Its kinda similar to the frog in the water that gradually warms up, so he never jumps out by the time its boiling. He doesn't perceive the heat as deadly because it feels normal. That analogy alsonplays with the idea of gradual increase of bad tolerance, but for the sake of my analogy, I just mean the perception of normal at any particular phase.

Im of the belief that moral culpability of an evil act is tied very tightly to full knowledge of the evil of said act.

Obviously dude had to know it was bad on some level, but if the world around you has you thinking a level 9 horror is just a level 3 mischief, yeah I definitely think some degree of moral slack should be cut.

Most people we know and love in life engage in at least some acts that they might think are a bit wack, but might be looked at by future enlightened people as complete scumbag shit.

How many of us choose to finance sweatshop slavery in the quest for the best bargain shopping?

How many of our elders smoked cigarettes inside enclosed spaces with children breathing that air?

How many of our elders hit us with sticks or beat us with hands, not understanding the trauma and complexes it could cause?

Me?

I remember being 4 years old, getting mad at my pregnant mom and kicking her in the stomach. I knew it was bad to kick your mom but I didn't understand the DEGREE of harm I could be causing. My sister turned out fine thank God. But what if she didn't? What if she died in the womb? An old toddler who knows not to hit their mom is going to be punished appropriately, but not cast off as a cold blooded murderer.


If you you intend to annoy someone by pushing them into a pool but actually you're giving someone with a severe phobia a deadly heart attack, you're not the same as someone who knowingly shoves a steak knife into a person's chest.

I'm not equating what BC is accused of doing with anything as mild as shopping at Walmart or horsing around by the pool, I'm just trying to illustrate the relationship between moral awareness and slack-cutting.