5 ms·

Yeah…sorry. If someone breaks into my house, they’re getting a bit more than 16J pointed their way.

kristopolous 5y ago
Honestly if someone breaks into my house they'll be getting a cup of tea and a blanket. Robbery must be an awful way to make a living. They're probably in a life of abuse and addiction. Yes, I'm a total psycho, I already know this.
- trabant00 5y ago
  No, you are a clueless idealist who never spent time with actual home robbers.
  - dang 5y ago
    Please don't cross into personal attack in HN threads, regardless of how wrong someone is or you feel they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - trabant00 5y ago
      Sorry, it was indeed wrong of me to comment like that.
- Majestic121 5y ago
  That sounds like the stance of someone that never had to go through a robbery on the wrong side of the weapon
  - kristopolous 5y ago
    I have many times. About 20 years ago someone who had previously robbed me at knifepoint ran into me, recognized me as someone he knew and I was able to convince him that we played on a sports team together as children. I bought him lunch and we stayed in touch. At the time I had aphorisms on my bathroom mirror. My favorite one was "I need not convince that humanity is necessary, only that it's possible"
- inkblotuniverse 5y ago
  They'll just kill you and rape your wife, don't worry.
  - dang 5y ago
    Please don't do this here.
- emerged 5y ago
  I really hope you never have to learn how misinformed that stance is.
- CodeGlitch 5y ago
  What happens if they're high on drugs and not in a right state of mind? I'll not be taking that kind of chance...
  - kristopolous 5y ago
    Everything we do has risks and what-ifs. What if you come out with a baseball bat and the thief has a gun? What if you come out with a gun and there's a second thief that you don't see and he fires first? What if you come out and fire at the "burglar" and it turns out to be your neighbor's drunk teenager walking into the wrong home or police doing a no-knock warrant on the wrong address? There's always risks. The actions you take and the risks you choose to be guided by are entirely a function of the deep values you actually hold and act on.
GoodbyeMrChips 5y ago
Many Americans (uniformed or not) like yourself really do have a bloodlust about them. Just itching for the day when they can legally get away with shooting somebody. This discusion of de-escalation tactics (ridiculed by a US deligation) is rather enlightening. https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/rcglza/us_delegates_discuss_police_scotland_deescalation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/rcglza/us_delegat...
- dash2 5y ago
  Humans have bloodlust. Let's not chaffer in national stereotypes.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
    Humans have bloodlust, and many other urges. Societies decide whether to encourage these, or not.
    - dash2 5y ago
      Sure. While the US has a higher murder rate than most (say) European countries, its overall rate of violent crime is lower than many European countries. For example it has fewer police-recorded assaults than Britain, Israel, Germany, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Iceland, Australia, Portugal and France. So, the explanation for the US' high murder rate is perhaps less likely to be "they encourage bloodlust" and more likely to be "they make it very easy to own guns". https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/crime_stats_oecdjan2012.pdf https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/crime_stats_oecdjan...
      - SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
        > less "they encourage bloodlust" and more "they make it very easy to own guns" I agree entirely, but frankly it's a distinction without a difference.
  - tomcooks 5y ago
unbanned 5y ago
A demand for a hand written apology?
pg5 5y ago
What if the disks are mini sawblades?
dang 5y ago
Can you please not post unsubstantive comments or flamebait to HN? You started a pointless flamewar with this, and we're trying for the opposite sort of discussion here. Fortunately your substantive comments have been good, so this should be easy to fix. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.

Honestly if someone breaks into my house they'll be getting a cup of tea and a blanket. Robbery must be an awful way to make a living. They're probably in a life of abuse and addiction. Yes, I'm a total psycho, I already know this.

trabant00 5y ago
No, you are a clueless idealist who never spent time with actual home robbers.
- dang 5y ago
  Please don't cross into personal attack in HN threads, regardless of how wrong someone is or you feel they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - trabant00 5y ago
    Sorry, it was indeed wrong of me to comment like that.
Majestic121 5y ago
That sounds like the stance of someone that never had to go through a robbery on the wrong side of the weapon
- kristopolous 5y ago
  I have many times. About 20 years ago someone who had previously robbed me at knifepoint ran into me, recognized me as someone he knew and I was able to convince him that we played on a sports team together as children. I bought him lunch and we stayed in touch. At the time I had aphorisms on my bathroom mirror. My favorite one was "I need not convince that humanity is necessary, only that it's possible"
inkblotuniverse 5y ago
They'll just kill you and rape your wife, don't worry.
- dang 5y ago
  Please don't do this here.
emerged 5y ago
I really hope you never have to learn how misinformed that stance is.
CodeGlitch 5y ago
What happens if they're high on drugs and not in a right state of mind? I'll not be taking that kind of chance...
- kristopolous 5y ago
  Everything we do has risks and what-ifs. What if you come out with a baseball bat and the thief has a gun? What if you come out with a gun and there's a second thief that you don't see and he fires first? What if you come out and fire at the "burglar" and it turns out to be your neighbor's drunk teenager walking into the wrong home or police doing a no-knock warrant on the wrong address? There's always risks. The actions you take and the risks you choose to be guided by are entirely a function of the deep values you actually hold and act on.

GoodbyeMrChips 5y ago

Many Americans (uniformed or not) like yourself really do have a bloodlust about them. Just itching for the day when they can legally get away with shooting somebody. This discusion of de-escalation tactics (ridiculed by a US deligation) is rather enlightening. https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/rcglza/us_delegates_discuss_police_scotland_deescalation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/rcglza/us_delegat...

dash2 5y ago
Humans have bloodlust. Let's not chaffer in national stereotypes.
- SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
  Humans have bloodlust, and many other urges. Societies decide whether to encourage these, or not.
  - dash2 5y ago
    Sure. While the US has a higher murder rate than most (say) European countries, its overall rate of violent crime is lower than many European countries. For example it has fewer police-recorded assaults than Britain, Israel, Germany, Finland, Chile, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Iceland, Australia, Portugal and France. So, the explanation for the US' high murder rate is perhaps less likely to be "they encourage bloodlust" and more likely to be "they make it very easy to own guns". https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/crime_stats_oecdjan2012.pdf https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/crime_stats_oecdjan...
    - SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
      > less "they encourage bloodlust" and more "they make it very easy to own guns" I agree entirely, but frankly it's a distinction without a difference.
- tomcooks 5y ago

unbanned 5y ago

A demand for a hand written apology?

pg5 5y ago

What if the disks are mini sawblades?

dang 5y ago

Can you please not post unsubstantive comments or flamebait to HN? You started a pointless flamewar with this, and we're trying for the opposite sort of discussion here. Fortunately your substantive comments have been good, so this should be easy to fix. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.