In a democracy, I don’t see how their vote really matters less. Plus it’ll help improve prisons perhaps.

  • drislands@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I can’t remember where I heard this originally, but I subscribe to the belief that you need to maintain the rights of criminals (like voting) to prevent tyranny.

    Because if being labeled a criminal is enough to remove your rights, a corrupt government need only declare you one to take your rights away.

    It used to be criminal in some parts of the USA for black and white people to intermarry, for example. Imagine losing your right to vote because of who you married.

    • Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz
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      6 months ago

      It was Nelson Mandela:

      A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

      To be honest I was shocked when I learned about this stripping of rights when you are imprisoned in the US. It is literally a tool of tyranny to lock people up in order to silence them.

      • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
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        6 months ago

        there are states that have government employees who engage with prisoners and get them back into a eligible voter status. sadly not all of the USA believes in Democracy.

      • Mango@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        And that’s precisely why I can’t own a gun! I got framed for some bullshit and compelled to plea guilty probably because I’m vocal enough to end up on someone’s list.

      • Legend@lemmy.sdf.org
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        6 months ago

        Woah so that’s where jkr stole that quote from always thought dumbledore had really good quotes and now i know jkr must’ve stolen most of em .

        • Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz
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          6 months ago

          I don’t think there’s anything at all original in JKR works. Mashing a bunch of fantasy tropes together into an interesting world seems to have worked though. At least, the films are decent.

          • Legend@lemmy.sdf.org
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            6 months ago

            I like the books but yeah there definetly is massive issues that the movies fixed like harry breaking the fucking wand aside from that i’d say the books are on par if not better than the movies .

    • makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I’d guess it’s probably from a curated Tumblr post which I’ll paraphrase:

      “Every criminal deserves rights”

      “Except pedophiles, they’re true scum”

      “Yes, also pedophiles”

      “You’re a piece of shit”

      “If pedophiles don’t have rights, then everyone they want to not have rights will be declared a pedophile. For example, transgender people, queer people, liberals, and more have all been accused of preying on children”

      “Oh.”

      • Mango@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Meanwhile pedophiles, knowing they’re taboo, go to great lengths to be undetected and therefore never seek treatment and cause more harm.

    • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      In Canada voting is considered a Charter Right (or basic level of freedom nessisary to preserving human dignity and right of participation in society). While I keep pushing for voting reform regarding the first past the post system it’s definitely something I think we got right. Everyone should decide what sort of society we live in including those who have run afoul of it in some way or another.