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If most people realized that protesters mean "abolish" when they say "defund", the reaction would be a bit different (see https://newrepublic.com/article/158104
by twblalock 6y ago
If most people realized that protesters mean "abolish" when they say "defund", the reaction would be a bit different (see https://newrepublic.com/article/158104/rush-redefine-defund-police https://newrepublic.com/article/158104/rush-redefine-defund-...).
When most people hear "defund the police" they assume it means cutting police budgets, and perhaps also involves repurposing money for social services. But reforming any organization generally takes more money, not less -- for example, things like more/better/longer training for officers and better handling of citizen complaints all cost money.
Both of the generally accepted options would have bad outcomes: a society without any policing, or police departments mandated to reform without the funding necessary to succeed.
- nickff 6y agoMany police organizations have been violating rights and abusing people for decades; saying that they need more money before they fix their problem just astonishes me. Do you really think the populace will trust them to change? If someone's been violating your trust for an extended period of time, they need to earn it back before you give them anything they want.
- twblalock 6y agoHow do you expect them to "earn it back" without investing more money to pay for better training and investigations of citizen complaints?
- nickff 6y agoWell, I don't know if they can. The analogy that comes to mind is that of an long-term abusive spouse: When you threaten to leave, they say they'll change, they just need a little time and your help. Do you believe them?
- ghthor 6y agoMany federal government organizations have been violating rights and abusing people for decades; saying that they need more money before they fix their problem just astonishes me. Do you really think the populace will trust them to change? If someone's been violating your trust for an extended period of time, they need to earn it back before you give them anything they want.
- nickff 6y agoI'm not sure if this is intended as a rebuke or reductio ad absurdum, but I agree with it.