Response to "Intent its fucking magic" http://genderbitch.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/intent-its-fucking-magic/

Well seeing this post used many times in arguments on reddit has made me think, does intent actually matter?

I read this post at first and found myself agreeing with the author initially , but over time I thought more and more about this, and I came up with this thought experiment.

Imagine if you will that you let your friend borrow a prized possession, now during the time they borrow it they have an accident and damage the item, this would be disappointing for sure as your prized possession is no longer whole. Your friend offers to replace it or have it repaired feeling bad that they were responsible for its damage.

Now imagine you let your friend borrow a prized possession and the moment they get it in their hands they smash it into pieces and laugh in your face, then they never speak to you again, its clear they intended to destroy it from the beginning.

Now ask yourself this.

Does intent matter?