4 ms·

I don’t see how to blame our society for copper thieves.

bandofthehawk 4mo ago
Lack of healthcare, limited job opportunities, growing income inequality, are just a few reasons off the top of my head.
- paleotrope 4mo ago
  Drugs. It's usually drugs.
- bigbuppo 4mo ago
  Local copper thieves that were busted stealing telco lines... they were just looking to make a quick buck regardless of legality or care for the impact it had on other people. They're more like tech company CEOs, really.
  - peddling-brink 4mo ago
    And these thieves were already well cared for in a healthy society with all sorts of opportunities available to them regardless of social status, skin color, and mental heath? Crime goes down when the gap between the rich and the poor goes down.
    - stickfigure 4mo ago
      Some people just want drugs.
    - zdragnar 4mo ago
      Look at sibling comments on copper theft in Scandinavian countries. The idea that humans only commit crime out of necessity and wouldn't do it if they could just get a 9-5 job is extremely naive.
      - xp84 4mo ago
        Some people can't stomach the idea that some individuals can be blamed for their own bad behavior, so this lie that all crime must be society's fault is the only way they can avoid rethinking their worldview. I believe that most people are good, but others do not have good character. They are the ones who ruin things for everyone else. They even ruin things for the people who are "good but victims of bad luck." By refusing to deal harshly with the bad actors (e.g. by locking them up), we create a world where you can't really trust anyone, including those who are just down on their luck but have integrity.
    - chronci3740 4mo ago
      [dead]
esikich 4mo ago
Right, why didn't everyone just get good education, dental care, and healthcare, get a car when they're 16, have their parents help them go to college and work for a VC and get rich. Just can't understand it. Truly, an enigma.
- hyperhello 4mo ago
  My general rule for posting sarcasm is to phrase it seriously first and see if it's something I still want to post.
  - esikich 4mo ago
    How did it go for this one?
- TurdF3rguson 4mo ago
  This is what nobody wants to admit, whether it's nature or nurture doesn't matter because you're not in control of either of them. You were born into so and so of a family, and they brought you up with such and such care and values. The idea that you've been "force of willing" it through your whole life since infancy and are therefore solely accountable for your outcome is absurd. We know that at some level and yet still can't help taking credit for our nice things and passing judgment on others for their failings.
  - RcouF1uZ4gsC 4mo ago
    > We know that at some level and yet still can't help taking credit for our nice things and passing judgment on others for their failings. Is that blameworthy?
    - esikich 4mo ago
      Yes.
  - esikich 4mo ago
    This site is so fuckin out of touch with the average American I can help but get pissed off after a few beers on the weekend. The tech stuff is good, but the social/political stuff here drives me nuts.
cucumber3732842 4mo ago
These people who steal copper and whatnot used to be day laborer ditch digger types but "certain people" decided that the sorts of businesses that employ that kind of labor need to jump through hoops (for various reasons with various degrees of legitimacy) that make it not worth it.

Lack of healthcare, limited job opportunities, growing income inequality, are just a few reasons off the top of my head.

paleotrope 4mo ago
Drugs. It's usually drugs.
bigbuppo 4mo ago
Local copper thieves that were busted stealing telco lines... they were just looking to make a quick buck regardless of legality or care for the impact it had on other people. They're more like tech company CEOs, really.
- peddling-brink 4mo ago
  And these thieves were already well cared for in a healthy society with all sorts of opportunities available to them regardless of social status, skin color, and mental heath? Crime goes down when the gap between the rich and the poor goes down.
  - stickfigure 4mo ago
    Some people just want drugs.
  - zdragnar 4mo ago
    Look at sibling comments on copper theft in Scandinavian countries. The idea that humans only commit crime out of necessity and wouldn't do it if they could just get a 9-5 job is extremely naive.
    - xp84 4mo ago
      Some people can't stomach the idea that some individuals can be blamed for their own bad behavior, so this lie that all crime must be society's fault is the only way they can avoid rethinking their worldview. I believe that most people are good, but others do not have good character. They are the ones who ruin things for everyone else. They even ruin things for the people who are "good but victims of bad luck." By refusing to deal harshly with the bad actors (e.g. by locking them up), we create a world where you can't really trust anyone, including those who are just down on their luck but have integrity.
  - chronci3740 4mo ago
    [dead]

esikich 4mo ago

Right, why didn't everyone just get good education, dental care, and healthcare, get a car when they're 16, have their parents help them go to college and work for a VC and get rich. Just can't understand it. Truly, an enigma.

hyperhello 4mo ago
My general rule for posting sarcasm is to phrase it seriously first and see if it's something I still want to post.
- esikich 4mo ago
  How did it go for this one?
TurdF3rguson 4mo ago
This is what nobody wants to admit, whether it's nature or nurture doesn't matter because you're not in control of either of them. You were born into so and so of a family, and they brought you up with such and such care and values. The idea that you've been "force of willing" it through your whole life since infancy and are therefore solely accountable for your outcome is absurd. We know that at some level and yet still can't help taking credit for our nice things and passing judgment on others for their failings.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 4mo ago
  > We know that at some level and yet still can't help taking credit for our nice things and passing judgment on others for their failings. Is that blameworthy?
  - esikich 4mo ago
    Yes.
- esikich 4mo ago
  This site is so fuckin out of touch with the average American I can help but get pissed off after a few beers on the weekend. The tech stuff is good, but the social/political stuff here drives me nuts.

cucumber3732842 4mo ago

These people who steal copper and whatnot used to be day laborer ditch digger types but "certain people" decided that the sorts of businesses that employ that kind of labor need to jump through hoops (for various reasons with various degrees of legitimacy) that make it not worth it.