[lbo-talk] soft bigotry...

jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net
Tue Apr 19 21:48:06 PDT 2005



> On Tue, 19 Apr 2005, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > So where do you draw the line? I don't really know the answer, but a pure
> > determinism is no more satisfying than an ethic of total individual
> > responsibility. I characterized Zeynep's piece as "provocative" not as a
> > journalistic cliche, but because it really is.
> >
> > We can say poverty breeds crime, but would you object to the prosecution of
> > murderers, rapists, and thieves on that grounds?

Depends a great deal on the motives of the murderer. For sexual predators prosecution is probably a good thing in that it protects others. Thieves I am not generally in favor of much incarcerating. The first and last criminal behaviours listed are extremely situational in that you can steal from or kill someone for a great many reasons that make the perpetrator hardly any risk to others in the community. You can't make that same claim about very many, if any rapists. Anecdotally, I have been robbed many times and have had many expensive racing bicycles stolen and I can't think I'd like the perpetrators in those instances subjected to the living hell that is prison. Theft of most personal property hardly warrants such bestial punishment. I realize prosecution does not equal imprisonment, it could mean a fine and community service. However, how is our society served by leveling a fine against a poor person convicted of any theft? It sucks as a deterrent and merely exacerbates that persons financial problems.

John Thornton



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