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People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

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Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#121

Post by _moof »

simmanian wrote: post #111
ddoolin wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm classified as a "violent criminal" by the state by way of having a violent felony. Not trying to be inflammatory, but this sounds like awful idea, mostly psychological and societal at large. In my experience, many, many people have this "us vs. them" attitude towards criminals, as in "I would never commit a crime so therefore they are not like us ." The reality is, countless people are either innocent or one-time…

Thank you for sharing. I personally view "violent criminals" as regular human beings and believe we should stop classifying people as violent criminals the moment they no longer pose significant danger to others. But maybe you're right in seeing that most don't share these views. Regardless, what I'm trying to say is ALL people deserve to organize themselves in ways that lead to safe, healthy, and happy lives. We sho…

I get where you're coming from but realize that you're advocating for indefinite sentences, which are inhumane, combined with a board of fallible, perversely incentivized people who will determine who is rehabilitated and who isn't. The board will presumably be subject to the will of a sadistic, vengeful public who have cartoonish beliefs about a system they have no direct knowledge of, and who completely fail to understand even the most basic rights afforded under the constitution. (Go look at just about any tweet about the fifth amendment.)

It sounds great on paper but the second real people get involved, it becomes a humans rights disaster.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#122

Post by antux »

Makes a lot of sense. A study found that boredom could lead to early death (source: https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/bored-death-no...)

That means any kind of stimulation is preferred over no stimulation. If sadism is the only kind of stimulation one can get, they'll take it for the sake of survival.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#123

Post by dwohnitmok »

inglor_cz wrote: post #109
dwohnitmok wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Spanking? Some countries essentially do this (e.g. caning in Singapore).

Don't you, at least in Singapore, get caning in addition to a prison sentence?

I thought that there were at least some circumstances where caning would happen in lieu of a prison sentence but it looks like I'm wrong.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#125

Post by AlexTWithBeard »

dahfizz wrote: post #114
AlexTWithBeard wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so... what do we do with non-criminals? All the small things like bike theft, not paying child support, fare evasion and urinating in the streets? For extra credit: assume the offender has no money.

non-criminals? Do you mean non-violent criminals? Theft is a crime, perpetrating said crime makes you a criminal.

That. Or we can put the line between misdemeanor and a felony.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#126

Post by nradov »

simmanian wrote: post #90
lapsedacademic wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Penal colonies and other forms of exile are cruel and unusual. It's hard to conceive because this form of punishment has been disused in the west for nearly as long as drawing and quartering, but historical use of exile gives a sense for how extreme permanent exile is as a punishment. Even in the age of drawing and quartering, penal colonies were used primarily as an alternative to capital punishment. In the age of g…

I think the key difference is I'm focusing on allowing people to live with others they can synergize well with. I oppose the focus on punishing (torturing) criminals. I do not believe we should permanently exile all violent criminals into wilderness. I believe they should live in a safe and healthy environment where they can thrive. We shouldn't let someone who's likely to murder people out on the streets with no hel…

Maintaining a sufficient level of physical security to reliably confine violent criminals while also giving them a safe and healthy environment where they can thrive would be extremely expensive. It sounds great in theory, but most citizens wouldn't be willing to pay more taxes for it. (And yes I'm aware we could find the necessary funds by slashing military spending but realistically that's not going to happen.)

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#127

Post by simmanian »

_moof wrote: post #121
simmanian wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for sharing. I personally view "violent criminals" as regular human beings and believe we should stop classifying people as violent criminals the moment they no longer pose significant danger to others. But maybe you're right in seeing that most don't share these views. Regardless, what I'm trying to say is ALL people deserve to organize themselves in ways that lead to safe, healthy, and happy lives. We sho…

I get where you're coming from but realize that you're advocating for indefinite sentences, which are inhumane, combined with a board of fallible, perversely incentivized people who will determine who is rehabilitated and who isn't. The board will presumably be subject to the will of a sadistic, vengeful public who have cartoonish beliefs about a system they have no direct knowledge of, and who completely fail to und…

I agree that it would be difficult to implement these practices at once. But the core idea, that all people have the right to organize in a way that leads to sustainable happiness, can be implemented in small chunks in many different, less controversial aspects of our lives. I imagine if the idea gets enough traction, we can then take a good look at how we treat those who refuse to harmonize with the general population.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#128

Post by VladimirGolovin »

I have a pet theory that smartphones and the mobile Internet are the primary reasons for the decline of violent street crime. People these days don't need to be violent to entertain themselves -- because they now have porn, dating, gossip, games, and gambling in their pockets. Plus it's a lot safer than violence.

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#129

Post by KineticLensman »

rhn_mk1 wrote: post #97
lapsedacademic wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Penal colonies and other forms of exile are cruel and unusual. It's hard to conceive because this form of punishment has been disused in the west for nearly as long as drawing and quartering, but historical use of exile gives a sense for how extreme permanent exile is as a punishment. Even in the age of drawing and quartering, penal colonies were used primarily as an alternative to capital punishment. In the age of g…

I don't see a meaningful difference between exile and inprisonment then. In either way, you remove the people from their communities for an extended period of time. I don't think it's consequential to make a difference between them being stuck outside or inside the geographical area.

Exile might sometimes give people an opportunity to create a new life for themselves, even if it wouldn't have been their own choice. Especially if exile is to a semi-free society, as opposed to exile to a prison colony or an internal gulag. Some people may even thrive as a result. There is no comparison with an lengthy period of imprisonment, with no freedoms at all

Re: People behave more sadistically when they’re bored

#130

Post by kgran »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #47
quacked wrote: post #2

If this is indeed true, it is yet another piece of evidence in the case for prison reform. Prisoners are universally bored, yet in many cases insufficiently protected from one another. Read accounts of any long-time convict's time in prison and you'll hear about excruciating boredom punctuated by acts of outrageous sadism.

A family member was in prison for petty theft and breaking parole for over 25 years. When they got out, they didn’t even know how to drive because it started from teenage years (abusive father). I was shocked that the state didn’t spend an ounce of energy to at least teach these people basic skills. Now they are forced to live in cities where they are more likely to interact with bad influences. Anyway, I wonder if d…

I know a little about car-dependency in the US, but sheesh... I am always astounded how such things like driving being a basic skill or having a car being a necessity are unquestionable parts of living and culture there.
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