This photo is from season 3 episode 6 of popular Netflix show House of Cards. In the photo, First Lady Claire Underwood is speaking with the recently imprisoned Michael Korrigan during her trip to Russia. Korrigan, a traveling American citizen, was sent to prison following his publicized gay rights activism remarks of gay mistreatment in Russia. Although he was offered release on the condition that he retract his previous statement, Korrigan refused, thus prompting his indefinite sentence. During this conversation, Korrigan contemplates how far he will go to suppose his cause. He suggest that he hopes he would be able to die for it, however questions if he would be strong enough to take it that far. Claire offers her husband’s help in granting his release, however this is again refused. Korrigan states he will not voluntarily leave prison until the Russian government address his cause. The following morning, he is found hanging from the window, having committed suicide sometime throughout the night. This dismisses the question of his strength for his cause, as he knows his suicide will not only draw great amounts of attention but also put vast amounts of pressure on the Russian government.
One of the first discussions we had as a class was over Socrates imprisonment. This included questions such as “Is Socrates right to stay in jail? Could Crito have done a better job with his argument?”. Socrates faced an almost identical situation to Michael Korrigan in House of Cards. Both were sent to prison over fighting for their respective cause, both had a visitor attempt to persuade them to leave, and most importantly both refused. It was stated during class that Socrates “could leave if he wants to”, however to Socrates this would mean that “If he leaves he destroys himself and his city”. In addition to this, Socrates, unlike Korrigan, knows he faces impending death upon his refusal to comply. Socrates feels that his cause, his morals, and his actions are bigger than this fate, ultimately sending him to his death. Although he personally did not kill himself, constantly refusing to acknowledge his faults knowing it will send him to his death could count as an indirect suicide
This is definitely a breathtaking scene in the "House of Cards" after reading your description. Yes, there are a lot of similarities between those two scenes. However, as I perceived, there are some intrinsic differences too. Crito's whole action to save Socrates was considered illegal and the basic reason that Socrates held to refuse to escape was because the behavior was “illegal”, and he was not accepting the law by doing so. Nonetheless, in this case, it was the President of the United States that tried to save him, I believe that President has the special executive power, or what we called the prerogative of mercy to officially reconcile this whole incident internationally from a perspective that is totally legal. Thus is this made Socrates the official defender of justice and law, and left Michael here only a defender of one of many kinds of civil rights but not the law itself?
ReplyDeleteDo you believe that Socrates would agree with the action this man is taking due to the fact he believes his social contract is being violated? Or do you believe that Socrates would think less of this man because he would most likely not be considered as an expert.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between these two situations though. Socrates stays to not do injustice toward his polity while Michael is actively looking to do harm toward the polity that has jailed him. Thus he is siding with another group (here the gay community in the US and Russia). Does this complicate the matter at all? Or do you think that it is possible that Socrates had a similar, albeit unstated, wish - that his death would help his ultimate cause to fight for truth?
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