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Normally yes, but criminals are just as vulnerable to viral infection as anyone else. The basic question needs to be answered - is this virus bad enough to shu

Normally yes, but criminals are just as vulnerable to viral infection as anyone else. The basic question needs to be answered - is this virus bad enough to shut down an economy? If the answer is yes, then renaming the economy from "state sanctioned" to "black market" does nothing - the black market is just as crushed by the pandemic as any other. What people are arguing for when they argue for a shutdown is that the economy is going to be wrecked no matter what if the pandemic is allowed to rage unchecked. That being the case, there is no tradeoff - shut down the economy to save lives and wreck the economy, or continue with business as usual AND wreck the economy AND have many more lives lost.

suryherhhd 7y ago
What are you smoking? This isn't Captain Planet where the gangs all come from wide ranging and diverse backgrounds, most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. There's no scythe of correction in play here. Similarly, the people who are most willing to go outside to engage with a black market as consumers aren't in that group either. This fantasy where you can just shut down a country for an undisclosed amount of time and break even is an almost archetypical example of why most democracies are representative democracies.
- landryraccoon 7y ago
  > most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. That is a very bold claim. Do you have data on the age distribution and comorbidities of criminals vs the general population? I find the claim that on average criminals will be both younger and healthier than the general population to be quite dubious. At the very least, I'd expect you to be able to show some evidence of this claim.
  - DuskStar 7y ago
    And here I thought that it was Common Knowledge that gang members were young and stupid. Looking at this .gov site I just found [0], it appears that 30-60% of gang members are under 18, and I imagine the remainder isn't going to be over 30. So maybe criminals in general wouldn't be younger and healthier, but there's a really strong chance that gang members are - and it would likely be gangs running black markets anyways. 0: https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/demographics https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/demograph...
- op00to 7y ago
  You need to take a step away from the computer.
- eli_gottlieb 7y ago
  >most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. COVID-19 has killed people under the age of 20, and even the most hardened gangster under the age of 20 has a family and friends to avoid endangering.
asjw 7y ago
> Normally yes, but criminals are just as vulnerable to viral infection as anyone else. They are also vulnerable to bullets. It doesn't make any difference. They keep doing criminal stuff.

suryherhhd 7y ago

What are you smoking? This isn't Captain Planet where the gangs all come from wide ranging and diverse backgrounds, most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. There's no scythe of correction in play here. Similarly, the people who are most willing to go outside to engage with a black market as consumers aren't in that group either. This fantasy where you can just shut down a country for an undisclosed amount of time and break even is an almost archetypical example of why most democracies are representative democracies.

landryraccoon 7y ago
> most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. That is a very bold claim. Do you have data on the age distribution and comorbidities of criminals vs the general population? I find the claim that on average criminals will be both younger and healthier than the general population to be quite dubious. At the very least, I'd expect you to be able to show some evidence of this claim.
- DuskStar 7y ago
  And here I thought that it was Common Knowledge that gang members were young and stupid. Looking at this .gov site I just found [0], it appears that 30-60% of gang members are under 18, and I imagine the remainder isn't going to be over 30. So maybe criminals in general wouldn't be younger and healthier, but there's a really strong chance that gang members are - and it would likely be gangs running black markets anyways. 0: https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/demographics https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/demograph...
op00to 7y ago
You need to take a step away from the computer.
eli_gottlieb 7y ago
>most people who might engage in black market activities are not the same people who are at risk of dying from the virus. COVID-19 has killed people under the age of 20, and even the most hardened gangster under the age of 20 has a family and friends to avoid endangering.

asjw 7y ago

> Normally yes, but criminals are just as vulnerable to viral infection as anyone else. They are also vulnerable to bullets. It doesn't make any difference. They keep doing criminal stuff.