view the rest of the comments
politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
Just saying "The System" absolves the ones abusing it of blame
It does? Interesting.
Do go on. How does recognizing that the government/infrastructure and such exists, and referring to that absolve anyone of anything?
Also… it’s not being abused. It’s designed to function this way. Which is why those “abusers” won’t tear it down and start over.
Like I said, because you're assigning the blame to The System instead of the people in it. Sometimes the system is set up in a way which harms people. Most of the time the people in the system are misusing it or ignoring protections that it stipulates to harm people. By always blaming The System only, you are ignoring the harm that these people in particular are causing and are misattributing the blame to other factors.
If the people are bad, the system will produce bad outcomes. It is easier to change the system than to change the people, but they still deserve blame.
A gun, knife, screwdriver isn’t to be blamed for murder or the coercion they enabled any more than the government and legal system is to be blamed for anything.
Machines, tools, things cannot be guilty of anything, even if they’re used in a crime.
People are guilty, the people who built it, and who maintain it, and yes, the people who use it. I’m not excusing anyone of anything.
I think you are, though, by failing to realize that whatever you want to call it, it’s fundamentally designed to protect the Haves from the Have-Nots.
Trump using the system to stay out of jail isn’t abuse. It’s meant to be used that way.
You keep using passive voice. When you say "it's meant to be used that way", what do you mean? Who meant it to be used that way? The people who created it? They didn't intend this. The people who modified it over time? That's more than one distinct group. Or are you saying the design of the system itself incentivizes that use? Because I don't think I agree with that either.
Also as an aside: Depending on what you mean by "blame", inanimate objects may be eligible imo. They can't be culpable, but they can share causal blame.
(I also feel compelled to mention that civil asset forfeiture frequently assigns guilt to inanimate objects, but I think we can agree that that legal practice is batshit insane.)
Yes. I used general language because you’re getting all bent out of shape, missing the forest for the trees.
If we’re at the critiquing grammar stage, I guess there’s no further point. If you genuinely don’t know who and what I mean, that’s your problem.
This isn't a grammar issue, this is a "you're being vague" issue. I'm simply asking for clarity. If you cannot provide that, you don't understand enough about your own position for me to care.
oh. so now I'm ignorant.
Gotcha.
Yeah, "the system" is vague. what? you want a list of something as vast as the fucking US government? the banking system? financial institutions? Criminal justice? everything else designed, fundamentally, to keep people in that sweet spot that they have to show up to work doing back breaking jobs that pay too little; while also ensuring they won't, or can't riot; so as to extract the most possible wealth and power for the fewest possible people?
Even something as benign as public schools were fundamentally designed as propaganda. which is why history class waxed eloquently on the horrors of communism and conflating that with socialism while ignoring the horrors of capitalism- indeed, even, declaring capitalist greed good.
Sure, there's a few bad apples that abuse things in ways their not supposed. And sometimes, they even see jail. You're missing the forest for the trees, though. those people that see consequences... the reason they see consequences is because their actions disrupt the status quo. you beat a people down too much revolts happen, people at the top usually don't live long.
Not that what comes next is usually any better, and if it is... it's usually doesn't last long at all. humans are a vile species.