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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents background of the study, reason for choosing the topic, statements of the problems, objectives of the study, significance of the study, and the
outline of the study.
I.1 Background of the Study
The problem of vigilantism has been a case all over the world. Vigilantism usually happens when groups of people take the law into their own hands and attempt
to affect justice according to their own understanding. They take action by the voluntary association of people who organize themselves for the purpose of
protecting a common interest, such as liberty, property, or personal security. Action taken by an individual or group to protest the existing law. As one of the great
country in the world which runs it every single activity based on law, the USA becomes so contradictory with the existence of vigilantisms.
The motivations underlying the acts of vigilantism vary according to the individual vigilante. Some vigilantes seek to carry out personal agendas to protest
existing law. Others seek to enforce the existing law as they interpret, define, or understand it. Still, others seek to implement or call attention to some kinds of higher
law institution that they feel overrules the norms established by societys designated lawmaking institutions. Since no state or federal jurisdiction offers any kind of
vigilante defense to criminal prosecution, vigilantes must rely on the moral rectitude
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of their cause to justify their acts. Yet, the morality of most acts of vigilantism is relative to whether one is the perpetrator or victim of vigilantism, as the targets of
vigilantism rarely agree that the acts are justified. As the time goes by, vigilantism still exists in the USA up to now, and even it becomes more justifiable and
acceptable. Seeing how pathetic vigilantisms are, I came up with the idea of scrutinizing one of the USA movies to get the description of vigilantism reflected in
that movie. Thus, by doing so, hopefully I could explain and describe the society all over the world that the movie they admire much contains vigilantism.
As a student of English Department, hopefully, I can give contribution in the form of data for the next research. In this final project, I try to propose a vigilantism
found in The Punisher movie so that readers can understand about vigilantism comprehensively. As mentioned before, vigilantism still exists in the world up to
now, and even it becomes more acceptable since the action slurring with the life of the people. This is not merely assumption, as we see the moral relativity associated
with vigilantism is not as evidence in less technological societies where vigilantism is simply equated with action taken by private residents to maintain security and order
in the community, or to otherwise promote community welfare Abrams, 1999:3. Since the USA gives many influences, whether positive or negative in the
whole world, it will also give some effects towards people, especially the youths. Most of the violence crimes are conducted by youths because they are still
psychologically labile. Not only in USA but this problem also being a major problem that world
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people have to deal with, regarding the big influence given by the USA itself towards society in the whole world. Some people in the world are violating the law and rules
that are established by the government by conducting community justice which still incorporates with vigilantism such as killing people that they assume as a criminal.
A person who breaks the law is punished for his or her crime. Punishment is not a form of vengeance perpetrated by the victim of a crime; it is an act performed
for the purposes of upholding the law. Both law enforcement and punishment are the sole prerogatives of the state and take place through its instruments: the police, the
courts, and the prison system. According to this long standing conception of state power, when people commit acts in which they take the law into their own hands or,
as it is called Vigilantism, these are understood as criminal acts that challenge the authority of the state.
Perhaps the killing of sorcerers is simple criminality. The killers have committed an illegal act according to the Indonesian criminal code. However, local
residents consider the killers’ actions to be respectable, courageous, and praiseworthy. Maybe it is vigilantism. But to say that the killers are lynch mobs or
vigilantes who take the law into their own hands implies that the responsibility for justice lies in the state’s hands alone. Local residents do not see it that way.
Alternatively, it might be argued that local residents have assumed duties of justice because state law has failed them. Granted, in local residents’ eyes, the
authorities are inefficient, corrupt, and do not take sufficient action against sorcerers. However, this does not explain why residents kill sorcerers because local
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communities have never, apparently, given up the ‘right’ and ‘responsibility’ to handle justice issues.
The vigilantism that happened in many countries in the whole world gives influence towards vigilantism action. The influence comes from many aspects of life,
such as from the literature of the other country that is imported by people. By considering those facts, we could not deny that the case of low law
enforcement towards vigilantism has become one of the major problems to be discussed and moreover to be overcome.
Seeing how pathetic low law enforcement towards vigilantisms are, I came up with idea of scrutinizing one of USA movies to get the description of vigilantism
reflected in The Punisher movie. Thus, by doing so, hopefully I could explain and describe to society all over the world that the movie they admire that much contains
vigilantism and already become low law enforcement acceptable towards the viewer which also influences their ways of thinking.
1.2 Reason for Choosing Topic
