a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by goobster
goobster  ·  2660 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: January 11, 2016

Here's the deal: young men with poor employment prospects have little to no power over their lives.

So they take power over someone else to feel like they are in control of something.

This has nothing at all to do with the victim. Most serial offenders don't have a "type"... they just want to take control over something, so they grab whoever is handy. (Which also plays into the "a sexual molester is more likely to be someone who knows the victim well", because the people spend more time together/near one another, it is more likely the victim will be around when the assailant's aggression comes out.)

For centuries there have been ways for young men to asset themselves and gain control over some part of their life. From gladiatorial combat, to after school basketball programs, to garage bands, young men have usually been able to find some sort of outlet for their competitive / alpha / dominant / assertive tendencies.

However, with deep cuts to public programs, whiny suburban NIMBYs, and ever more prohibitions against everything from skateboarding to all ages music venues, young men don't have the variety of outlets they once had. So that energy and base animal dominant instinct expresses itself in other ways.

In contrast to all of this, though, it is important to remember that the crime rate is basically the lowest it has ever been, and you are less likely to encounter crime today than at any other time in history.

The change is that we have greater visibility into crime outside of our immediate social circle now, due to changes in media appetite and access to information via the internet. We are now aware of the most minor crimes in the most remote places, when previously we would never have known about it.

So here's my suggestion: Every time you hear/hear/see anything about crime of any sort, think about WHERE it happened. Have you ever been there in your life? What were you doing when that crime happened, and where were you? Then ask yourself, does the knowledge that this crime was committed, benefit or enrich your life in any way?

You gotta DIY your own filters nowadays. Because all the Editors and Publishers are gone, and they used to be the dam that held back the meaningless shit you can do nothing about, and only let through the stuff that is pertinent and relative to your life. Build filters. Otherwise you will go crazy.





Rejuvenation  ·  2659 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I do agree that i have to absorb only relevant news, but we,as part of society have a shared Humanity, no? .

And thanks for the concern that I will go crazy, but this is current problem in my country and highlighted by media over recent protests due to a violent crime( victim unrelated to perpetrators..was done by rural to urban migrants), and i believe this is the tip of iceberg and most cases go unreported and case must be worse off in rural areas and suburbs.. Even if itdoesn't impact me... I have every right to feel for people, like the way I do in case of war torn countries..

And one of the biggest mistake that, we often feel that crime happen to others, .. but the truth is we all are prone to certain degree of crime every time..

See, gender subjugation though not in form of violent crimes is present everywhere.. though with varying extent..

And of course,at present I may not be powerful ( For powerful ones economic development seems to be a priority over law and order!, and kind of misogyny which prevails often leads to victim blaming..)enough to make changes..and feeling and raising concern is all I can do!

You are right that such cases are more of type of assertion of authority and control..by someone already known to victims..but some repeat offenders are worse than animals..!