Obscene - Good and Evil

The interesting thing about the contradicting assertions is that both are really falsified in the episode of Law & Order, Obscene. I felt like the characters in play in the episode showed how an individual can be of a certain background, and still be a very ethical person. In the episode, there was a portrayal of two individuals that struck me. They were Carolyn Spencer and BJ Cameron.

Carolyn Spencer reflects the typical over controlling mother that advocates for strict enforcement of the law in every aspect of life. She is an over-protecting mother that is out to rid the world of any evil. She exemplifies the assertion, “A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the highest virtue of a good citizen.” Carolyn is the poster girl for pushing for a stern application of the laws of the US.

At the climax of the episode, Carolyn reverts all of her past reputation and becomes an evil person capable of committing one of the most violent crimes, murder. She, in fact, never murdered BJ Cameron, but I believe it was her intention to do so. This proved that even a person of great standing for many years is capable and willing to become a bad citizen in the eyes of the law, as well as go against all of her morality.

BJ Cameron is illustrated as the hell-raiser in society that portrays and influence irresponsibility and bad behavior. He is a controversial man with a bad reputation for inducing others to act in an immoral way. BJ exemplifies the second group in the quote, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” He seems to slip through the fingers of the authorities and society when it comes to his antics on the air.

Yet, BJ is portrayed as a very moral and good person at the end of the episode. He provides strong feedback to Danny Spencer for pleading guilty to the acts Danny caused earlier in the episode. He also abides by the law, contrary to Carolyn Spencer. He is simply a moral person that some imperfections, but nothing too severe to call him bad.

This episode portrays two characters that contradict a lot of what society views as good and bad. In my opinion, I think that this is a symbol that there is more to the title of good and bad than what we tend to think about it. In my opinion, Carolyn is the bad person because she is the one that is willing to act in a severe, violent way. BJ does have his imperfections, but he never breaks the law.