There was a very serious talk that occurred between Nick Cheesman and his research companion last week. We discussed torture broadly and then specifically how it was used in Thailand. The details and gravity of the talk definitely made it the most serious Rose cafe that we had this semester.

I thought how wrong it was that torture was used so broadly in Thailand, but then I realized that the US employed the methods for a long time as well. This shows that between developed and developing countries, torture is too common.

Torture should not occur under any circumstance and neither should the death penalty. Those are both, in my opinion, violations of humanity and the state should not be allowed to make decisions regarding the wellbeing of any individual in that manner. There is just too much room for error and abuse. And there is a danger that people will view torture and executions as acceptable just because it is institutionalized within the state.

Overall, I am grateful for the talk as it forced me to think about these uncomfortable subjects.  I think the work that Nick Cheesman does is very important as torture is an issue that needs more discussion within our society since it is still used in many parts of the world.