White collar vs Street crime

[lilpup]

Thinking about various posts regarding robbers and their potential ends along with all the white collar financial misbehaviors and various violations of trust, what will it take for the social damage of the white collar crimes to be recognize and addressed with the same vitriol the robberies are? The white collar crimes affect far, far more people when they occur and ultimately are contributary to the poverty of violence we see so often.

[ccbatson]

I don't think that the impersonal nature of white collar crime will ever garner the kind of attention that street crime does.

[firstandten]

Thinking about various posts regarding robbers and their potential ends along with all the white collar financial misbehaviors and various violations of trust, what will it take for the social damage of the white collar crimes to be recognize and addressed with the same vitriol the robberies are? The white collar crimes affect far, far more people when they occur and ultimately are contributary to the poverty of violence we see so often.

You make a great point. I believe the difference is rooted to a large extent in classism and to a lesser extent racism. There's no way, if I rob a 7-11 I'll get thrown under the jail. If I run a massive Ponzi scheme getting millions of dollars and making some seniors remaining years a living hell as long as I'm not name Madoff I not only won't do a lot of time I can negotiate what level of prison I go to. [[big difference between Club Fed and a prison where you have to have soap-on-a-rope!)

The response I will probably get from my RW buddies is that. If a man puts a gun to your face, you don't have a choice. With a white collar crime, you have a choice you just didn't check things out. Too bad !!

[ccbatson]

Overthinking it...it isn't as visible, that is why it isn't as impactful to observers.