by Robert M. Traxler
Blame the victim. A movement was successfully launched in the 1970/80s not to blame the victim of crime for the crime; it was championed by the left-wing folks, good for them.
The times are a-changing, the main proponents of “do not blame the victim” were women who wearing short skirts or low-cut blouses “asking for it.” Today we look at this attitude as ignorant and stupid; a woman has a right to be in a bar at four AM without being raped, no matter how she is dressed.
As we look to blaming the victim in today’s society, it is the socialist/progressive woke radical element that defends smash and grab crimes, shoplifting and armed robbery, denying people the use of their property, out and out theft and even violence. It is defunding the police at its best; we need to let the criminals have a break, give them a chance, it is the woke thing to do.
Squatting and building encampments in cities are fine. After all, the unhoused are victims of our oppressive society. Moving into vacant houses and making the legal owner go to court to evict them, costing the owner thousands and taking months, is fine. During the process the squatter is using the home rent free, and the owner pays the taxes, utilities, insurance and loan payments. That simply is wrong.
Cars like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are stolen in record numbers, so what are major cities doing? They are blaming the owners for owning cars that are easy to steal. Some are demanding that the owners purchase a steering wheel lock; blame the victim? Absolutely. If I owned a vehicle in the top two on the car theft list and I lived in a large city, I would purchase a steering wheel lock and use it, but a government requiring one is different.
Publicly defecating and urinating is fine, open use of addictive drugs is tolerated. After all, the folks who do this are victims of our racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynistic, criminal society. Private property rights are a capitalist concept; a good socialist, a true believer, will say that everything should be evenly distributed to the people by the government, and no one should have more than anyone else, regardless of life choices, or hard work. It is called equity.
Capitalism is the evilest concept ever devised, the root cause of all violence. We must forget that the communist form of government had rampant crime rates as do the American cities run by the progressive/socialist movement, hell bent to defund or reimagine the policing concept.
Cities, indeed states, run by the far left are losing control of them and happy for it. Crime is all the fault of you damned capitalists. So, the progressive locales are losing population as they condone crime, high taxes, oppressive environmental restrictions and costly woke programs.
Illegal aliens, undocumented aliens, migrants, are victims of poverty in their nation of origin. Interesting that many are from two socialist nations, Nicaragua and Cuba? Go figure.
One guest columnist in this esteemed publication wrote that those who do not believe in global climate change should be denied treatment for advanced aggressive cancer. Got to love the loving, caring, compassionate socialists, it is our way or just die.
The triggering argument blames the victim, saying assault is justified if one says something that is considered “bullying or degrading.” This column has long stated that words, no matter how vile, should not be justification for violence.
The progressive movement uses “trigger words” like racist, sexist, homophobic, bigot, and white supremacist for anyone who disagrees with them. Should the good folks on the right punch them out? Dare to use the perceived improper pronoun, even by accident or ignorance, and you’re the basic issue of horrible names and may end up assaulted or lose your job.
Reimagine policing, defund the police; both are concepts that any rational person would know are destined to fail. The first “modern police force,” the London Metropolitan Police, started keeping records and doing crime studies in 1829; the relationship between fewer police and increased crime has been proven for nearly 200 years. But the woke movement in American cities keeps making the same mistake every few years and “reimagine” policing.
My opinion.
Absolutely 100% SPOT ON!
Progressives seem to love crime and chaos as a way to extract more taxes and impose more control and authority over those still willing to “follow the rules”.
The most outrageous thing I heard this week is Gavin Newsom blaming Republicans for chaos and homelessness in in Cities and Counties in California that have had zero Republicans in charge in over 50 years in a State whose legislature has been under Democrat control every year but one since 1970. Anyone who believes anything he says is a complete fool. The homeless and crime situation in California is 100% due to Democrats and Socialists. Arguing that Republicans caused it is simply a totally ridiculous lie.
California is in a race to the bottom, to complete Democrat conceived Idiocracy. Michigan looks like it is now doing its best to catch up by going “carbon zero” for energy by 2035.
Look around Allegan County and the rest of rural Michigan and ask yourself how many homes look like they can afford to suck up 30-50-75% rate increases for power over the next decade to meet this ridiculous mandate. Will the Legislature and Governor move to ban gas appliances next? (gotta keep up with New York) That should add to the fun.
I am saying this as a person who owns a solar array, it can’t be done without massive cost to end users. We have already seen huge rate increases over the last 15 years. Socialists will tell us to wear a sweater, turn down the thermostat and take less showers. When they are in charge, they will energy so expensive most of our neighbors won’t be able to afford not to.
MacDougal,
California has lost a seat in the House of Representatives due to the loss of population others are gaining seats, that should tell them something.
Thanks for the comment.
I no longer visit or spend my money in downtown Grand Rapids. The local government and sadly many residents do not support the Police which protect them from the lowest forms of our society. Many of the vagrants or sacred “homeless” rule the streets without regards to societal norms. I have been downtown at dawn and you literally must watch where you step on the sidewalks, with dedication and vomit to and fro. The sparrows and rats feast upon the filth. Sad, I remember when it was a good and clean city. My opinon.
David,
We just may be seeing the death of large cites, the middle class white, black and brown are moving out, cost and crime are making them flee to the burbs and small towns. Thanks for the comment.