flyingulls

Idk about that. There’s other forms of punishment. And it’s obvious that something is up with the hounds, right? It’s already seeming like that. I just thought the MC was gonna step in.

He repeatedly bludgeoned a man to death. This man had his hands tied and couldn't even defend himself or cover his head to block her blows.

This man stole medicine to save his sick child's life. That was his only crime. If he had given him a quick death by shooting him in the head or something, I would still consider him crazy but right now I think he is batshit crazy or even worse. That man died a very slow and painful death. I am scared for the teacher.

Okay i love you, this makes sense

I mean it's a mental game. Shooting him quick would be mercy but a slow and painful death sends out a message to other potential horders or traitors that this could be them. Guwon is the town's executioner that makes sure of it. Yes, the father did it for his sick child but he also prioritised his own over the majority and that's basically a crime in every apocalypse setting.

I guess what's really sus about him is that he doesnt know the concept of basic human emotions or morals, yet he seem to know a lot and experience on murder and killing.

1. you’re absolving guwon as if he’s not actively playing a role within the group’s social dynamics. let’s not do that bc it’s show bias here.

2. what you’re expressing is a group social dynamic where the elite (hounds) can exploit those at the bottom (in this case, i would consider the children to be at the bottom of the totem pole bc most societies/groups don’t give out respect children’s rights). there’s no way for the hounds to protect the group if they decide to hoard resources for themselves. it contradicts their importance if they become a threat.

3. they already live in harsh conditions & death could come any moment. killing them is antithetical to staying alive & defeats the whole point of them existing within a community. this group lacks balance & they’ll eventually deteriorate or usurp the leader’s power in favor of new rules, leadership, etc.

the only reason why i’m saying this is bc this line of reasoning is quite scary if you’re not careful. you could find yourself aligning with authoritative figures just bc you think a situation calls for it or bc you like the authoritative figure. jinwoo pushing back against the group was important bc he’s able to provide a different perspective to this extreme line of thinking.

I think that's why MC is there to play devil's advocate against the extreme rules of the town. Idk if the plot is going towards Teach influencing Guwon or the town to have some leeway since it's prob a rule they already grew accustomed to. I'm also curious why the town implemented it. I mean if the sick child turns out to be infected and the father is hiding it, it would further strengthen the belief of the people that such strict rules are necessary. Either there was a history or it's a personal belief coz if it's the latter I think the town or Guwon could still be influenced. I would love to see character development

wow i really appreciate you taking the time to break down your argument. i've been thinking about how guwon actively played the role in the social dynamics, but could you explain it from your perspective? and also, would you have a better suggestion on how to handle those that don't follow the rules? though death might not be the most fair punishment, in an apocalypse it makes no sense to keep prisoners when supplies are already limited as is

i agree. it'd be interesting if the child is infected, then that changes my view 50%, with me leaning towards agreeing with the group's actions. hopefully, jinwoo can teach him empathy & to look at things from a different perspective. not only would it help him, but it would help the group as well.

i see guwon as the one in charge. while the group does vote on how punishment is doled out, guwon is the head. his leadership can influence the group to elevate into a tighter knit community if he implements a form of principles & ethics that take gray areas into account. for example, what if a hound or the vet breaks a rule? would it be ok for guwon to kill them off? if he does, he runs the risk of losing valuable skills that aid the group. if he doesn't, he threatens his position & comes across as weak. by having ethics, he can account for these gray areas & convince the group to see things in a better way.

yes, hounds are valuable, but these concepts exist on a spectrum. humans can be egotistical & if they deem their position within society to be more valuable than others, they run the risk of abusing their power in the long run. this harms the group & survival becomes null at that point. plus, having group dynamics where people have an us vs. them (bad apple) dynamic can get bad quick. think about instances in history (even in our modern day era) where people have scapegoated others bc they couldn't adhere to the group's rules. we see extreme acts of violence, genocide, oppression, etc.

guwon must understand that keeping people safe doesn't just mean brute strength. jinwoo is a good dichotomy here because he has the intelligence & empathy to persuade him to see things from a different perspective.


i think a good form of punishment would be having people earn their way back into the community, reducing their resources (we must be careful not to restrict them too much tho; they could earn those resources back as they as they complete labor milestones like one would do in a reward system), social isolation for a short period of time, loss of voting rights, re-education, loss of status within the group, having him be accountable to the group by admitting his wrongs & expressing what he will do to change, assist the hounds while they're out fighting/obtaining resources, etc. the point here is to show the group the layers of forgiveness & understand what is truly punishable that someone can't come back from vs. what is redeemable through effort

thanks for taking the time to explain, i really do appreciate your breakdown. just curious, are you in highschool? cus you lowk sound like a teach yourself