People who commit crimes

[Simon 4,557]

 

 

Hmm. I agree, you actually had nailed it somewhat better than I did. Though I would still maintain my original point that without establishing guilt in a certain charge you can't really call a person a criminal.

 

You're both wrong and right. The word 'criminal' has two connotations depending on use.

 

From a legal definition, a criminal is a person who has been convicted of a crime. That means they either plead guilty or were found guilty. This is an important use of the word for things like employment applications where people are under no obligation to disclose crimes they weren't convicted of regardless of whether they committed them.

 

From a more day to day social standpoint though, and more importantly from a psychological and criminological standpoint, a criminal is a person who commits a crime. Because the majority of usage of crime or criminal is focused on behavior rather than convictions, a person who hasn't been found guilty may very well be a criminal. The implications of the crime and psychological impacts to the offender don't go away simply because there was no conviction, so you can't simply disregard any and all offenses that aren't caught.

 

So it's a fairly vague and undefined word, but frankly it's not a very great label anyway. Criminal could mean anybody from a guy with a speeding ticket to a serial killer. Labels like "felon", "convict" or "habitual offender" are all far more descriptive and apt terms for what most people are looking to describe as a 'criminal'.

[captainborgue 343]

Nothing is ever black and white in life. Ever.

 

Tell the ex-Army vet who pulls a knife on the guy yelling at his screaming toddler.

 

Tell the retiree waltzing out of the grocery store with a full cart she hasn't paid for because she can't afford food AND medications on her fixed income.

 

Tell that to the low level drug pusher who knows there's no other way for a kid from his neighborhood to make enough money for college.

 

Tell that to the single mom who gets a ticket for a broken headlight that she can't afford, then goes to jail for failure to pay the fine.

 

Are these people honestly worse than the bankers and brokers who tanked the entire global economy? And yet, it is these people who go to jail, often to for-profit prisons who have  vested interest in maximizing their populations.

 

Do you honestly think every single criminal act everywhere on Earth stems entirely from "they are just big fat fraidy cats"?

 

Whenever anyone- ANYONE- tells you there's a "simple solution" to an issue, they are trying to push an agenda on you.

 

Here's the actual reality: crime rates are down. They have been falling for about 20 years. Global conflicts are down, the planet has never seen this much peace and stability for as long as humans have existed. The big scary threats people are trying to conince you to be afraid of are NOTHING. There are no roving street gangs waiting to rape your children in the bathroom, there are no "super predator" gang bangers out to destroy all things Caucasian, there is no existential threat to America from a gaggle of semi literate shitheads on the other side of the planet. Stop being afraid, and stop convincing yourself it's anger and not fear you are experiencing.

[Anneal 2,197]

Nothing is ever black and white in life. Ever.

 

Tell the ex-Army vet who pulls a knife on the guy yelling at his screaming toddler.

 

Tell the retiree waltzing out of the grocery store with a full cart she hasn't paid for because she can't afford food AND medications on her fixed income.

 

Tell that to the low level drug pusher who knows there's no other way for a kid from his neighborhood to make enough money for college.

 

Tell that to the single mom who gets a ticket for a broken headlight that she can't afford, then goes to jail for failure to pay the fine.

 

Are these people honestly worse than the bankers and brokers who tanked the entire global economy? And yet, it is these people who go to jail, often to for-profit prisons who have  vested interest in maximizing their populations.

 

Do you honestly think every single criminal act everywhere on Earth stems entirely from "they are just big fat fraidy cats"?

 

Whenever anyone- ANYONE- tells you there's a "simple solution" to an issue, they are trying to push an agenda on you.

 

Here's the actual reality: crime rates are down. They have been falling for about 20 years. Global conflicts are down, the planet has never seen this much peace and stability for as long as humans have existed. The big scary threats people are trying to conince you to be afraid of are NOTHING. There are no roving street gangs waiting to rape your children in the bathroom, there are no "super predator" gang bangers out to destroy all things Caucasian, there is no existential threat to America from a gaggle of semi literate shitheads on the other side of the planet. Stop being afraid, and stop convincing yourself it's anger and not fear you are experiencing.

 

The examples you made though doesn't necessarily validate said person committing the crime in the first place. Some might commit a crime in desperation, but the crime is still wrong no matter how you see it. If we're taking about people who commit crimes here, we shouldn't be holding biases on the people "below us" or the people "above".

 

Other than that, crime rates really have been dropping (you are twice as likely to get murdered three decades ago compared to now). We've been given the false impression that it is increasing thanks to the power of media confirmation bias (doesn't take much effort to turn on the news and see a report of something dying in a gun violence case, car accident, and what have you).

[chili 120]

Sometimes it's not even that. Even well-to-do and rich people have been known to steal things or assault others and it doesn't always mean they're having a bad day or need whatever they're stealing. Sometimes it can be as simple as "because I felt like it".

Well then, to me, those people need to get a better life. That's kinda sad to me.

[Guest]

 

 

you're man enough to commit it. Be man enough to be there when the cops come, own up to it, and take your jail time like a man

 

 

I don't think you understand the mentality of crime.

 

If you steal something, the idea is that you want the thing you stole. You can't exactly keep it in jail. It's not a matter of being "man enough" it's a matter of logically it would make no sense to steal it in the first place if you are going to stand there and let yourself get caught.

 

That being said, believe it or not, a majority of criminals get away. We see people getting caught all the time, but a MAJORITY of crime DOES go unsolved.

 

Last week some people broke into my store caught on camera and everything, stole 43 iPhones. They won't get caught. Police have nothing on them yet.

 

Over 50% of murders remain unsolved, and in some areas the number is as high as 90%. In Detroit they estimate well over 75% of murders remain unsolved because there are just too many and not enough evidence.

 

Most hit and run cases do not get solved if the person didn't get the license plate and it's kind of hard to do so when someone is driving away fast. Hell, my car got TOTALED from a hit and run and I couldn't do shit about it.

 

I don't condone crime, but sadly, the truth is: the chances of getting away with crime are relatively high. So it makes logical sense to run because if you get away before anyone recognizes you, you usually are going to get away with it.

[kanashimi purinsesu 244]

it's really easy to sit back and see things from an outside perspective and think "this individual is a terrible individual for doing this and that" and depending on the motivation behind the crime it can be a proper stance to take. i don't necessarily share the same viewpoint however, you'd be surprised just how bad and how terrible the lives of some of the folks that commit these crimes are.

 

i wouldn't say it's entirely excusable but then this is why the justice system exists (although it could stand to be more thorough), it's there to look deeper into these issues and see why these things happen in the first place (in theory, the justice system is it's own monster to be honest, sometimes just purely for punishment)

 

with all of that being said though i don't necessarily see them as cowards as mostly on crime that you read after investigations have been done and details released you see that it's a lot of mental illness and a lot of folks with bleak prospects for the future and hopelessness looking for some way out or some way to make it better for a little while, or those that were just raised in a world where that's all that they know (which seems to be the case often). though when you see a criminal bragging about what they have done or those that are intentionally doing repeat crimes i can share that viewpoint.

 

nothing is black and white. lenghty post don't really know if i an tl;dr it at the moment but that's my take

Edited May 11, 2016 by kanashimi purinsesu

[Discordian 6,015]

Well then, to me, those people need to get a better life. That's kinda sad to me.

You couldn't honestly get a better life than rich, popular and/or famous.

[Anneal 2,197]

You couldn't honestly get a better life than rich, popular and/or famous.

The rich are not so different sometimes, then. Some have unstable relationships, money issues, existential crises, and so much more. Being rich and famous does not make your life better sometimes. Really, at the end it doesn't mean that much, which is why I refuse to hate and envy towards people who apparently have more than I do.

[Discordian 6,015]

The rich are not so different sometimes, then. Some have unstable relationships, money issues, existential crises, and so much more. Being rich and famous does not make your life better sometimes. Really, at the end it doesn't mean that much, which is why I refuse to hate and envy towards people who apparently have more than I do.

Personally being rich would solve literally all my problems. <.< >.>

[TBlaze 158]

Personally being rich would solve literally all my problems. <.< >.>

 

But it would produce another problems for you. Don't get me wrong, I think similarly to you, that a lot of money is good and makes life better, but you can't deny that it's not so easy even then.

Edited May 11, 2016 by TBlaze

[Kharkov 36]

Alot Of Cases of Crime are in a rather Grey Area (Excluding Rape There is No Excuse) Like you stole, Maybe you had to to survive, Smoked Pot, Is hooked, Murder, Maybe Self Defence. Point is Crime is a very grey area

[Discordian 6,015]

But it would produce another problems for you. Don't get me wrong, I think similarly to you, that a lot of money is good and makes life better, but you can't deny that it's not so easy even then.

What problems could it bring up? Not likely anything that wasn't manageable.

[SilyGeny 369]

"People who commit crimes"

 

Oh... these are criminals ! So what do I win? 

 

As someone that has been followed in the streets, robbed and happened a lot of weird stuff I can only say that karma will bite them in the ass one day or another.

[Moon Sugar 532]

I was working at a store and I was robbed at gunpoint, they shot the gun into the wall because I was so nervous I dropped the keys to the cage holding the cellphones, I still have anxiety working alone. 

 

Which is dumb for them because the neighboring store called the police. They left stealing what they could carry and didn't take anything more than a handful of phones and a bluetooth, but last I heard they haven't been caught.

 

For the amount of anxiety I've got from that experience, I might paintbrush criminals in a broader stroke than most people. 

[Sals 56]

Nothing is ever black and white in life. Ever.

 

Tell the ex-Army vet who pulls a knife on the guy yelling at his screaming toddler.

 

Tell the retiree waltzing out of the grocery store with a full cart she hasn't paid for because she can't afford food AND medications on her fixed income.

 

Tell that to the low level drug pusher who knows there's no other way for a kid from his neighborhood to make enough money for college.

 

Tell that to the single mom who gets a ticket for a broken headlight that she can't afford, then goes to jail for failure to pay the fine.

 

Are these people honestly worse than the bankers and brokers who tanked the entire global economy? And yet, it is these people who go to jail, often to for-profit prisons who have  vested interest in maximizing their populations.

 

Do you honestly think every single criminal act everywhere on Earth stems entirely from "they are just big fat fraidy cats"?

 

Whenever anyone- ANYONE- tells you there's a "simple solution" to an issue, they are trying to push an agenda on you.

 

Here's the actual reality: crime rates are down. They have been falling for about 20 years. Global conflicts are down, the planet has never seen this much peace and stability for as long as humans have existed. The big scary threats people are trying to conince you to be afraid of are NOTHING. There are no roving street gangs waiting to rape your children in the bathroom, there are no "super predator" gang bangers out to destroy all things Caucasian, there is no existential threat to America from a gaggle of semi literate shitheads on the other side of the planet. Stop being afraid, and stop convincing yourself it's anger and not fear you are experiencing.

This made me cry a little. It is everything I have ever wanted to say. You are a bloody genious

[Anneal 2,197]

What problems could it bring up? Not likely anything that wasn't manageable.

 

But it would produce another problems for you. Don't get me wrong, I think similarly to you, that a lot of money is good and makes life better, but you can't deny that it's not so easy even then.

 

Sometimes it's the very fact that you are rich. You face the same problems everyone has to face; because society still refuses to see you as a human being with needs and desires, especially since they assume you can automatically buy off all of it, which isn't always the case. Not worrying about money is of course far better than barely surviving to pay for your rent, but since you're getting millions, you're not allowed to vent (and likely get backlash for it), not allowed to hide from the public, and not allowed to voice your needs. Some rich people do find ways to bypass that, but for the most part the other classes will always put you on scrutiny on anything you do.

 

And unfortunately, being rich really is a detriment to your health and your personality. You always have to suspect that the ruthless are always out to get you, and sometimes even your own family and close friends; it's really a maddening life crisis. Only a few can actually get past their general instability, and even then you'll still be seen in a bad light anyways, because...you're rich (and should totally have ways to solve every single problem). That's all some people need to start antagonizing you.

 

Not to mention millionaires don't necessarily get that much representation as you think. There are many people, whether it's a regular office company CEO or a cartoon director or whatnot that have net worth in the millions yet are almost always ignored on the news – most of the rich don't really look "rich" anyways, and not everyone is a Bloomberg or a Buffett or a Koch.

 

 

"People who commit crimes"

Oh... these are criminals ! So what do I win? 

 

As someone that has been followed in the streets, robbed and happened a lot of weird stuff I can only say that karma will bite them in the ass one day or another.

 

Surprisingly I haven't been robbed since...2008? A robber or robbers tried to steal our car parked outside our house but set off the car alarm while we were out at the mall, and they stole our GPS device and broke one of our car doors. Afterwards we set up a surveillance camera and kept it there for a year before taking it and moving. Now we have a dog that is alert and pretty much barks aggressively at anyone he sees, so that probably deters most robbers now anyway.

[Discordian 6,015]

@,

 

As someone who could care less what anyone thinks, regularly tells people to fuck off for looking down on him and has no moral backbone as well as being extremely selfish none of that sounds like anything I couldn't handle.

 

Literally my only use for being rich would be to not work and play all the video games I want. Maybe eat myself literally to death. Who cares about what I could do with the money when I know what I want to do with it?

[EpicEnergy 23,183]

I understand people are either desperate or just don't care, but committing crimes aren't worth it when you go to prison.

[Splashee 28,563]

On 5/10/2016 at 3:48 AM, ManaMinori said:

Idiocy. Let's talk about it.

Yea, people do that kind of things. Being cowards though? They are taking risks, and they will get caught eventually. And when they do, they will be soaped in prison.

[BlankFlank777 199]

Crime doesn't exist. Some people like to punish people for their choices, but that doesn't make their choices wrong. What's wrong is imposing your own supposed moral standards on someone else. We're all allowed to make choices. Punishing people for their choices doesn't make the people you're punishing criminals. It just makes you an asshole.

And putting people in prison or just putting people in handcuffs is just another choice that goes against people's rights, so why treat it like it's a valid consequence for other "crimes"?

Edited May 9, 2020 by BlankFlank777

[TBD 17,254]

3 hours ago, BlankFlank777 said:

Crime doesn't exist. Some people like to punish people for their choices, but that doesn't make their choices wrong. What's wrong is imposing your own supposed moral standards on someone else. We're all allowed to make choices. Punishing people for their choices doesn't make the people you're punishing criminals. It just makes you an asshole.

And putting people in prison or just putting people in handcuffs is just another choice that goes against people's rights, so why treat it like it's a valid consequence for other "crimes"?

So you’re saying we should let killers, rapist, pedos, etcs roaming free without justice? You’re talking about a lawless world here. The only aspect I don’t agree with the law is putting mental ill criminals in prison to rot without help. But that’s why we have lawyers on the defendant’s side to take care of that. Sadly though, chances to be filed under ‘insanity’ is a low chance. Depending on the jury. Bottom line is, There are no such thing as no consequence for your actions. I could say we can sympathize the devil, while on the other hand,  there are most who deserves it. And some actually knows it well themselves too. There’s no need to defend those who are already aware of their own actions.

[AppleButt 8,675]

2 hours ago, BlankFlank777 said:

Crime doesn't exist. Some people like to punish people for their choices, but that doesn't make their choices wrong. What's wrong is imposing your own supposed moral standards on someone else. We're all allowed to make choices. Punishing people for their choices doesn't make the people you're punishing criminals. It just makes you an asshole.

And putting people in prison or just putting people in handcuffs is just another choice that goes against people's rights, so why treat it like it's a valid consequence for other "crimes"?

Well I mean I’d sure hope someone goes to prison if they chose to  murder me or anyone really. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by AppleButt

[Justin_Case001 4,881]

I hate crime.  I don't have much sympathy or tolerance for people who break the law.  Well... actually, it's not so much about the law, per se, because some laws are unjust, and as a very wise man once said, "There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute.  Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions."  -Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  Case in point, in places in the world where homosexuality is outlawed, or speaking ill of a religion is outlawed, then I would applaud those who break those laws in the name of justice.  To paraphrase the trailer for The Mask of Zorro, in a country where justice is outlawed, the just must become outlaws.  But what I'm talking about is hurting other people, and that includes their property.  Theft, vandalism, and any crimes that hurt other people make me so angry.  It's those sort of criminals that I have zero tolerance or sympathy for.

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

On 5/9/2020 at 12:03 PM, BlankFlank777 said:

Crime doesn't exist. Some people like to punish people for their choices, but that doesn't make their choices wrong. What's wrong is imposing your own supposed moral standards on someone else. We're all allowed to make choices. Punishing people for their choices doesn't make the people you're punishing criminals. It just makes you an asshole.

And putting people in prison or just putting people in handcuffs is just another choice that goes against people's rights, so why treat it like it's a valid consequence for other "crimes"?

Yeah, this is a bad take. I'm sorry. Laws exist for a reason most of the time. Police officers are usually awful human beings but letting actual problematic people around is no good.

[Lunatic_Moonwalker 52]

Every crime that harms someone should be a crime and should be judged. If breaking a law just harms yourself, that law doesn´t need to exist, everyone should be free to decide if they want to harm themself or not.

I hate to see people harm others.