Vigilante Justice.

Lately I've been seeing alot of films with vigilante justice as the theme. I know this has always been prevalent in movies probably dating back to the era of westerns and such. But watching movies like Outlaw, I can't help but wish I was so bold. This is not about the movie however but at the possibility of taking the responsibility away from the police and the government and putting it back into your own hands, especially if the two former have failed you. I respect the job, the life, and the constant danger police officers willingly put themselves in but as we all know... they cant do it all themselves. I know, I speak from experience. In a city of nearly 9,000,000 there are only 37,000 cops, pretty bad odds in my opinion. Reflecting on how many times I've been robbed, had a gun pointed at me, been surrounded by gang members, hell just gone down fighting... and never having any of them bought to justice... the thought of becoming a vigilante has crossed my mind. I can't control it either. When I was drugged up during my wisdom tooth surgery the day after I was mugged I scared the hell out of the dentists and his nurses, cursing aloud that I wanted to beat the hell out of those who had wronged me the day before. Thinking back its not in the sense of being out for revenge but for the future that all who see me and know what I have done know not to, for lack of a better phrase... fuck with me.

I don't encourage vigilante justice because its so hard to keep yourself or others in control. How do you know what lines not to cross? How do you know when you should cross a line? When things really do get bad, when you truly don't feel safe walking down the street... when its a habit to look over your shoulder at every street corner. Or at the worst when you or your family is attacked or threatened... should you as a last resort, take responsibility for your well being or the well being of your loved ones and strike back or strike preemptively?

A very interesting topic...

I think that if you get mugged and the guy is running away it would obviously be smarter for you to try and stop him yourself (if you really were that angry) then to call the cops and wait. But if your life is in immediate danger you should comply rather than trying to fight back.

The line you're talking about really depends on the person. For example you wouldn't draw the same line as a women who is obviously weaker than you. Due to your beliefs and strength you would probably take things further.

SD, if my condolences mean anything to you, I want to tell you that I sympathize with you on your situation.

However, I am naive. Although I know that the police in New York are underpaid, overworked, and always short on resources, I do not know why the justice department does not have the funds to encourage and deliver justice. I believe that money is one of the problems that limit government action; however, I admit that I don't know much about how the government works.

However, being a vigilante is dangerous and reckless, especially if you don't form a strong organization that supports your actions. Even if you do form a vigilante group, it's probably just going to be viewed as a gang. I think gangs are formed partly because the gang members feel a need to protect their neighborhoods where the police are inadequate.

It's quite a paradox. The most powerful nation in the world can't protect itself from its own domestic crimes.

Oh, and hi guys. It's been a long time (about a year) but I guess I'm back. More sane this time.

Omg. <3 penta! Your post just reminded me that the Mafia was started for that very purpose, that in Italian Mafia (ma fia) means "my daughter" and the families just banded together to protect their children.

if things are really bad then at some point you do need to cross the line....but be aware that no matter how noble the cause is you will go to court...
police cant do anything until its too late.....and justice system rarely works

here in OZ there's a news sometime ago about a small island where mostly retired ppl live there and for the past few weeks or months they've been practically held hostages by a bunch of kids who destroy cars, etc, etc.....no police on that small island....(not yet)....the residents now cant even go out at night for fear of being thrashed......if my parents or grandparents are one of those ppl, i would've take the first ferry and beat the shit outta them, make sure they're all cripple and become vegetable for the rest of their life......of course i would go to jail....but when someone threatens my parents like that i got no choice

This is all well and good, but what happens when a vigilante crosses path with actual justice? I mean, in "exacting justice" in their own way, they are still committing a crime, right?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MojoMunkeez

This is all well and good, but what happens when a vigilante crosses path with actual justice? I mean, in "exacting justice" in their own way, they are still committing a crime, right?

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That's the conflict of gangs and the police. The police want to do all the protecting because it's their job. Gangs are there because the police sucks at their job. The police don't like the gangs doing things on their own. They get into fights, and now gangs are viewed as a source of violence.

Edit: I want to elaborate.

I really wish that governments would just work as they ideally should. In reality, governments are like machines that are missing some crucial gears, levers, and circuit connections and fall apart because of the missing pieces. These pieces must be put in, otherwise, like all previous empires, the nation breaks down.

in a way this reminds me of a story i was told today: this school where im from is quite prestigious but still kinda condones bullying tactfully, anyways this gang of assholes-tried to mug me once the little fuckers! they kind of took over the school and if u were to turn around a corner u were sure to look before u walked. this kid got sent to hospital by em and a relative of my friend and his friend were driving together, the friend of the relative saw the leader and a mate walking down the main road and told the guy to pull over, he was the kid's older brother and was going to basically smash their faces in! the relative refused to pull over and nothing happened.

i would have condoned the beating for the gang were a bunch of assholes, but he would have gotten in serious trouble for the action he chose to take so who's to no what to do in these situations?

Its a situation like that where you have to weigh the benefits/losses. Is it better for you to end their "reign of terror" or outwait them until you graduate? Not to draw too many similarities but one universal piece of advice I've always been given (I see it as a metaphor) is that if you go to prison the first thing you should do is find the biggest baddest asshole there, then kick the shit out of him. Because is it worth it to be somewhere and always live in fear, or temporarily get in trouble and be of sound mind every day.

Time for me to grab mine nunchuck and strider ninja mask
have a little fight and run like hell