Imagine living in a society so deeply fucked up that some people feel the need to become burglars and others feel the need that attacking them with deadly weapons is the only option.

And then imagine that this is celebrated.

Oh well...

[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Na, fuck that, This guy might be a saint with the most tragic relatable backstory imaginable but the last thing this kid should do is hesitate long enough to hear that story or believe it, also a kid just can’t fight back even if he could he shouldn’t take the chances, as far as him saying he cried like a baby, 🤷 you broke into my house dude you aren’t gonna be praised. This kid has every right to be proud, in this situation we are nothing but animals and he did exactly the right thing.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

you broke into my house dude you aren’t gonna be praised

Of course not.

This kid has every right to be proud, in this situation we are nothing but animals and he did exactly the right thing.

So is it right to put deadly weapons into the hands of children?
What if he had killed the burglar? Good thing to have on the conscience of a child, right?

Don't get me wrong. I totally understand that in extreme situations people should defend themselves. But was this an extreme situation which justifies these actions?

What the child said is already deeply disturbing:

"I told him I was going to kill him if he didn't get out of my house," said Chris.

And why the fuck do children have access to weapons?

he grabbed a 9mm handgun

Then there is this:

The intruder made it out the front door, but that's when Chris started firing off bullets. As the intruder was about to jump a fence, Chris's 12th and final shot hit the bad guy in the leg.

( Citations from: https://www.wptv.com/news/national/chris-gaither-11-year-old-boy-shoots-intruder-who-cried-like-a-baby )

Intruder was outside, going away, and the kid started shooting.
The kid could've just ran away. Instead of trying to kill someone or getting themselves killed by such a behaviour.

No. The kid shouldn't be proud. Neither should anyone. That's just fucked up. And raising kids to become possibly killers is not making it better overall.
He can be lucky not to have killed that man and that he (the kid) didn't get seriously injured.

People can and should be better than this.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Anytime someone forces their way into your home it's an extreme situation. The kid shouldn't have followed him past the threshold but beyond that whatever means necessary to protect himself is justified. No one should be worrying about the safety of their attacker when they are defending themselves. The invader could have ensured his own safety by simply not doing that.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

but beyond that whatever means necessary to protect himself is justified. No one should be worrying about the safety of their attacker when they are defending themselves

Are burglars usually murderers? Don't they usually care about stealing stuff to make some form of profit out of that?

I don't share your view. You don't need to kill someone in order to stop some form of crime. Especially not if there is no or a low risk of bodily harm.

Self defence only goes so far as to inrerrupt and disable an attack. The mildest means possible are the preferrable ones. For example, if some wants to beat you up, you don't go on and kill them after you've defeated them and they're unconscious on the ground.
In this case, the best the kid could've done is to just run away and call for help. It would've been safer for himself and prevented that he possibly might have become a murderer.

Self defence has limits. And for good reason. You can't just do anything you want, just because someone attacks you. You do what is necessary and possible for you. Nothing more, nothing less. Otherwise you yourself become a culprit.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 0 points 2 days ago

Are burglars usually murderers? Don’t they usually care about stealing stuff to make some form of profit out of that?

Sometimes they are. Sometimes they're rapists. There are some sick motherfuckers in this world. When I was a kid a woman just down the street was raped in front of her kids by three home invaders. You can't know the intention of the person breaking into your home. The safest bet for yourself is to assume the worst. There's no way to know their intentions until they act and by then it may be too late. Especially if you're not trained in "the mildest means possible" or are smaller and weaker than the intruder. You don't owe these people anything. They put you in this situation. If they invent a gun with a stun setting like in Star Wars by all means use that. Until then lethal force is the most expedient way to disable an attacker. You don't execute them if it renders them no longer a threat but if they die that outcome is acceptable.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works -4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I don't understand how this comment has been upvoted, especially as a response to another comment that boils down to "it sucks that people are driven to burglary and it sucks that people have to defend themselves with deadly force from burglary"

[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Because when you’re a child alone in a house the motivation of an intruder just doesn’t matter and you shouldn’t make a kid feel bad for doing what was necessary in a life or death scenario.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago

No one in this thread is saying the kid should feel bad for defending himself, the original comment was pointing out how terrible it was for the kid to be in that position at all.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Because it's an interesting point on its own. Upvotes aren't necessarily agreement.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works -4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Saying "this kid has every right to be proud" about resorting to lethal violence is an "interesting point"?

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 4 points 3 days ago

Yes

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

No, you'd have to say a bunch of other stuff around that quote too.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works -4 points 3 days ago

The "bunch of other stuff around that quote" is them saying "fuck you" and then a bunch of chest thumping

[–] Woht24@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Sounds pretty legit to me. It's fucked people need to rob but you come to take someone's things and you're naive if you don't think violence is a potential outcome.

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It's not the taking the things that's the issue, it's that the method of taking the things inherently comes with the either implicit or explicit threat of bodily harm or violence in order for the criminal to get what he wants. Nobody's going to break into your house for your stuff, or leap out of a dark alley and demand your wallet, and when you tell them "no" just shrug and walk away. They're going to shove a gun in your face or try to beat you up.

If you show up with the intent of employing force, you absolutely should not be surprised if people employ force against you in turn.

That, and if you want to stick it to The Man there are much more suitable targets than victimizing individual people who just as likely have it as tough as you do. Go knock over a Walmart or something. For fuck's sake.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org -1 points 3 days ago

and you're naive if you don't think violence is a potential outcome

Currently, of course. Point is, people can be better. On both sides. And instead of nurturing our compassion and collective support, we praise violence and let continue the wheel to roll which has already destroyed countless of lives.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

It's just text on a screen. No idea of the details or even if it's fabricated from whole cloth.

The only thing that's important is the image of blood and terror and pain being worshipped by people who secretly yearn for the chance to inflict it on others.