Dalrymple observes an inconsistency in liberal attitudes to crime and punishment in his latest contribution to The Social Affairs Unit:
It is curious how, when it comes to rape, the liberal press, and
presumably liberals themselves, suddenly appreciate the value of
punishment. They do not say of rape that we must understand the causes
of rape before we punish it; that we must understand how men develop
into rapists before we lock them away, preferably for a long time; that
prison does not work. It is as if, when speaking of rape, it suddenly
becomes time to put away childish things, and (to change the metaphor
slightly) to talk the only kind of language that rapists understand.
A brilliant article. Dalrymple is extremely adept at exposing the hyprocrisy and underlying psychology of modern liberals.
Here he demonstrates how the modern liberal views everything in terms of the weak versus the strong – victim versus oppressor. A crime like rape thus excites their sense of outrage like few others. Certainly more than burglary, which is invariably committed by have-nots against the haves, and can be perceived as the poor striking a legitimate blow against the rich.
In reality, of course, the typical liberal would be appalled if his home was burgled and would want the perpetrator properly punished. But then liberal beliefs are never about practical solutions to tangible problems; they are merely moral poses struck to engender a sense of moral superiority and to win the approval of their peers.
Those are all great points, Tayles. Liberals need to believe that people are victims of an unjust society, and they always blame or excuse on that basis.
“Certainly more than burglary, which is invariably committed by have-nots against the haves”
Actually that’s false.
The impact of crime is felt overwhelmingly by the relatively poor and that includes burglary. The “have nots” (and I’m unhappy about that characterisation too) tend to rob other “have nots”.
Actually, I agree, but modern liberals tend not to concern themselves with such realities. The fact that someone is prepared to steal from others suggests a desperation on their part, which can be construed as a symptom of an unjust society.
Liberals like to believe that society is broken, that the old ways of doing things have failed, and that only they possess the insight and compassion to put things right.
For this viewpoint to have any validity, they need victims, and so they view the world through a distorting lens, through which every human interaction looks like a battle between the abused versus the abuser. It is this poisonous view of humanity and the subsequent obsession with protecting people from themselves and others that is ruining our society.