Whilst crime is undesirable, it is a necessary evil in any society. As with everything else, it serves a purpose. Yes T&T, I said it! Crime and lawless behaviour ensures balance! How? Without crime there can be no true understanding of, or appreciation for good. However, whilst crime is necessary I wonder, can we go back to the days of the respectable criminal?
I have found that criminals of old had respect for the idea of community. They had a code by which they operated. I mean, those criminals had class! They never disrespected children, schools, senior citizens or even women. What happened? Criminals of old had boundaries.
They believed in education. Some of them were great readers and enjoyed poetry and history. They valued teachers. Can we please go back to the days of the classy, respectable criminal? The criminal who didn’t kill just because? Why do our criminals need to mutilate and burn bodies?
Why do our criminals need to rob and kill? Do we have such a great blood lust? Why do our criminals need to “shoot up” guns in our neighbourhoods? Why do our criminals need to invade our schools by sending weapons and drugs in our sanctums of learning? What happened to the criminals that showed respect for the police?
What happened to the criminals that never smoked weed close to schools and never cursed if a teacher or priest was passing? Please, can we have some regard? Again, ideally, a crime-free society is desirable; crime is a necessary evil, it helps us separate the deviant from the norm. It helps create jobs for law makers and enforcers. It helps make law necessary and sacred. However, can we get back the balance? The scale has been tipped to far off balance.
K Reece
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