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The thing about jury duty...
Jan. 29th, 2025 04:24 pm...that rubs me the wrong way is actually not that it screws up my daily schedule. That bothers everyone, but it is what it is and I make do. Shrug off the annoyance move on. No, the thing that gets me, and it really came to light when I made it all the way to the voir dire segment where they select possible jurors, is that I spend most of that time in the courtroom being asked theoretical questions. Would you do X in this instance? What do you think about the unfairness of A? Let's think about this theoretical situation for two hours and ask all sorts of what-ifs and whether-or-nots. These questions may or may not have a point, but we're not going to ever really come to one until the case begins.
To me, it felt like spending an entire day being asked about that damn trolley problem, and it was driving me fucking BONKERS. [Never mind the fact that we spent most of the in a stuffy and windowless room and there were only two other people wearing masks other than myself.] I get what the judge and the lawyers are trying to do. They're preparing us for whatever the case is about, and kind of messing with our heads a bit so we think first and don't purely act on instinct or emotion. But it just feels like this process could have taken a MUCH shorter time.
That being said, I think they kind of caught on that I saw through all that. I will admit that when they asked "would you feel okay that justice was served even if you felt the law was wrong?" and I responded quite negatively. That definitely tripped them up and in the process that must have gotten me excused, heh. [Noted, I also claimed I'm a pacifist so I Have Opinions about violence, and that was another mark against me.]
I think this also ties in with my feelings on those videos they play for you in the waiting room when you arrive. You know, the "jury duty is one of the most important and patriotic things we must do as citizens" and "wow I never realized how fascinating and awesome being on a jury would be" PSAs that feel just a little too forced. Again, I get what they're trying to do, and this is just my reaction. Those videos to me feel like being on the receiving end of a telemarketer call (and I've been on both ends of those, believe you me), trying to sell me something we may need but neither of us want. I dunno, maybe it's my lingering GenX cynicism creeping out?
Anyway. Not saying that jury duty is stupid or pointless or whatever, just that I don't think I'm their target audience when I'm able to see what's behind the curtains. A weird quirk of being a writer, I suppose...?
To me, it felt like spending an entire day being asked about that damn trolley problem, and it was driving me fucking BONKERS. [Never mind the fact that we spent most of the in a stuffy and windowless room and there were only two other people wearing masks other than myself.] I get what the judge and the lawyers are trying to do. They're preparing us for whatever the case is about, and kind of messing with our heads a bit so we think first and don't purely act on instinct or emotion. But it just feels like this process could have taken a MUCH shorter time.
That being said, I think they kind of caught on that I saw through all that. I will admit that when they asked "would you feel okay that justice was served even if you felt the law was wrong?" and I responded quite negatively. That definitely tripped them up and in the process that must have gotten me excused, heh. [Noted, I also claimed I'm a pacifist so I Have Opinions about violence, and that was another mark against me.]
I think this also ties in with my feelings on those videos they play for you in the waiting room when you arrive. You know, the "jury duty is one of the most important and patriotic things we must do as citizens" and "wow I never realized how fascinating and awesome being on a jury would be" PSAs that feel just a little too forced. Again, I get what they're trying to do, and this is just my reaction. Those videos to me feel like being on the receiving end of a telemarketer call (and I've been on both ends of those, believe you me), trying to sell me something we may need but neither of us want. I dunno, maybe it's my lingering GenX cynicism creeping out?
Anyway. Not saying that jury duty is stupid or pointless or whatever, just that I don't think I'm their target audience when I'm able to see what's behind the curtains. A weird quirk of being a writer, I suppose...?
