General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Three burglars entered an Oklahoma home. The owners son opened fire with an AR-15, deputies say. [View all]Jonny Appleseed
(960 posts)He wasn't a burglar and his methodology differs from the criminals in the above article. He met with his victims beforehand and in some cases tricked them into letting him in. Using anecdotal evidence to say that all criminals could be crazy spree-murdering torturers is unfounded. I just find it eerily similar to how rightwingers take specific crimes committed by Muslims and immigrants and inflate them to apply to all any and all cases.
It's a collapse of our civility to assume everyone could be something evil and sinister. There have been cases where people have been caught shoplifting and blasted the store owner who confronts them over it with lead. That doesn't mean the store owner should shoot them with a 12-gauge as soon as he sees them pocket a pack of gum. Obviously I'm engaging in hyperbole and I can't say one way or another whether the situation in the OP was truly unavoidable, but I'm worried about the "he's a criminal, hence subhuman" mentality that I see a lot of people displaying. That's a very scary attitude, especially in the era we are currently entering, where police corruption is reaching new heights and the right is trying to shift our country into a police state. Think about how crimes could be twisted in a way that largely innocent people and/or good people are metaphorically burned at the stake by the feverish masses. Scary.