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Nonviolent felonies are tools of oppression.

Edit: since this is apparently somewhat controversial, perhaps some explanation is in order.

"Felony" has no set definition of which crimes it must apply to, it is entirely based on the discretion of the locality setting the laws. What is a felony in one place can often be a misdemeanor in another. This is especially true for nonviolent crimes.

It's also been shown in studies that nonviolent felonies are imposed against minorities at a much higher rate, for the same crimes.

And because felonies carry additional, lifelong consequences, they are an effective way to mask a 2-tiered justice system.



If someone were to embezzle a million dollars from a charity they worked for, is that worth a year of prison to you, or just a misdemeanor? Because that is the definition of a felony.


What kind of embezzlement are we talking?


When a charity *worker* embezzles money, they're more like to be charged with a felony.

When a CEO who *owns* a charity embezzles money, they're more likely to be charged with a misdemeanor, or not at all.


Felonies are by themselves a ridiculous US idea that are against the entire idea of a democratic society and human rights.


Felonies originate in Medieval English common law, Americans didn't invent them.


> It's also been shown in studies that nonviolent felonies are imposed against minorities at a much higher rate, for the same crimes.

This also applies to men, so is it a white matriarchal system oppressing men and minorities?


Non sequitur and false equivalence. Men being disadvantaged in the justice system doesn't inherently make it matriarchal. Absolutely absurd point to bring up to deflect on racial injustices.


"Minorities being disadvantaged in the justice system doesn't inherently make it racist" is the point he was making.


>so is it a white matriarchal system oppressing men and minorities

No, obviously it isn't a matriarchal system. Patriarchy can and does oppress men as well as women, likewise white supremacy can oppress white people even as it's designed to oppress others more.

If you're actually interested in something other than trying to dunk on feminism, here are some sources you can follow. You can search to find more if you want.

https://medium.com/@kbasch/how-patriarchy-also-hurts-men-and...

https://www.theegalitarian.co.uk/post/how-the-patriarchy-hur...

https://www.talkingthetalksexed.com.au/blog/we-need-to-talk-...

https://afsc.org/news/10-ways-white-supremacy-wounds-white-p...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2020/09/18/4-ways-...


No, it's a white patriarchal system.

If you think that patriarchy means "men can do whatever they want without consequence", rather than, "men are in control of the power hierarchy", you don't understand patriarchy.

A hierarchy run by men favors men, but there are still men at the top of that stratification, and men at the bottom.

And guess which of those men go to prison.


It should not be "men run the hierarchy", it should be "everyone who runs the hierarchy is a man"

The former suggests the entire group somehow has power, which is not the case. While the latter is more limiting. It is not completely irrelevant that only men are in power - if everyone in power was a woman, there would probably be, e.g. cheaper tampons. But it has little effect on most men who are not in power. They are just as oppressed as most women.




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