White disabled man kidnapped in chicago and beaten live on facebook (1 Viewer)

[UTSaintsFan]

i have an even sillier one that might get to a point in the next discussion
a $0.01 set of beads has great 'value' when it's launched from a Muses float and negative value when some tourist buys it in the French Quarter in June

we ascribe value to things situationally



i've talked about this before in terms of teen pregnancy - my wife has done a lot of work/research into teen pregnancy in poor neighborhoods
one compelling theory is that pregnancy is the one time in a young african american girl's life (not just AA obviously) where she is valued by 'society'
she might be neglected or disparaged her entire life except for those 5-4 months that she's showing

the question isn't why do these kids give such negligible value to life? the question is more, have we as a society showed that we value these kids? - when we answer the 2nd question honestly, we'll know the answer to the first question

I think you're taking responsibility away from the perpetrators. These "kids" kidnapped and tortured a young man with special needs - for a day or two.

Was it because society doesn't value them, or was it because the victim is of a specific race [they seem to hate] and they are terrible human beings? I am going with the latter.

I'm not a sociologist but I believe everything starts from the home. The lack of a healthy environment at home leads to kids finding that bond elsewhere and it's usually not good.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I think you're taking responsibility away from the perpetrators. These "kids" kidnapped and tortured a young man with special needs - for a day or two.

Was it because society doesn't value them, or was it because the victim is of a specific race [they seem to hate] and they are terrible human beings? I am going with the latter.

I'm not a sociologist but I believe everything starts from the home. The lack of a healthy environment at home leads to kids finding that bond elsewhere and it's usually not good.

i took Ward's question as theoretical/in general
i was not specifically talking about chicago but on how is a life valued/de-valued

but if i could add metaphor to your "not sociologist" part:
does it work if we say the home is the root/stem (where kids would be the bloom/fruit)?
if metaphor is workable, then the neighborhood would be the soil (society would be water/sun/nutrients
bad soil is not going to kill each and every plant - nor will blocking the sun or limiting the water - but it's going to make growing to full bloom MUCH more difficult no matter how strong the stem/root is

 

[Saint_Ward]

i took Ward's question as theoretical/in general
i was not specifically talking about chicago but on how is a life valued/de-valued

but if i could add metaphor to your "not sociologist" part:
does it work if we say the home is the root/stem (where kids would be the bloom/fruit)?
if metaphor is workable, then the neighborhood would be the soil (society would be water/sun/nutrients
bad soil is not going to kill each and every plant - nor will blocking the sun or limiting the water - but it's going to make growing to full bloom MUCH more difficult no matter how strong the stem/root is

It was and wasn't. Just throwing things out there. I"m sure there has been a lot of research on it, but in a way, there are likely just a lot of theories. Of course, the individual, their parents (or whomever raises them), their peers, their neighbors, community, etc all play a role. They all form a tangled web disrespecting life.

Now, at the end of the day, it's the individual. Just like we talked about in another topic, just because there are multiple people or sides to blame, it doesn't meant all parts share equal blame. Regardless of where we come from, it's our choice to do these acts or be willfully blind to them. Being poor isn't license to injure or murder. Feeling hopeless isn't license to kill. Living on the wrong side of the tracks isn't license to commit crime.

At the same token, it's naive to think that we can just say "blame the individual" and magically things get better. It's more than that. How can we reverse the trend?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

It was and wasn't. Just throwing things out there. I"m sure there has been a lot of research on it, but in a way, there are likely just a lot of theories. Of course, the individual, their parents (or whomever raises them), their peers, their neighbors, community, etc all play a role. They all form a tangled web disrespecting life.

Now, at the end of the day, it's the individual. Just like we talked about in another topic, just because there are multiple people or sides to blame, it doesn't meant all parts share equal blame. Regardless of where we come from, it's our choice to do these acts or be willfully blind to them. Being poor isn't license to injure or murder. Feeling hopeless isn't license to kill. Living on the wrong side of the tracks isn't license to commit crime.

At the same token, it's naive to think that we can just say "blame the individual" and magically things get better. It's more than that. How can we reverse the trend?

well, again,
1st we determine if there really is a trend
2nd we compare it to other 'heinous' acts:
- is it similar to suburban kids sexually assaulting/videoing a special needs kid
- is it similar to gay bashing
- is it similar to church bombings
3rd we try to determine our place in the problem (if we don't recognize that we are connected to all societal issues, probably by no greater than 3-4 degrees, we are definitely part of the problem)
4th we back initiatives that focus on restorative justice vs punishment which is never a lasting solution

 

[saintmdterps]

Great question and I'd like to know the answer if such a question can even be answered. I know enough to know when I'm out of my element. A man has to know his limitations. I wouldn't know where to begin to answer this question.

What causes people to have so little value for life?

Those who do not value their own lives and see themselves as worthless do not value the lives of others, and see them as worthless.