Borders, Language, Culture

Imagine the following situations:

A Chinese immigrant, who came to the United States one year ago, sits down with his wife to discuss their marital problems. Eventually, the wife breaks down and admits that she has been unfaithful. In a fit of rage, the husband throws his wife onto the bed and bludgeons her to death with a claw hammer. He is subsequently charged with second-degree murder.

In People v. Chen, Chen successfully argued that “cultural pressures provoked Chen into an extreme mental state of ‘diminished capacity,’ leaving him without the ability to form the intent necessary for more serious charges of premeditated murder.” Chen argued that he should not be held accountable for murder because in his culture husbands were permitted to take out their shame on their wives. Because of this defense, the original charge of second-degree murder was reduced to second-degree manslaughter, resulting in a sentence of five years probation.

My Commentary:

In America, we have a culture that is being diminished and blackened out by new cultures coming in. I do not suggest a closing of borders or forgetting of previous culture to immigrants. What I do suggest is for our men in black (our judges) take a stand of nationalism and American pride. We have a way of life here that is better than any other. The stomping out of our values and way of life to allow an immigrant to get away with murder for the sake of his own cruel culture is not in the best interest of our nation.