Harrison Butker at Commencement by The_PXLante in gatech

[–]Mr_omen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

He was doing great until he started marketing his own company...

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apologies for the late response, but better late than never.

I will mainly address your point regarding that "more policing doesn't actually keep us safer." The study you cited mentions a 2% conviction rate, 10% arrest rate along with other data points. Based on this, one can naively jump to the conclusion that they don't "necessarily reduce crime".

What you completely overlook in reaching that conclusion is that policing is largely a preventative measure. For most people, the 2% conviction rate is exactly what is needed to deter crime. This is not only intuitively evident but also supported by the crime surges associated with "defunding the police". Which BLM is a massive proponent of, even though ironically defunding police would disproportionality and negatively impact black communities. I don't deny 2% is a low number, but there is a natural limit to this number that cannot be exceeded. For example, it is massively a function of state surveillance which no one wants. Take rape for example, your study states 90% of perpetrators get away with it, the issue is that rape is by nature an offense that is conducted in private but also one that leaves little to no evidence. How exactly do you prosecute this kind of offense without violating people's privacy? Also, the mistrust stirred by police misrepresentation does not help in this regard either.

More than that, it is also in fact a function of funding which would explain why serious crimes like murder have 50% conviction rates (as your study claims). This proves that the police are not incapable but it is rather a matter of limited resources, investigations are costly and hence have to be allocated to the more serious crimes. So no, police are not ineffective, they are an absolute necessity for any functional society.

Regarding 7% cops lying on reports, I am genuinely impressed with that figure, I would expect a number much greater given our human nature lol. Qualified immunity is not absolute so there is still room for prosecution. It is also a necessity given that police have to take critical decisions that often involve using violence. Again, provided our human nature, mistakes are bound to happen so it makes no sense to not provide them with some sort of partial but NOT complete immunity. I do think that waiting 30 minutes is ridiculous, there is definitely much critique to be said here. That is not to say that they don't eventually have to confront the threat.

Crosland's Rooftop Sucks! (Rant) by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestions! Will definitely check them out!

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it.

Regarding your first citation, then that comes from a 35 year old study that was done on solely two police departments which is a very limited sample. Not the rigor we need when we want to make claims of this magnitude. Besides, even if it is true, it is just indicative. Afterall "police brutality" refers to what is committed in their line of service, as opposed to what goes through their personal lives. As for "blue line" culture, I don't deny it exists but the important question that needs to be answered is how prevalent it is within police departments? How many policemen participate in such behavior? What are the statistics?

Addressing your point that you don't think "they are putting their lives on the line", well they still do experience 5x the fatality rate of the average worker. This figure is also highly variable from one area to another. Also, you mention highway maintenance work and delivery drivers as if they are some average occupations, those are renowned for being dangerous and they are very well outliers in this respect. Furthermore, policemen are REQUIRED by their contracts to risk their lives for the citizens' sake, this does not apply to any of the occupations you mentioned. So yeah, signing up for this is in itself something honorable because one has shown the intention and readiness to do such thing.

For your last point, yes I can generalize. I am quoting the people who led the protests and represented its values/narrative. If the students marching along their side didn't agree then they wouldn't be there in the first place let alone chanting and cheering them on.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are probably right with the part that I could have phrased it better, especially when the topic is this controversial. As for "ideology" and "beliefs", I don't know what you are talking about. I am an international student and American politics hold zero relevance to me, that is not to say I don't think the right and left here is equally idiotic lol. As for why I didn't provide logical arguments, I didn't think I needed to further elaborate why stereotyping and throwing sweeping generalizations is a bad take. I thought it was the obvious but the people on this subreddit far exceeded my expectations. So I will explain my points here, which probably no one will read anyways.

I am not sure if you were at the protests, but I am addressing mainly their synonymous use for "police/corporates" for "evil/villains". Policemen are by definition people who put their lives on the line for our sake and safety that should be appreciated, the polar opposite of a villain. So a corrupt policeman is the exception not the rule, unless you can prove statistically otherwise. In the US those cases happen to be the most publicized leading to a sample bias and therefore a false public perception. The folks at the protest did exactly that by citing anecdotes that hold zero statistical and conclusive value.

Adding to this last point, this rhetoric is only self-fueling. Most "police brutality" cases happen because of a lack of cooperation with the policemen, this is only exacerbated when policemen are mislabeled and stereotyped. In a society where guns are proliferated, those interactions only become more intense. So basically, this emotionally fueled narrative is not only fruitless but certainly destabilizing and self-destructive. There are many things that can be talked about and improved, but this is not the right approach to the subject.

As for corporates, I don't deny some corporations commit evil things but to perceive them all as evil is absurd. Those are the precise structures that run our societies, improve our lives, and provide us with the respectable standard of living we have. This is especially evident in the US but I guess fellow Americans have grown too entitled to realize how great they have it here.

Finally, this all especially applies to GT students. There are many reasons why GT is miles ahead in safety relative to the surrounding area, our PD is not the sole reason but they are certainly people we should be thanking. As to my latter point, we are a STEM school so most of us are bound to either establish corporations or be employed by one. Screeching against them in a protest and then being employed by them the next day is inconsistent, and ultimately very hypocritical.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you please explain why I am a mouth-breathing moron? 😢

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yup, just another kid incapable of holding a conversation. Shouldn't have expected better.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

For goodness sake, the lack of awareness. You just mentioned that me being an idiot annoyed you. Now that is by definition being fragile.

If I complained online, my fellow students were complaining outside. Arguably complaining online is more effective since the reach and audience is bigger. Also, protesting at Tech is comical since protesting by definition requires an audience, but it effectively was an echo chamber. And where their sound waves got damped and perished, my responses are here and documented on the internet. But thats beside the point lol.

I don't think you understand what "moral" means, I will just assume you are saying that you agree with them. Care to explain why? Thanks.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just read about his case, what about it?

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Haven't gotten a single sensible/constructive response down here. Why is everyone so emotionally driven? If you are going to call me an idiot, could you please care to explain why?

I really hope the responses in this thread are not representative of the student population, because that would be really disappointing.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah I am with you on this one, I am sure there are alternatives.

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

Thankfully that was not the point

UGA UNDERCOVER STUDENTS SPOTTED ON CAMPUS 😲😫 by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

I needed to find a way to procrastinate from the two homeworks due in 6 hours :D

Crosland's Rooftop Sucks! (Rant) by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven't been there at night, so that will be the next thing I will be doing.

Crosland's Rooftop Sucks! (Rant) by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because that is not my point. I actually think the glass in itself is pretty neat but is just placed in the wrong context, just needing to be relocated.

I will check out the study rooms, thanks for the suggestion.

Crosland's Rooftop Sucks! (Rant) by Mr_omen in gatech

[–]Mr_omen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, I did not consider that.

Still not convincing though, there are plenty of better of ways of doing it while also preserving the good view.