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Beau of the Fifth Column discusses Trump’s truth social post, the DOJ’s response, and more…
I don’t think he’s trying to amend for past misdeeds – I think he’s just trying to live his life. If we lived in a restorative justice society instead of a punitive one, I’d have different expectations of him. We are a society ruled by war criminals who have never seen a day of prison. Things are hard enough for people who’ve survived incarceration, it’s a shitty thing to throw his past at him. Especially since the people who tend to do it are acting in bad faith, and whose actual beef is that he’s not simping for genocidal dictators.
the people who tend to do it are acting in bad faith, and whose actual beef is that he’s not simping for genocidal dictators
I hesitated even challenging for exactly this reason. I want people who do good things to be empowered to continue doing them. And I completely agree with you that people who’ve survived incarceration and paid that penalty have a fundamental right to a blank slate return to normal life. But I feel like the establishment of a public persona can change that dynamic slightly. From the video that @[email protected] helpfully provided, it seems like his current work is maybe partially focused on deradicalization, which requires some degree of trustworthiness and credibility. Honestly, I think his past could enhance that work if he was open about it and integrated it into his approach.
Ultimately, you’re right. He’s “paid his dues” as far as society is concerned and has no real obligation to put that stuff on display if he doesn’t want to. But I also think it’s fair to be a little skeptical; we can only make inferences about other people’s character and intentions, and this is naturally a factor for that inference. I’ll end with this note, though: it’s obvious that he garners a lot of respect for what he’s doing with these videos, so I’m confident I’ll find that his good character is plenty apparent through his actions now. Time to watch some videos and prove it to myself.
I don’t think he’s trying to amend for past misdeeds – I think he’s just trying to live his life. If we lived in a restorative justice society instead of a punitive one, I’d have different expectations of him. We are a society ruled by war criminals who have never seen a day of prison. Things are hard enough for people who’ve survived incarceration, it’s a shitty thing to throw his past at him. Especially since the people who tend to do it are acting in bad faith, and whose actual beef is that he’s not simping for genocidal dictators.
I hesitated even challenging for exactly this reason. I want people who do good things to be empowered to continue doing them. And I completely agree with you that people who’ve survived incarceration and paid that penalty have a fundamental right to a blank slate return to normal life. But I feel like the establishment of a public persona can change that dynamic slightly. From the video that @[email protected] helpfully provided, it seems like his current work is maybe partially focused on deradicalization, which requires some degree of trustworthiness and credibility. Honestly, I think his past could enhance that work if he was open about it and integrated it into his approach.
Ultimately, you’re right. He’s “paid his dues” as far as society is concerned and has no real obligation to put that stuff on display if he doesn’t want to. But I also think it’s fair to be a little skeptical; we can only make inferences about other people’s character and intentions, and this is naturally a factor for that inference. I’ll end with this note, though: it’s obvious that he garners a lot of respect for what he’s doing with these videos, so I’m confident I’ll find that his good character is plenty apparent through his actions now. Time to watch some videos and prove it to myself.