Thinking about the last year and the effect that key experiences have had upon me I was minded to consider the TV show “Dexter”.
The premise is of the show, for those who haven’t seen it, is that Dexter is a serial killer through whose eyes we view the stories told. In short, we are getting to view the world through the eyes of a psychopath.
And yet…
REASON 1: Dexter is believable.
Most people who I have spoken to about viewing this show admit that, after a few episodes, they can begin to relate to Dexter. By the end of the second series of the show I found myself very much at home with Dexter’s view of the world… despite how far removed from my own beliefs that view is.
Dexter is a very believable character and one who reminds us how close we are to his “darkness”. As the series progresses and explores the morality of Dexter’s “code” and his vigilantism we are asked to consider the ramifications of the kinds of statements and ideas that get bandied around. Justice, for many in the West, seems to include this idea that a “just killing” is possible… especially if we are killing a murderer we can’t convict via the due process of the law.
You should consider watching Dexter because it will show you a possibility that few of us are prepared to consider: we might be just like him.
REASON 2: Dexter is a show about moral choices.
In a society that has, for the most part, turned away from religiously inspired moral codes this TV show shows us how a psychopath can build a very solid and reasonable moral “code” to justify his choices. In short, the show explores some of the consequences of the existentialist assertion that we must make our own purpose in the world. Dexter chooses to indulge his pleasure for killing through the medium of vigilantism. The show asks us to question that kind of personalised morality.
One thing I personally enjoy about Dexter is the manner in which he is fanatically committed to his moral “code”. One of the interesting questions it poses in my own mind is the degree to which we should commit to any moral system. Throughout Season 3 of the show one of the over-arching questions seems to be whether Dexter should tolerate the loosening of his “code”.
You should consider watching Dexter because it will help you to explore the nature of a moral code.
REASON 3: The show is non-religious.
This is a show in which religion plays little, if any, part. Dexter is an atheist materialist psychopath. The people around him are the kind of folk who might nod to some vague sense of religious belief but who don’t show any commitment to such a belief. I can think of just one episode in which any character enters a church through the first three seasons… and it’s not Dexter.
Why is this significant? For me it’s because this is a show that is dealing with some important social, moral, political and spiritual ideas without much reference to religion. Is this how a society that has relegated religion to a personal choice will begin to tackle the big questions? That is an interesting move within the medium of television.
You should consider watching Dexter because you’ll be faced with some tough questions without the religious answers.
Enjoy!
A really well thought out article mate and an excellent source for inspiration. Definitely a good challenge for the more older students you will be teaching soon! I only managed to watch the first seires but I think from a moral stand point the sheer variety of questions asked could keep an Ethics class going all term! Being able to utilise mainstream media content as routes into morality, philosophy, critical evaluation etc. is definitely the best use of such material, especially for a budding teacher.
The last sentence, however doesn’t quite cut it for me (possibly no surprise). Only if you take a religion’s written or oral word as literally written by that god would this pose some difficulty for anyone. If you introduce the idea that humans are naturally social creatures, that that socialising ability is one of the keys to human success, and that much of psychology can be traced back to the prime urge to survive, then the religious answers are merely reflections of human society and as such have as much validity as secular answers. Of course that is a secular view point 😀
Thanks for the feedback which, as ever, is appreciated deeply.
I guess that my last sentence is expressing and addressing two things, although you may have slightly misunderstood the intent of the sentence (which, as ever, is the author’s fault and not yours).
When I wrote, “You should consider watching Dexter because you’ll be faced with some tough questions without the religious answers,” I had in mind that this was a good thing, as so many TV shows fall back on staple answers (often drawn from recognisable religious stereotypes) to address moral and ethical issues.
Firstly, the sentence was seeking to address the commonly heard view that religious answers to questions are not qualitatively more significant than secular ones. For me, Dexter largely ignores the religious and instead builds a moral case that is explored through secular logic and social opinion. This is interesting, significant, and refreshing… especially if you are not of a religious mindset.
Secondly, however, I must admit that the article reflects my own view that religious ideas do hold a special significance over secular ones, and reveals my own religious affiliation to some degree. That, I think, is inevitable – especially in a review of a show that expresses my own response to the material. I hope, however, that this natural expression of my own ideas does not get in the way of the secular reader exploring my article.
I would be mistaken if I were to try and claim that I could entirely expunge my own experience and world view from the blog – that is clearly not possible for most human beings as we are bound to a large extent to that unique experience we label as our life-story. I hope that the sincere attempt to engage with a wide range of reader interests and views will overcome prejudice that arises from my own experience. All that being said, I appreciate your comment and will bear it in mind.
I can see where you were going with that sentence now. I would ask, for the sake of the quality and thought provoking nature of the application of your religious filter to your writing. It does help challenge and engage the reader, as well as build up a great expression of the character behind the musings.
Top stuff fella 🙂
That makes no sense literally, but hopefully you know where i was going!
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