Who needs Cartels, jihadis or Chinese sleeper cellss?

[RoyGBiv]

I suspect that we get the impression things are worse because we get fed more stories at a faster rate than a mere 20 years before

Honestly, I think that's a "cause"... a multiplier, if you will... Getting pounded by biased/opinion pieces without the time in between to figure out what is reality and what is opinion. I think that drives an actual further polarization... not just an impression of polarization...

In the past you could hear a story on the news, bring it to the dinner table and have Dad/Mom set you straight...
Now... not only do we not share dinners, but, the polarizing news/opinion is unrelenting...

Maybe?

[Sig_Fiend]

Honestly, I think that's a "cause"... a multiplier, if you will... Getting pounded by biased/opinion pieces without the time in between to figure out what is reality and what is opinion. I think that drives an actual further polarization... not just an impression of polarization...

In the past you could hear a story on the news, bring it to the dinner table and have Dad/Mom set you straight...
Now... not only do we not share dinners, but, the polarizing news/opinion is unrelenting...

Maybe?

This is why I like the format of forums. See a post or thread that upsets you? Let it stew for at least a few hours, or better yet, sleep on it before responding. Usually a far calmer and more reasoned experience in comparison.

With social, people see something and can be rioting within minutes. Social media is pretty much a digital WMD and overall net negative for humanity in my opinion.

[cosermann]

Started reading the book, Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple recently. Interesting glimpse into the lives of some people.

[RevolverRob]

Reading the old book "The Gangs of New York" is an education, as one sees the same sort of criminality, cruelty, corruption, mayhem, addiction, dissipation, and even literal crap happening in 1880's New York as one might see today.

I suspect that we get the impression things are worse because we get fed more stories at a faster rate than a mere 20 years before

"Manchild In the Promise Land" - gives great insight to the youth mind run amok when surrounded by violence and normalized to violence - in the 40s and 50s of Harlem.

That folks still struggle to connect that lack of opportunity, growth, and stability as being the primary causes AND that those causes are present in both rural and urban communities befuddles me. The correlations are sufficiently strong that the causes are effectively self-evident. This sort of violence is omni-present in humans, but intolerable in a civilized society - which means we either improve the conditions to make these needs filled or we start killing more people as "justice".

Importantly folks should recognize - you are correct even if everyone's needs were met acceptable - there would still be sociopathic animals who would want more. And therefore there is no Utopia - you will still need a criminal justice system and to occasionally trot people out to the gallows for a short drop and a sudden stop. The part I'm babbling on about is doing things to reduce the number of offenders in scenarios like this from 8 to 1.

[Hambo]

This is why I like the format of forums. See a post or thread that upsets you? Let it stew for at least a few hours, or better yet, sleep on it before responding. Usually a far calmer and more reasoned experience in comparison.

With social, people see something and can be rioting within minutes. Social media is pretty much a digital WMD and overall net negative for humanity in my opinion.

Media feed for the reptile brain.

[Joe in PNG]

Importantly folks should recognize - you are correct even if everyone's needs were met acceptable - there would still be sociopathic animals who would want more. And therefore there is no Utopia - you will still need a criminal justice system and to occasionally trot people out to the gallows for a short drop and a sudden stop. The part I'm babbling on about is doing things to reduce the number of offenders in scenarios like this from 8 to 1.

The Mafia guys that inspired "Goodfellas" enjoyed being gangsters and absolutely loved doing criminal things. There's a huge thrill in being feared, in being perceived as above the law and breaking the social contract at will.

[blues]

The Mafia guys that inspired "Goodfellas" enjoyed being gangsters and absolutely loved doing criminal things. There's a huge thrill in being feared, in being perceived as above the law and breaking the social contract at will.

Until Jimmy Burke decided that their time was up...then it wasn't so much fun. (I sat in on one of his trials in the early 80's...with Henry Hill testifying against him.)

[UNK]

Until Jimmy Burke decided that their time was up...then it wasn't so much fun. (I sat in on one of his trials in the early 80's...with Henry Hill testifying against him.)

Fing A I love it when the bad guys get theirs. Bikers gangsters cartel doesnt matter what label you put on them.

[BehindBlueI's]

I was an assisting on a very similar incident roughly 10 years ago or so. It broke the lead detective. Great guy, over a decade of major felony crimes against persons experience, but it was his last case in the unit. Between the incident itself, the pressure from admin, media attention, dealing with survivors and family communication, being in the office almost non-stop for such a long stretch, it was just too much. He moved to a financial crimes unit until he retired.

The depravity of an individual is bad enough, a group going feral is even worse.

[UNK]

There should be a law the criminal should experience the exact same actions and results as the victim.

Or maybe I should have said “In my perfect world…..”