Quote:
Originally Posted by bpcyclist
Successfully asserting an insanity defense in the US today is extremely difficult do do and extremely unlikely. Only about 1/3 of a percent of those who try to do this succeed, looking at those states that still permit it.
Because of the massive overall education deficit in America, so very many totally uneducated citizens, it is very, very likely that many more states will ban this type of defense. It does not fit with their overly simplified world construct and view, that all human endeavor can be neatly and instantly dropped into two convenient buckets--good and evil. American concepts from the 1800s, still very popular in many places.
European countries, where the education level is much, much, much higher are way more likely to develop a science-rooted, thoughtful, ethical, and sensible approach to this issue, in my personal opinion.
Personally, given that political polarization in the USA is getting much, much worse, not better, I think we will see a nation in which the west coast and some coastal eastern states slowly creep more toward a European model over the next decades to 100 years or so, while all others, will likely ban the defense and continue to prosecute the sh** out of all mentally ill people who are, in their eyes, just scumbags and evil and not ill at all.
Just my take.
|
YES!!!!! I agree that this is exactly it. Thank you, @
bpcyclist, my friend, for stating the above.
I think that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to progress is thinking you're the best already (when you're not) and having a closed mind about making things truly better (being resigned to maintain a status quo, or take steps backwards). I definitely agree that it usually does take education to realize that you don't know everything, and that there's a lot more to learn, and improve. That doesn't always have to be higher education (i.e. college or grad school), but at least an open-minded exploration of various perspectives, factors, etc.
I find it very odd that large groups of citizens that regard themselves as "holier-than-thou" are actually in favor of crueler, less loving/charitable, and less democratic policies in regards to human, animal, and nature conditions. There's a word for this. Some among them that don't intend for the harm to be done, are living in a closet of ignorance, indeed. Or, making a deal "with their devil" to get some things they want, at the expense of others. In any case, such agreements inevitably backfire in time.