Thread: Crime and its causes?

welcome, IASpartacus. by "criminality" I meant not a specific class of actions, but rather the mindset itself... why does one choose to break the law? (I am ignoring, for the sake of discussion, patriotic civil disobedience.)

I didn't vote but differing crimes are caused by different factors and there are many things that contribute. Some crimes especially very violent crimes are due to the way some people are wired. Some are due to upbringing. Some are due to a general disdain for society and its rules. Some is due to frustration. Some is opportunistic. I think with the exception of very violent offenders other crimes have many contributing factors.

This is a very complex subject guys.

I think a criminal mindset, if there is such a thing, is a base instinct in perhaps everyone, and at its core, is steeped in selfishness. What allows it to come to the surface in some people and not others (with exceptions for mental illness which are extreme cases) has most to do with upbringing and surrounding culture, IMHO. Ultimately a person has to be taught by parents as well as peers (surrounding culture) what is and is not acceptable behavior. If the idea of actions having consequences is not drilled deeply enough, it becomes easier for the instinct (greed,selfishness, lust, etc.) to become seemingly a more logical choice than the non-criminal, socially accepted path (hard work, honesty, faithfulness).
It has nothing to do with income levels, IMHO. There are plenty of dirt poor people who would rather starve than cheat anyone for a single penny. What changes the numbers, perhaps, are cultural influences which make it "OK" or even glamorous to be a member of the criminal element. Many RAP songs, for instance, bear this out, as well as media influences in which the honest person is portrayed as, well, less than fun to be around, and the drug-dealing gangsters have become the celebrities.
Hopefully this will change, of course, but it seems every day a state makes new laws that do not empower parents to teach right and wrong, but place more and more of this power into the hands of the state.
Which of course, bothers me.

Just my thoughts.

John P.

I didn't vote as there is a need for one more poll option,"All of the above".

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

I didn't vote as there is a need for one more poll option,"All of the above".

the poll is set up so that you can select one, many or all of the choices; at least it's supposed to be, were you not able to? I might have set it up wrong

I was able to vote for more than one option

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I was able to vote for more than one option

that's reassuring. I was able to vote for two options, because I didn't think to try all of them :-P

KP must be on vacation


I'll go along with selfishness

Originally Posted by I am Spartacus

KP must be on vacation

glad i wasn't the only one thinking it

Originally Posted by I am Spartacus

KP must be on vacation


I'll go along with selfishness

If so, thank God for it.
BTW: Spatacus, you must have lurked for a while to know this about KP.