this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2023
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A Boring Dystopia
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Of course it's a social construct, just like everything else that matters is. If you don't want your live to be determined by social constructs, you would have to live alone in the woods.
I think the broader point is that, if crime is a social construct, it's not natural and unchanging, we can redefine what crime is.
Did anyone think we couldn't? We regularly elect people to do that job.
Yeah, actually. A lot of people have a "well, what can you do" attitude about our lots in life.
Yes, and it’s silly to act like you don’t know of people who care a lot about following the law, thank cops for protecting us, look down on migrants for not doing it the right way, condemn people who steal to make ends meet because theft is a crime, yet don’t care much about the policies that leave our fellow humans on the street to fend for themselves that are immoral, but not criminal.
That's still not a point at all, just like saying "maybe political change would be good". Like, of course there are incidents where common sense morality and legal practice don't match, that's where lawmakers should step in and change something.
Yes, and the point of this is to remind people that's an option. A lot of people get stuck in "life is how it is" and change seems impossible. It's important to be reminded sometimes that it's not.
Things that are social constructs can be modified with the social contract and should be modified to suit the will of the governed.
Social constructs that operate without the approval of the membership seem to be bad constructs that should probably not be built that way.
It's really the exception for any aspect of reality to be operating with the approval of everyone affected. Things being socially constructed doesn't mean they are less real, or that they are somehow easier to change. After all, "convincing people that they should think differently about some social construct" is just a clumsy definition of politics.