US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s intention to broadcast the live execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan has been met with global criticism and outrage. If it happens, this live broadcast would be the first US public execution since 1936, and its first execution by military firing squad since 1945.
My first thought on hearing about the broadcast was that I would never watch such a violent and potentially trauma-inducing spectacle. Yet, the question of individual choice raises a larger challenge for our society.