically by watching the character of Darryl. Darryl is often described as a man with a code. Unlike his brother Merle who most definitely does not have a code, Darryl will act with a level of respect towards his fellow survivors. And Darryl has killed, not just the roaming walkers (I wish they would call them zombies, but that ship has sailed), but Darryl has killed other humans. But in defense. Merle kills people for sport and fun, but Darryl has only ever killed to defend himself and the other members of his group.

And I think if you asked most people they would agree that killing in self-defense is justifiable. Humans are hard wired with a strong survival instinct. We will do what we need to in order to preserve our own existence. We almost look down on people who do not fight to live. And that is because it takes strength to live. It’s easy to just give up and waste away to nothing. To actively achieve something needed for survival is difficult.

There is also something noble in that most killing that is justified in fiction is done not just to save one’s self but to save the lives of others, either their own loved ones or a larger community in general. In essence, it is okay to kill the wicked in order to preserve the innocent. There seems to be a moral scale on which the lives of those being killed are measured against the lives of those being saved. Of course the moral argument comes into question when you ask who is ultimately making said judgment, but no one seems to argue the actual question itself. To quote the great Animal Farm “Some animals are more equal than others.”

Our society tries to teach us that killing is wrong. And yet at the same time it presents so many instances where killing is accepted. Soldiers killing on the battlefield are hailed as heroes when they come home. A District Attorney who advocates for the death penalty is seen as tough on crime. A cop who shoots a criminal in a hostage situation is commended by his department. All sorts of instances are given where “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is not an absolute. The only  thing we can ask of our fellow citizens is that when they do feel the need to kill that they try and do so with some sort of code of conduct.