First, I find it somewhat difficult to get very invested in what seems like a relatively trivial matter. The high school policy is voluntary; it’s a little creepy, sure, but I doubt very many high school students will get all that caught up in questions of reward and punishment or the greater implications following from the proper or improper channeling of altruism, real or coerced. They’ll think: I don’t want detention—I’ll give some blood instead, and then they’ll go about their lives.
I would rather comment on this statement
Self-sacrifice is admirable, even heroic. But compulsory self-sacrifice is at odds with our society’s commitment to personal autonomy. So strong is this commitment, in fact, that we think it cruel and unusual to invade the bodily integrity of those who rape and kill.
Our society is not yet, and should never be in my opinion, fully committed to “personal autonomy.” The military draft is (or has the possibility of being) compulsory self-sacrifice, right? Personal autonomy must often yield to the common good. And it is certainly not the case that a majority of Americans now believe it an 8th Amendment violation to execute rapists and murderers. I’m just curious about who this “we” is. Four or five members of the Supreme Court, sure; a cadre of international lawyers, sure; the rest of us? I think (happily) not.
1. Do you actually support the death penalty for rapists who do not kill their victims? That very much would be a violation of the Eighth Amendment (or so it’s been held) and out of sync with the values of every advanced society.
2. Your point concerning the existence of the draft is a classic naturalistic fallacy: just because something exists does not mean that it should exist or accords with our values. It has been many years since the United States has actually used the draft – and I bet if it were brought back today, it might not enjoy the same patriotic support that it once did.
I would not be opposed to the death penalty for rapists that don’t kill their victims, no. If that puts me at odds with soft western liberalism, then so be it. (This is not to say that all rapists would deserve the death penalty–I just think a compelling argument can be made.)
Of course the mere existence of something doesn’t prove its rightness. I, for one, could envision many circumstances in which the draft could be brought back, and even welcomed by a majority of the citizenry.
In any event, I would submit that any political community that can NEVER, because of confused and apolitical notions of “personal autonomy,” summon and even in many instances compel collective efforts at self-preservation, does not deserve the consideration of serious people and citizens.