In a couple of recent news items one person was charged with assault for spraying a Karen with the contents of his bottle of Dr Pepper, i.e. he put his thumb over the mouth of the bottle and shook it, and then sprayed the Karen.
In another case, a home-owner was charged with assault for spraying a neighbor with his garden hose.
The problem with labeling petty aggression like spraying somebody with your garden hose as "assault" is that some people are going to decide that they might as well have the satisfaction of punching the Karen if the legal system is going to treat all aggression the same.
In the "untethered from reality" category
I was assured by a 30 year-old that "Event Planning" was a recession-proof profession because "There will always be rich people and their lives will not change."
I don't think that most event-planners work for people with a net-worth over $10M. Instead, they plan weddings for working stiffs who are brain-washed into spending 1/2 of a year's gross income on a wedding reception. Or, the same demographic spending obscene amounts of money for a high-school graduation party.
Their main customers are people borrowing money they do not have to impress people they do not like. Viewed through the lens of Maslow's Hierarchy, it is several levels above physical necessities.
The context of the conversation is worth noting. The young man is thirty and he was lamenting that he would never be able to retire.
I, being the agreeable fellow I am, agreed with him. "Your generation will always have to do something. You will always need a "gig" lined up."
It turns out my language bounced off of him. The more modern term is "hustle" or "side-hustle" rather than "gig".
I threw out several alternatives, "Giving rides to the airport", "Letting people park in your drive-way", "Letting somebody between apartments camp on your front porch", "Selling eggs or sweet-corn or tomatoes beside the road".
That is when he volunteered "Event planning".
Well, at least he was thinking about things he could do.
Per the first part:
ReplyDeleteNow that we have imported people who have different standards, who think it's ok to throw a cup of acid in someone's face for a minor perceived offense, since I have been pepper sprayed to the point I couldn't see to fight, since I responded to a scene where suspect one threw a slurpee cup of gasoline on suspect two, but was stabbed to death when he pulled a lighter, I must disagree.
Maybe the garden hose went to far but a cup or container of anything should get you shot
Let's all just play nice, and keep our hands to ourselves.
I am mostly with you on this...if the powers that be do not prosecute people who shoot rioters as soon as they light a Molotov Cocktail.
DeleteArson is the equivalent of premeditated murder. If nobody dies then it is due to no exercise of diligence on the part of the MC chucker. In older parts of the city that were built before fire-codes were enacted, a single match and 12 oz of gasoline can burn down a city block and kill all of the tweakers and homeless and drunks in the buildings.
I am bothered by the asymmetry.
Right yu are ERJ! The largest mass murder in NYC until 9/11 was done with a plastic gallon jug of gasoline and a book of paper matches. I believe in excess of 89 people died in the ensuing fire.
DeleteYeah, find the silver lining. He was thinking in terms of marketable skills, not how to scam the government.
ReplyDeleteAssault is all about preserving people's bodily integrity and dignity.
ReplyDeleteWhether from soda, a jet of water, or a punch, we tend to want people's dignity upheld. It also helps prevent further escalation and response from the initial contact.
Now, there are gradations of assault and as it gets worse charges can escalate to aggravated assault and many other charges that can be layered on.
Sigh... lots of folks have never been punched in the nose...
ReplyDelete