Have Luka Magnotta’s abhorrent acts spun people out so much that it’s blurred all notions of morality?
There’s Labatt’s, which simultaneously acknowledged and disregarded the disturbing nature of Magnotta’s alleged crime by threatening to sue a paper for digitally publishing a photo of him holding a Blue.
Plenty of people thought it only logical for the company to try to eliminate this negative image.
Others sensed the appropriate reaction was a finger wag at the company, but you got the feeling they didn’t really know why.
A Twitter campaign mocking Labatt with new advertising taglines became just as disturbing with a series of truly unclever jokes playing on the way Magnotta’s victim died.
But the gallows humour that inevitably follows such gory stories is the least of it.
We saw the Berlin café auctioning off the chair Magnotta was using when police caught up with him.
Again plenty of people’s reaction was: “Why not? It’s their chair. They can do what they want with it.”
Hmmm, so profiting from Magnotta’s notoriety and encouraging his hero worship is OK?
How about this? A Montreal high school teacher shows his students the 11-minute snuff film police believe depicts Magnotta’s crime in progress.
Students (among others) argue that to get a well-rounded education, you need to witness events unfiltered and come to your own informed conclusions.
The kids agreed to watch, most likely because they just want to experience the forbidden. That’s part of a young person’s curiosity, and it’s up to adults to figure out what’s good for them and what isn’t.
It’s astounding and more than a little frightening to know a teacher showed that video to teenagers. And it puts his motivation and character into question.
No wonder then that the Montreal police decided to press charges.
But nothing is clear cut when it comes to right and wrong. Police knew from the outset charges would fall under “offences tending to corrupt morals” in the Criminal Code. But they were having a hard time figuring out just how to slot the allegations.
No surprise there. Seems every related story sends the bar to a new low, making morally corrupt actions today appear mild tomorrow.
We Say editorials represent the viewpoint of The Daily News and are written by editor Robert Koopmans, city editor Tracy Gilchrist, news editor Mike Cornell or associate news editors Dan Spark and Mark Rogers.
