[matilda] crime and punishment - drunken yobs

[dougald hine]

I can see Steve's point. On the other hand, we have a rule which says
"No violence" (or at least "no non-consensual violence"). Is that
authoritarian? Should we get rid of it? If we don't think punishing
people is right, can we have rules?

Steve points out that hashing over who did what to whom is a
tremendous waste of energy. On the other hand, having a few simple
rules can save energy. As I suggested on Monday, there's an argument
for saying anyone involved in a fight is asked to take a week out from
Matilda. No kangaroo court or playground arguments over who started
it, just a simple recognition that that sort of behaviour is out of
order.

But the converse of that is we should have some way of dealing with
harassment. This, equally, should not be about an inquest into whether
someone is *really* being harrassed by someone else. It should be a
pre-stated "this is who you can approach if you feel you're being
harrassed" - a "peace-making collective" or somesuch - so that people
don't feel like they've got nowhere to turn.


--
Dougald Hine
46 Alderson Road, Sheffield S2 4UD
(+44)(0)7810 650213

www.dougald.co.uk