> There is no flaw in the analogy: in each case, the person claims a
> right to disregard the law on the basis of their own beliefs. (Analogues
> do not have to be identical in every aspect!) And as with most pop
> culture, TV can bring up serious political and morals issues. "It's
> TV" is a reason to more carefully analyze that form of culture, not
> trivialize it.
The flaw lies in the fact that in one case the person subject to vigilante justice has broken the law and in one case the person has broken no law, only someone's personal moral code. That is a huge difference and pretending it doesn't exist doesn't make it so.
John Thornton