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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 25, 2025

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I suspect that the kids were walking about acting disorderly, yelling at people and/or waving weapons around.

  1. What makes you think that? They seem to be mostly running away in the video.
  2. So what? A twelve year old yelling at people is not a police matter, even if she has a hatchet.

What makes you think that? They seem to be mostly running away in the video.

Yes, this is extremely typical of teenage troublemakers. The second the threat of consequences or being caught/embarrassed appears, their brash aggression is replaced by the performance of fear and vulnerability.

So what? A twelve year old yelling at people is not a police matter, even if she has a hatchet.

So it’s not a police matter, but also regular civilians are not supposed to intervene or even film? This is a recipe for utter chaos and disorder.

So it’s not a police matter, but also regular civilians are not supposed to intervene or even film? This is a recipe for utter chaos and disorder.

You will be surprised to learn that chaos did not reign in the years prior to widespread filming of public activities -- I guess if the guy wanted to take her toys away himself I'd be OK with that, but would recommend just ignoring her. Going to the cops is just weak -- do you record speeders with a dashcam and call them in?

Do you think the difference in the damage a 12 year old and an adult could potentially do with an axe is really so significant?That seems ludicrous to me. If I would call the police on anyone older than a toddler waving an axe and threatening people, I do it equally on a 12 year old, because they still have the strength to kill many members of society.

"Take her toys away himself". So it's not important enough for the police, but it's also somehow important enough to initiate a violent confrontation over? This doesn't make sense.

Do you think the difference in the damage a 12 year old and an adult could potentially do with an axe is really so significant?

Absolutely so. Have you ever done any fighting, for play or for sport or for real? Have you ever, as an adult, tussled with a kid? Have you ever used a knife or an axe, in any capacity, against anything other than foodstuffs?

Yes, no, yes. Agree or disagree: a 12 year old can inflict a fatal axe wound in 1 swing on an adult. If the adult wasn't aware or stood still and did nothing, and the 12 year old is truly murderous, this seems entirely plausible to me. Agree or disagree?

Extrapolating from there, even if the adult is actively engaged in the confrontation, any confrontation where one bad swing at your neck after you stumble on a rock or whatever will kill you is not where you want to be, even if your odds are overall quite good. Hence why I call the potential damage significant. I see very little difference in the potential damage that can be inflicted.

Having any bladed weapon at all is the real equalizer here

Yes, if the adult behaves like a passive slab of meat, then I suppose the potential damage is similar.

A win for semantics.

Everybody is a badass on the Internet.

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