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Considering the restrictions on felons obtaining a job, a firearm, even voting, I would say this this story definitely represents the exception rather than the

Considering the restrictions on felons obtaining a job, a firearm, even voting, I would say this this story definitely represents the exception rather than the rule when it comes to how we treat them.

gnunez 9y ago
Could this be white privilege at work again? I mean this guy got 2 cases granted which seems to be quite an accomplishment in the legal world, but don't you think race had little something to do with it The guy interviewing him said, "[he] looked more like a lawyer then a bank robber". Why? Because he's white?
- ra1n85 9y ago
  “he looked more like a [insert role here] than a [insert role here]”. Why because he’s [ethnicity]? [citation backing up presumption that the quote was based on real world evidence, or founded on probabilities]
- ScottBurson 9y ago
  There's no way to know. It crossed my mind too to wonder about that. I would like to think that an African-American man, or woman!, who had done all the same things would have wound up in the same position. But I don't know that we're there yet. The problem I have with invoking "white (or male) privilege" is that it tends to depreciate the person's accomplishment, and even to make them feel guilty for it. If they have done something to demonstrate prejudice or encourage it in others, that is fair game for criticism. Succeeding at something, in and of itself, is not, even if you think it was easier for them than it should have been.
wallace_f 9y ago
I am also for second chances, but to offer a contrarian view, armed robbery is still a defining characteristic of his life. We are just animals. If we are honest about it: For as easily as we can say different dogs have different temperaments--some make good playmates for children, some good for attacking people--certain people also are better suited to different roles as citizens of a civilization. Years ago I used to actively play a popular Valve online game, pseudo-competitively. In this community developed toxic culture of harassment and demeaning comments towards one female player. I remember she would be interrupted with things such as "shut up whore." But there were those who would try to stop it, even though they would be negatively impacted by it, and harassed themselves. Unfortunately in the years since then, I've read about this happening elsewhere. But fortunately I have seen a lot about the importance of respect and fairness towards women (and all people) in tech and online gaming. But do we need to wait for every wrong to have a rights movement against it, to know that it's wrong? I disagree. I think even those perpetuating this towards her were fully aware that it was wrong; they just didn't care. There are good and bad people, and it's an evolutionary advantage to us that we have evolved to care about this. Armed robbery is not the worst thing anyone had ever done, and he deserves a second chance. I'm skeptical of why he is a Georgetown law professor. If I take off my moral lense of the world, I have to ask myself in an age when a 75-year-old man spends 12 years in jail for 2 marijuana plants, Snowden is a criminal, and pedophiles and sexual predators either get a slap on the wrist or protected as long as they're rich, who exactly the cultural trends minimizing dastardly behavior benefits...

gnunez 9y ago

Could this be white privilege at work again? I mean this guy got 2 cases granted which seems to be quite an accomplishment in the legal world, but don't you think race had little something to do with it The guy interviewing him said, "[he] looked more like a lawyer then a bank robber". Why? Because he's white?

ra1n85 9y ago
“he looked more like a [insert role here] than a [insert role here]”. Why because he’s [ethnicity]? [citation backing up presumption that the quote was based on real world evidence, or founded on probabilities]
ScottBurson 9y ago
There's no way to know. It crossed my mind too to wonder about that. I would like to think that an African-American man, or woman!, who had done all the same things would have wound up in the same position. But I don't know that we're there yet. The problem I have with invoking "white (or male) privilege" is that it tends to depreciate the person's accomplishment, and even to make them feel guilty for it. If they have done something to demonstrate prejudice or encourage it in others, that is fair game for criticism. Succeeding at something, in and of itself, is not, even if you think it was easier for them than it should have been.

wallace_f 9y ago

I am also for second chances, but to offer a contrarian view, armed robbery is still a defining characteristic of his life. We are just animals. If we are honest about it: For as easily as we can say different dogs have different temperaments--some make good playmates for children, some good for attacking people--certain people also are better suited to different roles as citizens of a civilization. Years ago I used to actively play a popular Valve online game, pseudo-competitively. In this community developed toxic culture of harassment and demeaning comments towards one female player. I remember she would be interrupted with things such as "shut up whore." But there were those who would try to stop it, even though they would be negatively impacted by it, and harassed themselves. Unfortunately in the years since then, I've read about this happening elsewhere. But fortunately I have seen a lot about the importance of respect and fairness towards women (and all people) in tech and online gaming. But do we need to wait for every wrong to have a rights movement against it, to know that it's wrong? I disagree. I think even those perpetuating this towards her were fully aware that it was wrong; they just didn't care. There are good and bad people, and it's an evolutionary advantage to us that we have evolved to care about this. Armed robbery is not the worst thing anyone had ever done, and he deserves a second chance. I'm skeptical of why he is a Georgetown law professor. If I take off my moral lense of the world, I have to ask myself in an age when a 75-year-old man spends 12 years in jail for 2 marijuana plants, Snowden is a criminal, and pedophiles and sexual predators either get a slap on the wrist or protected as long as they're rich, who exactly the cultural trends minimizing dastardly behavior benefits...