Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamplighter
Now since factor-X is a variable and it's basis is also a variable, we also need factor-Y: "power or influence"
I now throw this to the other Dwellars  |
I see the balance of society and freedoms as an attempt to reach this ideal equilibrium within society. Most issues are not black and white and taking a stance on either extreme is usually hurtful to everyone. No rules will cause people to abuse their freedoms and conflicts will inevitably arise because everyone has different interests and tolerances (It's Always Sunny actually had a very good episode on this). Too many or too extreme of rules will usually cause backlash in other forms. Plus the fact that utopias can not exist.
I disagree with using any factor x or y since it will be completely different for each issue since there are so many other factors involved. An argument could be made that alcohol negatively affects 80+% of the population at one point of everyone's lives and therefore should be illegal. But looking at the prohibition era, that policy failed because the culture at the time would not allow it.
So I try to look at it not so much as how many people are negatively affected by whatever and therefore should be banned, but what realistic actions can be taken to minimize the negative effects of whatever.
My favorite example of this is gun laws in the US. One argument for pro-gun control in the US is that gun control has worked successfully in many European and other countries. I was just in Singapore, where guns are banned, and gun violence is nearly zero. But, looking deeper, in most of these countries the gun culture is completely different than in the US. The ban was easily accepted because guns were not so prominent within the population to begin with. In the US, our gun culture would not allow a successful ban to take place since so many people would get guns illegally. And then, any action to crack down on illegal guns will sacrifice everyone's freedoms in other areas not to mention the funding involved.
Successful policies always depend on the initial conditions. I see it more as an art than an equation. Just because something is banned does not mean it will go away and sometimes a ban will introduce new and larger problems. Look at gang funding with illegal drugs for example. Also, when you throw in natural changes in social views, each generation looks at the world differently, it gets even more complex.