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Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

theguardian.com

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Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#91

Post by likeclockwork »

jeofken wrote: post #61
bitwize wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison." --Angela Davis on Czech opponents to the communist regime Seems her opposition to prisons was a bit... selective.

It’s quite disheartening to read this thread, and how the mainstream on HN think they can centrally plan their way out of society’s problems (like UBI), and who excuse communists like this. As if you could just will incorruptible and truly just and virtuous people into government leadership roles, rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power.

> rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power.

Like all current politicians?

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#92

Post by dragonwriter »

IiydAbITMvJkqKf wrote: post #90
TomSwirly wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There are a few genuinely 'bad people' out there. But it's vanishingly small. 70 million people voted for Donald Trump.

If you think half of the USA are genuinely bad people you desperately need to go outside.

If you think that 70 million people is half of the USA, you desperately need some contact with facts.

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#93

Post by zepto »

anovikov wrote: post #89
zepto wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of these are mental health issues.

Basically, is there any "rational" reason to be a rapist AT ALL? Especially in today's world which is full of easy to get sex. I think every rapist is mentally not OK.

> Basically, is there any "rational" reason to be a rapist AT ALL?

Are you equating taking irrational actions with being mentally ill? By that logic, everyone is mentally ill.

> Especially in today's world which is full of easy to get sex.

What makes you think sex is easy to get in today’s world? The evidence would contradict that. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-about-sex/202106...

> I think every rapist is mentally not OK.

Sure, but is it an illness which can be alleviated?

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#94

Post by jeofken »

likeclockwork wrote: post #91
jeofken wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s quite disheartening to read this thread, and how the mainstream on HN think they can centrally plan their way out of society’s problems (like UBI), and who excuse communists like this. As if you could just will incorruptible and truly just and virtuous people into government leadership roles, rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power.

> rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power. Like all current politicians?

Yes

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#95

Post by Texaner »

likeclockwork wrote: post #91
jeofken wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s quite disheartening to read this thread, and how the mainstream on HN think they can centrally plan their way out of society’s problems (like UBI), and who excuse communists like this. As if you could just will incorruptible and truly just and virtuous people into government leadership roles, rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power.

> rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power. Like all current politicians?

Exactly. Which is why I'm happy that they have limited powers.

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#96

Post by bitwize »

likeclockwork wrote: post #91
jeofken wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s quite disheartening to read this thread, and how the mainstream on HN think they can centrally plan their way out of society’s problems (like UBI), and who excuse communists like this. As if you could just will incorruptible and truly just and virtuous people into government leadership roles, rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power.

> rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power. Like all current politicians?

Yes, quite. The idea behind liberal democracy (and, more extremely, libertarianism) is to design government in such a way that politicians can't accumulate too much power. Depending on your political worldview, this concern may trump the benefits that are thought to accrue from handing power to the government and thus the politicians.

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#97

Post by cafard »

First off, yes we should deal with mental health and with poverty.

But second, many years ago, I worked with a guy on the lam, who had murdered family members. He had a stable white-collar job before he killed the family members, he had a stable blue-collar job where he ended up, he had no drug dependencies that I ever heard of. It was a good twenty years after I had worked with him that the authorities caught up with him, and it all showed up in the newspapers.

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#98

Post by throwawaygimp »

goodpoint wrote: post #52
throwawaygimp wrote: post #9

UBI + health (and other calamity) insurance for all. A strong public mental health system. Prescription drugs of every kind, heroin, meth, whatever. With the right counselling and support attached. I might be an idiot but pretty sure most crime will just go away, then we can spend proper resources to help and support (and punish when needed) the few offenders who really struggle to stay within the rules of society. T…

I think people understimate the impact on mental health caused by the absence of social safety nets. Provide UBI and health services and a lot of anxiety might go away. Remove the need to toil in a bad workplace and a lot of depression might go away.

Bingo

Re: Experience: I spent 29 years in solitary confinement (2010)

#99

Post by jeofken »

bitwize wrote: post #96
likeclockwork wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> rather than self selected quacks and sophists, who are attracted by power. Like all current politicians?

Yes, quite. The idea behind liberal democracy (and, more extremely, libertarianism) is to design government in such a way that politicians can't accumulate too much power. Depending on your political worldview, this concern may trump the benefits that are thought to accrue from handing power to the government and thus the politicians.

> Depending on your political worldview

Depending on whether people know the history of Eastern Europe in the 20th century

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