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Snitch and Anti Snitch

blackjack50

blackjack50

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So I am posting this here because I feel not all "snitching" is to law enforcement. It could be to anyone. So I've noticed a lot of people being against reporting things to authorities. I am wondering what this mentality came from?

Wouldn't it follow that if established rules exist, that for the most part they exist for a reason. Now...some are debatable. That is fine. But let's just put it out there that you see someone breaking the law. Would you report them? If they were stealing? Hit a vehicle and drove off? What about other disruptive behavior?

Why is being a "snitch" a bad thing? I honestly feel that this mentality came about from a criminal subculture. I don't think it is a mentality that belongs in regular life.
 
It's not a "bad" thing. It's that I am libertarian, and although there are certain laws which are necessary, game regulations aren't under that category. It's not "bad" to fish without a license, and it doesn't cause harm to another person or their property. It's a management strategy by the state, and it keeps them in business. The Texas parks and wildlife wardens have more power than just about any other LEO in this state. I have a problem with property seizure just for breaking a game law. I have a SERIOUS problem with that.
 
stonewall50 said:
So I am posting this here because I feel not all "snitching" is to law enforcement. It could be to anyone. So I've noticed a lot of people being against reporting things to authorities. I am wondering what this mentality came from?

Wouldn't it follow that if established rules exist, that for the most part they exist for a reason. Now...some are debatable. That is fine. But let's just put it out there that you see someone breaking the law. Would you report them? If they were stealing? Hit a vehicle and drove off? What about other disruptive behavior?

Why is being a "snitch" a bad thing? I honestly feel that this mentality came about from a criminal subculture. I don't think it is a mentality that belongs in regular life.
Click to expand...

I think it comes from a pretty strong anti-establishment and anti-authority culture in the US. This is a country where Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid were cult heroes.

I don't think it's from criminal subculture but this country dislike of authority. For better or worse this country has always been like that.
 
It depends on the crime. If the cops come to me, I tell them the truth regardless. If they do not come to me, I would be more likely to let it be known that I saw a car hit and run another car than I saw somebody swipe something from Family Dollar. Not sure why. I have no hard and fast rules about when I would go out of my way to report something.
 
lizzie said:
It's not a "bad" thing. It's that I am libertarian, and although there are certain laws which are necessary, game regulations aren't under that category. It's not "bad" to fish without a license, and it doesn't cause harm to another person or their property. It's a management strategy by the state, and it keeps them in business. The Texas parks and wildlife wardens have more power than just about any other LEO in this state. I have a problem with property seizure just for breaking a game law. I have a SERIOUS problem with that.
Click to expand...

Not to go too far off topic, but those laws are set by wildlife biologists and are probably the most justifiable laws on the books. You can see the direct impact in the America wood duck for instance. Over hunting dropped their numbers significantly. Only 2 were allowed, but now 3. Canvas backs were down and now back after a ban. Only 1 though. Snagging in fishing is illegal because it kills fish without chance of recovery.

Just because it doesn't hurt human private property doesn't mean it is a bad law. Humans are notorious for destroying game populations. If we don't enforce stiff penalties...what else are we going to do?

I snitch every chance I get. I've seen the negative effects that poachers have on game.
 
iliveonramen said:
I think it comes from a pretty strong anti-establishment and anti-authority culture in the US. This is a country where Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid were cult heroes.

I don't think it's from criminal subculture but this country dislike of authority. For better or worse this country has always been like that.
Click to expand...

Very true and well said.
 
Declan said:
It depends on the crime. If the cops come to me, I tell them the truth regardless. If they do not come to me, I would be more likely to let it be known that I saw a car hit and run another car than I saw somebody swipe something from Family Dollar. Not sure why. I have no hard and fast rules about when I would go out of my way to report something.
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I really don't have one either. But if a crime happens, I'm a great witness. I know my limits too. Theft bothers me, but it depends on the motivation too. Food theft? Not so much.
 
stonewall50 said:
Not to go too far off topic, but those laws are set by wildlife biologists and are probably the most justifiable laws on the books. You can see the direct impact in the America wood duck for instance. Over hunting dropped their numbers significantly. Only 2 were allowed, but now 3. Canvas backs were down and now back after a ban. Only 1 though. Snagging in fishing is illegal because it kills fish without chance of recovery.

Just because it doesn't hurt human private property doesn't mean it is a bad law. Humans are notorious for destroying game populations. If we don't enforce stiff penalties...what else are we going to do?

I snitch every chance I get. I've seen the negative effects that poachers have on game.
Click to expand...

That is fine with me if you are that way. I am not. I never will be. Just the same way I would never be a narc or a dirty cop, I'd never be a snitch with game laws. It's nothing that I consider of paramount importance. Good for the state coffers, more than anything else.
 
stonewall50 said:
I really don't have one either. But if a crime happens, I'm a great witness. I know my limits too. Theft bothers me, but it depends on the motivation too. Food theft? Not so much.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it could also not appear to be what it looks like. If someone is stuffing a steak down their trousers, they are clearly shoplifting. If someone puts something in their coat pocket, it might be absent-mindedness. I have caught myself putting something in my pocket when I was going to reach for something else on the shelf when I did not have a cart, especially in hardware store when I am buying an assorted collection of little packs of screws/washers/bolts etc. and have samples I brought in with me to match up. I always pay for them in the end, but just did it without thinking.
 
stonewall50 said:
So I am posting this here because I feel not all "snitching" is to law enforcement. It could be to anyone. So I've noticed a lot of people being against reporting things to authorities. I am wondering what this mentality came from?

Wouldn't it follow that if established rules exist, that for the most part they exist for a reason. Now...some are debatable. That is fine. But let's just put it out there that you see someone breaking the law. Would you report them? If they were stealing? Hit a vehicle and drove off? What about other disruptive behavior?

Why is being a "snitch" a bad thing? I honestly feel that this mentality came about from a criminal subculture. I don't think it is a mentality that belongs in regular life.
Click to expand...

From very early on it has been instilled in me that, depending on the crime, you don't get involved and keep your mouth shut and I have always lived with that kind of mentality. Violent crimes, crimes against children, and other crimes like that I wouldn't think twice about snitching but most of the time I admit I would probably look the other way.

I don't think it's a bad thing to be a snitch, I just wouldn't do it myself most of the time - depending on the crime. To each their own.
 
stonewall50 said:
So I am posting this here because I feel not all "snitching" is to law enforcement. It could be to anyone. So I've noticed a lot of people being against reporting things to authorities. I am wondering what this mentality came from?

Wouldn't it follow that if established rules exist, that for the most part they exist for a reason. Now...some are debatable. That is fine. But let's just put it out there that you see someone breaking the law. Would you report them? If they were stealing? Hit a vehicle and drove off? What about other disruptive behavior?

Why is being a "snitch" a bad thing? I honestly feel that this mentality came about from a criminal subculture. I don't think it is a mentality that belongs in regular life.
Click to expand...

Divulging information that can harm the group to which you belong is certainly potentially harmful to you. The simplest explanation of reticence in most humans to snitch would be that doing so had reduced their chances of survival. ;)
 
I think about it in terms of the injustice of the crime, and whether or not such behavior really needs to be corrected.

The car in front of me is going 5 over. Who cares.

The car in front of that car speeds up when the first car tries to pass; the second car is being a dick and causing an unsafe situation. I'm on the phone reporting the second car's licence as fast as I can.

Two cars are drag racing and weaving in and out of traffic. They bump each other and one car is forced off the road. I'm not even going to call an ambulance.

Those same two cars cause an accident with an uninvolved third car, I'm out of my car as a first responder, on the phone with police, and a materiel witness in the case that will be brought against the yahoos. I might even step in some fingers when checking on them.
 
lizzie said:
It's not a "bad" thing. It's that I am libertarian, and although there are certain laws which are necessary, game regulations aren't under that category. It's not "bad" to fish without a license, and it doesn't cause harm to another person or their property. It's a management strategy by the state, and it keeps them in business. The Texas parks and wildlife wardens have more power than just about any other LEO in this state. I have a problem with property seizure just for breaking a game law. I have a SERIOUS problem with that.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, if I lived up stream from you and I set up a net and captured all the fish before they reached you and kept, sold or ate them, in your libertarian world, you'd be ok with that?
 
csbrown28 said:
Just out of curiosity, if I lived up stream from you and I set up a net and captured all the fish before they reached you and kept, sold or ate them, in your libertarian world, you'd be ok with that?
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They aren't my fish.
 
lizzie said:
That is fine with me if you are that way. I am not. I never will be. Just the same way I would never be a narc or a dirty cop, I'd never be a snitch with game laws. It's nothing that I consider of paramount importance. Good for the state coffers, more than anything else.
Click to expand...

But that is my point. It ISNT. It is good for the game. There are MANY laws like this too. Not just game laws. Laws that are there to create either "fair play" or to protect someone who is indirectly a victim. Insider trading is an example.
 
Declan said:
Sometimes it could also not appear to be what it looks like. If someone is stuffing a steak down their trousers, they are clearly shoplifting. If someone puts something in their coat pocket, it might be absent-mindedness. I have caught myself putting something in my pocket when I was going to reach for something else on the shelf when I did not have a cart, especially in hardware store when I am buying an assorted collection of little packs of screws/washers/bolts etc. and have samples I brought in with me to match up. I always pay for them in the end, but just did it without thinking.
Click to expand...

I've done that a few times. I'm particularly bad with drinks. I inhale anything (part of the reason I'm done drinking beer for a while). I will crack it open when it hits my hand. I've done it once, finished it, almost forgot to pay for it lol.
 
lizzie said:
They aren't my fish.
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They aren't his or anyone's. Only invasion species can be considered "yours" for being on your land. In that instance he has stopped you from fishing on your land.
 
stonewall50 said:
I've done that a few times. I'm particularly bad with drinks. I inhale anything (part of the reason I'm done drinking beer for a while). I will crack it open when it hits my hand. I've done it once, finished it, almost forgot to pay for it lol.
Click to expand...

That does annoy me. Why people open stuff in the store and then pay for it is beyond me. There was one guy a few weeks back who had finished off most his soda and half a bag of chips by the time he got to the register.
 
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