51–60 of 353 posts
As usual, mostly western commentators sitting on their high horses pointing and pontificating with no idea of local context or understanding. First of all, Duterte was elected overwhelmingly with a clear mandate of using brute violence to clear out drug dealers. He was clear about it and he is delivering on that mandate. I have to accept, he has made a PR error by not calling them terrorists. At which point, he will…
As usual, mostly western commentators sitting on their high horses pointing and pontificating with no idea of local context or understanding. First of all, Duterte was elected overwhelmingly with a clear mandate of using brute violence to clear out drug dealers. He was clear about it and he is delivering on that mandate. I have to accept, he has made a PR error by not calling them terrorists. At which point, he will…
Addicts in Asia are not the same as in west. They are worst. They will do anything to get drug. They will get into your house, put knife on your throat and take your money and jewelry. Police can't do anything because they are lazy and corrupt, unless there's a body.
They're literally allowing ordinary citizens to kill random people on the street without consequences.
Besides, the reason these people are violent is that they are desperate and mentally unstable. Their state is a failure of society, you can't fix it by just outright murdering people.
Philippines is a corrupt mess at all levels of society. The electorate is desperate and has opted for a ruthless strongman after decades of disappointments. They say Mussolini made the trains run on time.
It's a great example of "be careful what you wish for". Trains on time, then 30 million people die in a war you helped forge, then your country becomes destroyed. I'll happily live with the late trains.
RE this crazy drug policy: very, very bad things happen when rule of law breaks down and we go into vigilante justice. Moral arguments aside, how many innocent people have died because of this already? It's an absolutely horrible idea.
Not directly related to Phillipines, but an actual Bay Area addict case question...And honestly, I'm not sure of individuals current state (no arrest records)... Young female from out of area (some state) comes (homeless) to a town known for downward spirals. Arrested 20+ times over 2 years, mainly around meth addiction, but seriously mental. Local people reach out to family/friends of said individual via social medi…
Society. Society is responsible. The fact that people in the richest country in the world are still having this debate is appalling to Canadians and Western Europeans. Americans will be the last on this ship, but part of living in a prosperous 21st century society means giving up some liberty (in the form of taxes, limited access to guns, suffering additional government bureaucracy) for the knowledge that getting sic…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's actually not that insane from the perspective of a local voter who has nothing to lose and has a miserable crime-ridden existence. It's not qualitatively different from disenfranchised workers voting for Trump. It's the nuclear option for people who have no way to profit from the existing system. It just so happens that life is much, much easier in the US so there is no need to consider actual violence when thin…
No, it's still insane.
How long until Trump says something like, "He's a bad guy -- really bad guy. But you know what he did well? He killed drug dealers. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were pushers. Over."
Are we making the leap that Trump supports killing drug addicts? We could invoke Hillary if we want with her famous statement, "What difference does it make?" This has nothing to do with Trump or American politics. Not a single candidate in the US has called for the extra-judicial execution of drug dealers or users. Trying to draw an equivalence to Trump is absurd.
Is this a joke? Surely something so utterly stupid can't be real. This man just gave the public free rein to murder and get away with it. Jesus this planet is insane.
It's actually not that insane from the perspective of a local voter who has nothing to lose and has a miserable crime-ridden existence. It's not qualitatively different from disenfranchised workers voting for Trump. It's the nuclear option for people who have no way to profit from the existing system. It just so happens that life is much, much easier in the US so there is no need to consider actual violence when thin…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's actually not that insane from the perspective of a local voter who has nothing to lose and has a miserable crime-ridden existence. It's not qualitatively different from disenfranchised workers voting for Trump. It's the nuclear option for people who have no way to profit from the existing system. It just so happens that life is much, much easier in the US so there is no need to consider actual violence when thin…
No, it's still insane.
If you want to solve a problem you have to understand it first and foremost. Just calling it insanity is therefore not only not helpful, but harmful as others might take up that world view and stop caring for a real solution.
I do not have a solution, but am trying to understand how people can be so miserable (be it workers in US voting for Trump, German people voting AfD or people in the Philippines seeing this as a viable option/solution to their problem, when it probably even isn't such).
I can understand being desperate and taking desperate measures. But killing? I am so not able to understand it - even while I am trying to find rational reasons/explanations.
As usual, mostly western commentators sitting on their high horses pointing and pontificating with no idea of local context or understanding. First of all, Duterte was elected overwhelmingly with a clear mandate of using brute violence to clear out drug dealers. He was clear about it and he is delivering on that mandate. I have to accept, he has made a PR error by not calling them terrorists. At which point, he will…
Hitler was also democratically elected. What will happen in the Philippines now is that anyone who any grudge with anyone will just kill that person and label him a drug dealer.