Symmetry wrote:I find it to be a poor argument. You're arguing for ignorance, for not hearing the news, not looking, not thinking critically, and indeed dismissing journalism as a whole. And all this time, you've been levelling this criticism at me, and not any other poster in the other threads that quote newspapers, or in which posters respond to other posters.
Let's get this persecution complex you have out of the way now - I'm not levelling this criticism at you only. I'm levelling this criticism at everyone having this discussion in this thread (other than BBS, Saxitoxin, oVo, and others who have indicated we need to hear more); namely you, Phatscotty, Night Strike, and Natty Dread. And I'm levelling this criticism at people without this thread; namely, the president, nationally prominent speakers and leaders, and news media organizations (mainstream, liberal, conservative), and people who have latched on to this case.
I'm certainly not arguing for ignorance, although I suppose that's one way to put it. I'm arguing for consistency.
If one is going to rabble rouse about this one particular issue, what are one's motivations? Why are the motivations different for this case than any other case where a person is shot with a handgun? The motivations must be different, because we haven't heard a debate like this in a long time, if ever.
If anything, this case exhibits the ignorance with which Americans (and I suppose others, although I've only read two non-American sites on this) view crime in the United States on the whole. Instead of discussing the issues associated with crime in major cities (like Philadelphia or New York or Detroit) or minor cities (like Camden), instead of discussing potential solutions to those problems that occur on a regular basis, we're discussing the non-existent facts of this case. That's why I looked on this with a cynical eye.