In this thread we post our most :LIB: takes, and discuss whether that is the logical end point on a given topic or whether we need to lose that last bit of liberalism.

  • PhaseFour [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    You can dissect any definition with questions like this.

    And in some cases, it is important to dissect. When you are trying to define an institution which imprisons people for riding a train without a ticket, then I think it's important to dissect your use of the word "dangerous." I would not consider them dangerous.

    It’s hard to argue that schools are prisons when children are able to leave, and when you’re acknowledging that there are prison prisons people can be sent to.

    Sorry, I forgot to add that schools have entire police forces, and have apprehended kids who've skipped and brought them back. I still would not consider schools prisons because of the definition I provided above.

    There’s a difference between using a heavily-propagandized definition and using a practical definition.

    Yes. I do not consider your definition of prison to be practical. It is a propagandized definition.

    • hogposting [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      When you are trying to define an institution which imprisons people for riding a train without a ticket, then I think it’s important to dissect the word “dangerous.” I would not consider them dangerous.

      I agree that person is not dangerous. As I've pointed out, the fact that non-dangerous people are in prison does not keep "dangerous people" from being a defining characteristic of prisons.

      All prisons must have X, so something that includes X + Y can be a prison even though it doesn't exclusively include X.

      schools have entire police forces, and have apprehended kids who’ve skipped and brought them back

      That's closer to a prison, but as the school isn't trying to separate dangerous people from society -- you can get expelled for starting fights, and school isn't anywhere near as separated from society as prisons -- it's still quite a bit different.

      It is a propagandized definition.

      My definition is the bare bones of what prisons do in practice. It's the core concept, it's the essential elements. There are prisons that do not wage class warfare (see the Soviet penal system, for example), therefore that is not an essential element of the definition.