paragraph and response
Post answers to the following:
- After watching the Did You Know video in the Artmap, you’ve learned that in addition to instituting irrigation laws and regulations, Hammurabi detailed comprehensive and various law codes of property, fidelity, and social hierarchy. If you were able to create your own code of law today, what would be you first law? Please explain your choice.
- Respond to at least one classmate’s post by offering additional details or ideas, a different perspective, or links to interesting, relevant articles or websites. Conclude with a question or new idea to further stimulate the discussion.
class mate response ( After watching the Did You Know video, I learned how important it is to build societal structure around set laws. If I could create my own code of law today, I would try to implement an effective and fair first law. My first law would be to adjust criminal sentences for those arrested for their first, non-violent offence for drug offense (this would be especially considered for those in jail over cannabis possession in cities/states where cannabis use is legalized). The US is one of only 22 countries that does not promise “retroactive ameliorative relief,” or adjusted criminal sentences, for those reprimanded over a crime that is later legalized. I believe that the US Justice system is heavily flawed, especially in regard to how people of color are treated and systematically oppressed by mass incarceration. It is mind boggling to me that mostly white entrepreneurs are making exponential profits and being regarded as leaders of a new industry off of the growing trend in cannabis legalization when people of color have suffered decades of inequality stemming from selling or owning drugs that are now legalized.)
Importance of Laws
The primary lesson learned from the video is the importance of laws within a society. Laws help define expectations from each member of a society, without which people would be unpredictable, and there would be no clear guidance on how to deal with issues related to misconduct or disregard of other people’s welfare. Consequently, given an opportunity to create a code of law, the first among the codes would be the importance of respecting other people’s activities and freedoms. This would render the rest of the codes useful as it would ascertain that such codes make up what the society ought to respect and abide to in their social engagements.