Lord Mansfield - ‘Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall’
Despite the cheesiness of starting with a quote, it is these words that
inspired this blog post. It explains that we cannot at any point be afraid to
do justice, we cannot be afraid to do right just because of the consequences.
Yet these are all vague statements that may mean very little, but represent a
sense of hope and philosophy by which I try to live. I recently watched the
film Belle, which follows the story of Dido
Belle, a mixed-race woman raised as an aristocrat in 18th-century England, and
the social problems that entails. Yet
on a broader scale, the film explores the theme of law and how it is
implemented in society.
Incredibly, the film is based on a true story. Rather than describe the
film (which I strongly recommend you watch) I will briefly discuss the point of
climax. In which the Chief Lord Justice decides upon whether or not to allow a
firm to claim insurance on its lost cargo, which were slaves. At the end of the
film we see him do right in denying the insurance, but more so- he goes on to
denounce slavery as the disgusting barbaric trade that had supported the
country for so long. As one of the most influential men in the country, he put
his position in great risk- yet he did what is right, and that is what we must
learn from.
From watching the film, I feel certain in my view that the law is not
doctrine that is to be aimlessly set out when seen fit, but rather interpreted. Law is a constantly evolving concept
as it must reflect the changing morals and ideology of society. This seems
obvious, yet I feel law is constantly perceived as a black and white view of
what we deem right, and ultimately wrong. The practise of law reflects the
history, values and other peculiarities of society. In the UK, recently we have
witnessed the unveilings of horrific acts of indecency in institutions such as
the BBC. However this can be seen to represent the development of our
society. I am not suggesting that at the time these acts were deemed
acceptable, but rather a culture existed in which they were frequent and,
therefore uninhibited by the lack of impotence to counter authority. The law in
many ways is the foundation of any society, and so has a duty to progress
morality. Perhaps that is another blog post entirely, and I seem to have
wondered off.
In terms of doing what’s right, I aint callin’ myself no Mother
Teresa, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, But I do think
we all have a social responsibility to try and elevate each other to the same
standards of living and prevent the exploitation the weak. You know what, screw
it! I am Angelic, and I believe that if everybody
just tried to be a little more angelic in their day to day life the world would be
a better place.
Jokes aside, I am aware that this is a blog that only I read, (shout out
to Patricia though!) and I hold no social influence, these are merely my
opinions. Peace out!
