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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 4, 2026

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So in your ideal world, where no compromise was required with people like me (or those uppity women who would prefer not to be raped during their prison sentences if it's all the same), how would inmates be housed?

As an aside, don't you find it the least bit interesting that, for all your talk about the necessity of housing trans-identified males outside of the male estate in order to protect them from the "ghastly fate" that would otherwise befall them, trans activists cannot dredge up even one example of a trans-identified male being murdered in a British prison in the last twenty-five years?

I do not appreciate the repeated assertions that agreement with the 'gender-critical' position, or whatever you call your side of the argument, is a prerequisite for being considered 'mature' or 'sensible'.

I'll be more than happy to stop, if you'll stop implying that I'm a pervert for disagreeing with gender ideology. A simple trade.

So in your ideal world, where no compromise was required with people like me (or those uppity women who would prefer not to be raped during their prison sentences if it's all the same), how would inmates be housed?

One inmate per cell, all interactions between inmates supervised by guards sufficiently numerous to intervene in the event of violence of harassment having the potential thereof.

trans activists cannot dredge up even one example of a trans-identified male being murdered in a British prison in the last twenty-five years?

'Trans-woman murdered' isn't the only bad outcome we are trying to avoid; there is also 'trans-woman beaten up by low-life with extremely retrograde Views on gender roles as a warning to anyone else assigned-male-at-birth who might be thinking about getting in touch with their feminine side'.

I'll be more than happy to stop, if you'll stop implying that I'm a pervert for disagreeing with gender ideology. A simple trade.

I do not believe that you, personally, are motivated by sexual desire in your opposition to trans-inclusivity. That does not change the fact that other people's organs are none of your business, even when your interest in them is not sexually motivated. This is especially the case for the sexual organs, including the gamete-producing organs. If someone starts digging through your medical records willy-nilly, should the Data Protection Act only apply if they are touching themself?

One inmate per cell, all interactions between inmates supervised by guards sufficiently numerous to intervene in the event of violence of harassment having the potential thereof.

Oh, I see: you're doing that thing certain people do where, when asked what your preferred policy solution would be, you describe some impossible utopia that will never and can never exist – then when people point this out to you, you accuse them of being moral mutants.

As always, this is a tremendously useful contribution to the discussion and not a complete and utter waste of everyone's time. That's the hallmark of a truly ethical person: someone who spends all their time daydreaming about hypothetical solutions that will never come to pass, while rubbishing the pragmatic alternatives offered by the more grounded and down-to-earth.

Seriously, dude: this is about as productive a contribution to the discussion as announcing "when I'm in charge we won't need prisons, because everyone will get along with each other!"

Honestly, that seems uncharitable as hell and not in the spirit of this forum. I think.

Take him at his word.

One inmate per cell, all interactions between inmates supervised by guards sufficiently numerous to intervene in the event of violence of harassment having the potential thereof.

This sounds very expensive. Do you aim to make this possible by decriminalizing most of the acts that currently lead to prison sentences, by applying non-prison punishments instead, by somehow decreasing the costs of the prison system, or by just throwing money at it?

My response hardly seems any less charitable than your contention that, without being ruinously expensive, his proposal could only come about by decriminalising most of the crimes currently on the books.

I agree with your contention: that's why I don't think his proposal is realistic.

A massive increase in executions would certainly decrowd prisons without needing to decriminalise anything, and @Southkraut did implicitly include this via "non-prison punishments", although I'm not sure @Celestial-body-NOS would be up for that.

(Personally, I think it's at least worth considering for prison gangs, since imprisoning them apparently hasn't stopped them committing violent crimes.)

I would be very surprised if @Celestial-body-NOS is an enthusiastic advocate for capital punishment, but I've been wrong before.

For this horrid piece of schist? Yes, assuming the State of Wisconsin can find a strong enough rope.

For most of the prisoners, no.

I stand corrected.