Forums → WEPR → Vigilantism - Bad or Good?

Anyhow, Is it a good or thing?

Well in the UK a lot of rag tag vigilante groups (the Enfield army) have banded together to protect their neighborhoods from rioters, they're only temporary though

You know, it may be that the rise of the superhero movie genre is actually having an influence. Likely not entirely on its own, of course. We--or the US, at least--have been in an era of complacency. Maybe vigilantism is the beginning of a rebellion in attitudes. We see that our government has come to a legislative standstill and are taking things into our own hands.

As many things, it depends on the circumstance. I would say that in the UK, US, and most powerful countries as such, the law is evolved enough to the point where it can pretty much punish people as needed. Vigilantism doesn't count self defense, so its really unnecessary and actually a rather bad thing to do if your, say, punishing some guy accused of child molestation without trial, or who wasn't punished in the trial.

I could see vigilantism being a decent thing if you are in some unnamed hell where violence happens on your doorstep daily, doubly so if the police forces have abandoned you and pretty much left you to die. Basically you would be forced to form your own mini-govornment, preferably with a trial system, as a kind of militia to keep you from getting shot. Of course this is hypothetical.

preferably with a trial system

humans don't work that way, i don't remember seeing ancient cave drawings of a man in a powdered wig

basic court system

Hey, he didn't say it had to be GOOD system.

ah yes the pissed off crowed confronting a murderer is gonna set up a trial, obviously and those metal pipes, they're just for if he get out of hand

Hey, he didn't say it had to be GOOD system.

I don't think Vigilantes are that bad. They're willing to do what the law is not. Basically if I was a vigilante my philosophy would be, "I'd prefer to take you in alive, but if you want to die, that's fine too."
I'd like everyone to watch Law Abiding Citizen so they can see what's wrong with our court system.

Well, when people are just angry and start shooting/killing people only to get revenge, then it's wrong. When they're fighting to defend others, then it's more ok.

Well, when you've got people as epic as Knight Warrior using his ultimate abilities of picking up broken glass with his bare hands, picking up knocked over bins, and telling the police about drug deals and fights, how's it not a good thing? Especially when he's defending the streets of Salford from really evil super villains such as Lord Dark and The Precinct Predator.

The problem with vigilantism is that right and wrong is interpreted by one person. By "doing what the law will not", a vigilante is using their own judgment to decide what the law should be doing, then imposing their judgments forcibly on those around them.

It's easy to say that it can be good or bad, but such ambiguity is at the heart of why vigilantism is illegal. Why should one person who appoints oneself have the authority to decide what is best for a community?

One could argue that all the acts of terrorism are vigilantism. For example, the Norway terrorist attack on the camp was carried out because a group of radicals believed they were doing what was best for their country even though the majority of the world strongly disagreed. They believed the law should take action to prevent immigration, so they took it into their own hands instead of letting appointed officials decide what should be done.

Things are crazy today. Governments are corrupt and scrambling to find money. Vigilantes often tend to do their own thing as they sometimes take matters into their own hands and that can cause chaos if they have a motive and a catchy slogan.