3 ms·
What we call "justice" in the US is really just ritual sacrifice to purge the community of the bad juju created when a crime happens. The more aspirational the
by acjohnson55 8y ago
What we call "justice" in the US is really just ritual sacrifice to purge the community of the bad juju created when a crime happens. The more aspirational the victim, the worse the juju.
Traditionally, the person sacrificed should have plausibly committed the crime. But this is not strictly necessary, especially if they are not considered aspirational.
The worst thing that can happen is to have the sacrifice thwarted. This multiplies the juju. But it sometimes happens due to technicalities, like innocence.
- 1996 8y agoI love the analysis because yes, US justice looks a lot like tribal rituals
- bilbo0s 8y ago"...But it sometimes happens due to technicalities, like innocence..." Ouch. You play rough. But I do agree that there are certain buttons you can push in the psyche of the average American that short-circuit our critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, yes, saying, "The black guy did it!", is definitely one of those buttons.
- praptak 8y ago"US is a third world country with a thin first world layer at the top." This is a comment I read on HN a while ago. HN seems like a filter for stories that support this view.
- orcdork 8y agoWhen you devalue the issues that people actually living in third word countries face, you can make your own privilege sound a bit less like one.