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Thread: What the war on drugs & gun control have in common

  1. #1
    Waiting for Free Agency acesfull86's Avatar
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    What the war on drugs & gun control have in common

    From 1994, but still interesting


    Gun control and drug control are usually associated with opposite ends of the political spectrum. Presidents Reagan and Bush were eager to pursue the war on drugs but generally wary of gun control. President Clinton has made gun control a major goal, while his drug strategy is almost invisible. But these two policies have much in common at both a philosophical and a practical level. Both blame inanimate objects for complex social problems, promising to control crime and disorder by controlling their symbols. And both are ultimately harmful, for many of the same reasons.


    1) efforts to control them have been shaped by racism and xenophobia

    2) gun laws and drug laws tend to be passed in an atmosphere of hysteria that discourages critical reflection

    3) since both policies aim to control things that individuals buy and sell voluntarily, both involve government intrusion into people's private lives

    4) in addition to undermining civil liberties, gun control and drug control undermine responsible behavior

    5) advocates of drug control and gun control deliberately blur the distinction between responsible and irresponsible use

    6) justify restrictions in the name of children

    7) speak of guns and drugs as if they were viruses transmitting a deadly disease

    8) supporters of gun control and drug control find that it helps to switch attention periodically to a new, supposedly unprecedented threat (ie; create a boogeyman)

  2. #2
    if my thought dreams could be seen goldfly's Avatar
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    dumb comparison

  3. #3
    Waiting for Free Agency acesfull86's Avatar
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    Dumb because you believe in one war and not the other.

  4. #4
    if my thought dreams could be seen goldfly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by acesfull86 View Post
    Dumb because you believe in one war and not the other.
    not at all

    but i believe you believe that

  5. #5
    Not Actually Brian Hunter Metaphysicist's Avatar
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    I got to number 1, but I got confused trying to figure out what gun control has to do with racism and xenophobia.

  6. #6
    Clique Leader weso1's Avatar
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    Every time I see the word Xenophobia it makes me think of the game Faxanadu on NES. What a great game that was.
    thank you weso1!

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