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Sure that's the right choice when confronting a possibly desperate criminal, but realize this: you are hiding behind a system. If you are a white male then thi

Sure that's the right choice when confronting a possibly desperate criminal, but realize this: you are hiding behind a system. If you are a white male then this is often the default choice because most systems in this country were designed by us for us. If you grew up as a black male in America then you will probably think twice about involving the authorities because past experience shows a lower base probability of it working out in your favor. More generally, working out issues directly with other human beings is a core skill that will serve you through your whole life. Institutions and systems might be there to keep the peace, but they are big, slow and calcified to do things a certain way. As an empathetic individual you are much more empowered to work things out with other individuals by gauging their perspective and where your mutual interests lie. As the article describes, prison is a microcosm of this where you may literally live or die by your ability to navigate these waters, but make no mistake, you can use these skills every single day of your life, and geeks are often some of the worst in this area.

ballard 13y ago
Amen. Reality isn't as meritocratic or simplistic as the parent commenter believes. Authorities don't always care and sometimes enjoy tormenting people. Also, dependence upon authorities is tantamount to learned helplessness. Handle most of your own shit, because creating work for other people won't win you any friends... It also would look weak. And if there's one constant of human nature , it's that weakness invites aggression. Further, I'd hazard a guess that behind bars, friends are the most important currency, whether they are guards or inmates... You want enough so you don't get fucked with.
- mjolk 13y ago
  Uh, you could also respond to me. I don't think that reality is a meritocracy or simplistic. Authorities often don't care, I get this (I live in New York). It's not about dependence on authorities, it's knowing that if you're in a situation in which your options are "go to the police" or "take care of this myself," you're not really dealing with even minded people. If you're in jail, sure, by all means, go try to resolve a personal issue yourself. But that's not the sort of things you could even go to authorities for.

ballard 13y ago

Amen. Reality isn't as meritocratic or simplistic as the parent commenter believes. Authorities don't always care and sometimes enjoy tormenting people. Also, dependence upon authorities is tantamount to learned helplessness. Handle most of your own shit, because creating work for other people won't win you any friends... It also would look weak. And if there's one constant of human nature , it's that weakness invites aggression. Further, I'd hazard a guess that behind bars, friends are the most important currency, whether they are guards or inmates... You want enough so you don't get fucked with.

mjolk 13y ago
Uh, you could also respond to me. I don't think that reality is a meritocracy or simplistic. Authorities often don't care, I get this (I live in New York). It's not about dependence on authorities, it's knowing that if you're in a situation in which your options are "go to the police" or "take care of this myself," you're not really dealing with even minded people. If you're in jail, sure, by all means, go try to resolve a personal issue yourself. But that's not the sort of things you could even go to authorities for.