Somebody explain to me this whole thing against 'snitching'

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

I get the sense I'm about to get some serious disrespect, in many people's eyes, for this post -- a lot of 'get with the fucking program, you retard / chump / pussy' type replies. But before you give me one of these, please hear me out, and listen to where I'm coming from.

First of all, I may have a perverse fascination with the seedy underbelly of society, especially as portrayed on TV. I may use drugs. I may go to parties in cities, that require me to keep an eye out for myself. But I'm about as far from 'street' as you can get. I was raised in a loving intact family, in a quiet neighborhood. I settle problems by confronting people verbally, and if repeated attempts to do this don't work, I appeal to authorities. Violence and threats don't enter into it; I look long-term, and those kinds of things have long-term consequences. Call me what you will. I call this normal. I'm not saying this in order to make people who've been less fortunate than me feel resentful (though in my experience, that effect is inevitable ). I'm saying this in order to make it crystal clear where I'm coming from.

So anyway, I understand why a career criminal, especially one who works with other career criminals, doesn't snitch to the authorities when someone commits a crime against him. Not only is this hypocritical, but it's suicidal, both to the snitch AND to those he works with. He doesn't snitch because his hands aren't clean either. I don't need anyone to explain this to me.

But I've heard people say / post things which imply that all illegal drug users are bound by the 'no snitching' rule, and this is where my understanding runs out. So let me get this straight. Say I'm a mild-mannered guy, with a legitimate career, who relaxes with a joint in the evenings, in his own home, with no one else. I keep my use very discrete. I break no other laws. Then one day I get mugged, and I know who did it and where to find him. But simply because I enjoy pot, I am obligated to seek this guy out and get my revenge on him personally (or hire someone else to do it for me) rather than going to the cops. Is there something I'm missing here??

I've also heard people take this a step further, and imply that NO ONE should snitch, even people who do absolutely nothing illegal themselves. In other words, the only kind of justice that's honorable is justice that you take into your own hands.

I just don't see the wisdom in this. I'm going to potentially THROW MY LIFE AWAY just because someone did me wrong?? Call me naive or old fashioned, but I thought the whole point of paying taxes to support public institutions like the police and the justice system was so that we DIDN'T have to live the Law of the Jungle.

So what is it that motivates this 'no snitching FOR ANYONE' interpretation? Is it a boycott of cops, as a matter of principle, similar to people who hate doctors and treat everything with home remedies? That's the only thing I can think of. What kinds of people (besides career criminals) are likeliest to have this strictest interpretation of the 'no snitching' rule, and why?

Am I so wrong for wanting to live a long and safe life, even if that means abandoning my primitive notions of 'honor' from time to time?

 

[Filkins]

Fuck the Stop Snitching movement
I think its one of the worst things with the ghetto culture
[not that its limited there, its the only time people mention it in my area is if they're ghetto or such]

I mean really,
Let the person choose what they wanna do

Dont do the crime if you cant do the time

You would think more criminals would know that phrase by now

 

[hoptis]

I wouldn't involve police in a drug matter but anything else, yes. Maybe things are a little different in Australia but this idea that using the police for what they're meant to do is somehow a betrayal of "thug life" is a joke.

I think you're normal. I think anyone who goes out to seek their own justice is a bit of an idiot... and I'm not particularly impressed with people on BL advocating violence against anyone. Use your brain kids, just because you're a drug user doesn't mean you have to live like Tupac.... use the system to your advantage and you might be around a lot longer.

 

[rickolasnice]

You sick bastard!!

Nah i'm only jokin.. fuck it. You gotta do what you gotta do. If someone fucks you over, makes you feel unsafe, etc.. then retaliate with necassary force.

 

[Khadijah]

To me its simple. You choose to do certain things and live a certain way. you are living outside the law. Now the law is not what governs you. Now you are in a new world and in that world certain things are different and you got to follow the laws that are a part of this new world.

And if you have ever been snitched on then you will know the feeling of why you never want to do it. I am facing jail time right now which i am sure i could get reduced if i was to roll on somebody but that aint somethin ima consider. My co defendants hate me they want to make it lights out for me but I still aint gonna give up no information about nothing. My answer is I dont know. I am not gonna put someone else thru the shit that I been thru Ill tell you that much. When you are involved in this shit you cant just say "Time out. I dont want to play any more" Its a game that has very real consequences and sometimes when you roll the dice it just dont work out. you got to cut your losses and deal with it, and thats how it is in the entire life, you enter the underground world where shit aint wat it seems and the only laws are the rules made by the people who break the real laws, youre dealin with a different kind of justice, you dont use the cops to handle all your loose ends. Basically im saying you go against the law, youre in a different position now and in that position the real laws are no longer your laws. You cant pick and choose you got to play the game by the rules of the game that you are in, and no goin back.

 

[untaMe]

Its not like if someone runs in your house and robs you you cant call the cops.
Its more like if you are committing a crime and get busted you did so you take the consequences and dont try and drag people under with you just because your a coward.

 

[WhiteLinesNcoffee]

OK the ghetto culture stop snitching is bullshit. That is not what i live by. Its like this marijuana is an illegal drug. You seem to use it pretty responsibly and that is YOUR business. But, lets say you get caught and in order to escape some jail time you snitch out your dealer. THIS IS NOT OK. You never roll on someone like that. NEVER. you just man up and do your time.

As for the mugging though, No fuck that put them in jail. Violent crime and Theft is also NOT OK> lol

 

[Swift Serenity]

^^^^


pretty much explained it

 

[XperienceMe]

Fuck snitches...

If you need to rollover on someone because your to bitch ass to do the time, than dont do the crime.... Or always be faced with looking over your shoulder, waiting to get popped.

I got snitched on by some lil bitch , who will get his in due time.... i could of rollover on some many big time players in the game the north east coast would be dry with certian things....BUT IM NO FUCKING SNITCH and i dont want to always look over my shoulder having a panic attack

 

[LiLc]

Where I come from you don't snitch on people for anything drug related because if you do you might as well take the pistol to your head and blow your own brains out before someone else does it for you.

Now the whole "No Snitching" thing is generally vague but like most people I agree that you should NEVER snitch on a person/drug dealer/friend/family for anything that involves drugs, if you involve yourself in the whole drug culture than you need to be responsible for your own actions and not to start snitching on the dude that sold you that QP of weed or those few bags of heroin you just copped and got arrested for.

When it comes to other matters, IE not drug related and it's in your best interest to call the police and have them sort it out for you, go ahead and do that.

 

[thujone]

Its not like if someone runs in your house and robs you you cant call the cops.
Its more like if you are committing a crime and get busted you did so you take the consequences and dont try and drag people under with you just because your a coward.

i whole-heartedly agree

So what is it that motivates this 'no snitching FOR ANYONE' interpretation? Is it a boycott of cops, as a matter of principle, similar to people who hate doctors and treat everything with home remedies? That's the only thing I can think of. What kinds of people (besides career criminals) are likeliest to have this strictest interpretation of the 'no snitching' rule, and why?

Am I so wrong for wanting to live a long and safe life, even if that means abandoning my primitive notions of 'honor' from time to time?

to answer the first (and third) question: dim-witted people who can't be trusted to use their own judgement, so they take everything literally out of the delusion that the creators of their doctrines are too fucking brilliant to question.

second question: my grandma hated them with a passion because all the doctors she went to happened to be incompetents who failed at their task. personally, i like my doctor because he's a competent man. wherever there's hate, there's a reason for it. racism proves that reason doesn't have to be a good one, but one who hates people that saves lives can really only be either a sociopathic misanthrope or someone with a good reason.

fourth question: how does honour play into this? my honour is defined by my actions, not by those of anyone else. if by my words someone is arrested then they're in that situation out of their own actions, and of the actions of the police, because the police do not arrest people based on hearsay in western society.

honour, to me, goes hand in hand with loyalty. if you choose to commit your loyalty to the block, then you're a dishonourable person if you sell out anyone living there. my loyalty only extends to my family, my close friends and my nation but right or wrong i know in my heart i'd rather die than sell out the people, and more importantly the ideals that mean the most to me.

consequently, my response to your final question is that you're entirely in your right to live a long and safe life if the cost is snitching on someone that you have no loyalties to.


ps. i'm aware there are some painfully obvious grammatical errors, i'm in too good a mood to fix em

 

[brainslookfunny]

Then one day I get mugged, and I know who did it and where to find him. But simply because I enjoy pot, I am obligated to seek this guy out and get my revenge on him personally (or hire someone else to do it for me) rather than going to the cops. Is there something I'm missing here??

I don't even see the connection. Because you like pot, you're not supposed to get the cops to bust someone who mugged you.... Eh... definately something missing here lol! You pay taxes to support the police so they can help bust scumbags that commit crimes against you! What's wrong with that?


But I do think it's wrong to snitch to save your own ass, because it's your fault if you get caught with some drugs. Ratting our your dealer who had nothing to do with you getting busted... that's just low, low, low....

 

[Lysis]

MyDoors, I have mad respect for you, but I do believe in no snitching. You (general you) want to do drugs, own up to if you get caught.

My ex who died did a year in jail for someone else's fuck up. I had a lot of respect for him for that. He was a middle man and he got caught and didn't snitch out his contact. That's a lot of jail time for a white, naive, protected girl who isn't into all that shit.

I also think that it's counterproductive for people to continually rat on their dealers. The goal for cops is to get the dealers to get drugs off the street. If they win, you've got no street drugs.

I've got a ton of hate for the guy who gave my BF his final oxy dose, but I also understand that it was my stupid ass moron BF who didn't know his tolerance.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

But I do think it's wrong to snitch to save your own ass, because it's your fault if you get caught with some drugs. Ratting our your dealer who had nothing to do with you getting busted... that's just low, low, low....

OK, I get it now. And now that I understand, I wholeheartedly agree: if you get nailed for doing something illegal, you, and you alone, take the consequences. That's fair enough. After all, anyone who breaks the law does so knowing that they're taking this risk. Ratting out your dealer, or other users, is similar to doing something reckless and then looking for someone to sue when it blows up in your face.

Without going into detail, I've historically tried to make all of my less-than-legal purchases from people whose names I don't know, and whom I'll never see again, in places not local to me. (I guess it helps that I've never had a serious maintenance habit that's required regular convenient purchases.) Even better, I've historically had some luck procuring the things I like without dealers at all. This way, if I get nailed, I literally have no one to point a finger at. Offer me any deal you want, piggies. Play all the headgames in the book to convince me it's the right thing to do. I know nothing, I know no one. I'd like to think I'm the type who wouldn't cave in under duress, but I'd rather not find out; I am pretty sensitive and pretty suggestible, and I'm sure cops looking to bust a dealer would be more than happy to notice this and exploit it.

I don't even see the connection. Because you like pot, you're not supposed to get the cops to bust someone who mugged you.... Eh... definately something missing here lol! You pay taxes to support the police so they can help bust scumbags that commit crimes against you! What's wrong with that?

I've read a number of newspaper articles about innocent, entirely law-abiding people, who either witnessed a crime or were victim to one, but steadfastly WOULD NOT TESTIFY against the thug, because they'd be labeled a 'snitch' in their neighborhood, and no one there would have any pity for them when they got hunted down by the thug's people. This is the side of the No Snitching Rule that makes my blood boil. Something is very, VERY fucking wrong when I can't help the justice system incarcerate some ruthless motherfucker, without people in my neighborhood judging me as worse than him, and thinking I deserve whatever retribution comes my way!

 

[wegwoman]

Snitches ultimately end up salad tossers!!!!!

I get the sense I'm about to get some serious disrespect, in many people's eyes, for this post -- a lot of 'get with the fucking program, you retard / chump / pussy' type replies. But before you give me one of these, please hear me out, and listen to where I'm coming from.


If you use drugs and you get caught you knew the job was dangerous when you took it, There are some crimes that just can't be excused even for a drug user, pedophilia, rape, murder, armed theft, Drunk driving, these things I will not tolerate as a human being. But if you’re grown enough to partake in drugs then you should be grown enough to take the consequences if you’re caught. When you flap your lips instead of asking for an attorney, all you do is strengthen the police's case. Police will lie there asses off to get you to confess to anything, When a cop snitches on a another cop, well that cop is black baled branded a trader but they think nothing of asking us to do the same, because there under the impression that if you do drugs that your somehow sub human, which is true for some, but certainly not for all. When I run out of my drug I GO TO WORK!!! I hate thieves and whodunits get a fucking job losers you make the rest of us look like shit, I m old school if you cant do the time then be very careful, don’t drive with shit in you wallet or pocket, glove box or purse, put it in your underwear, if you don’t have anything else drug related in your automobile or in your pockets or purse a officer is a lot more likely to let you go or it is possible to be checked in only on tickets with a small amount in your panties. I cut a small hole in the cotton crotch of my thong, be sure not to cut all the way though. Guys your a lot more likely to get patted the FUCK up and down so under the balls, I don't know, but ladies be smart, if you need paraphernalia don’t have anything on you when you go to the head shop, go from point A to point B, never carry a pipe, especially one with any type of resin, and dope at the same time, if you do your simply playing Russian roulette with your freedom and your life. If you are caught tighten up and don’t ruin someone else’s life just because you’re a tired cowardly bitch.
Cops hate snitches as much as we do, the cops use you till there finished using you then you are totally disposable.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

^ Thanks for not listening 8)

Maybe this would go better in another forum. For the last time, I AM NOT defending ratting out other drug people when you get caught for drugs.

 

[Slay]

i dunno about how things work in western countries but where i live everyone who get caught do this eventually no matter what they are. cops make them talk, they always do. they use advanced questioning tactics when they need

 

[Jabberwocky]

I'm a drug user and not a parent. I have had huge moral dilemmas about if I should call child protective services or not. In one particular case, an issue involved if I had called, should drug use be mentioned. Mentioning drug use can mobilize people in some agencies. Regardless of the cause; depression, poverty, drug use, dementia, or a rat infestation--the only real issue is the well being of the child.

Some people would say as a drug user I have no business EVER mentioning drugs. Some people maintain a non-parent can never judge parents. My only real concern is if calling in CPS could actually make things worse for the child involved.

My non-snitch ethic is mostly based on the fact some things are none of my business or equally none of the states business

Things are fucked up when mentioning drugs might expedite something that is for the greater good. Really, drugs are brought up when they are not a real issue far to often. I need to try to be ever mindful that I'm not a pure arbiter of what constitutes the greater good. I also have to admit that my life experience is such that I do not trust that calling in the state in any situation is going to make things better.

Regarding the OP, I'd have more confidence in involving law enforcement than going vigilante, but not a lot. Some thing are better to just let go and I am grateful for this thread because I empathize with an ardent no snitch ethic but do not regard it as practical or any sort of absolute. Any livable ethical precepts will yield to reality and expedience, at least some times.

Adults under no coercion and not having a bad effect on anyone else are a blessed phenomena where I can easily discern that what is going on is none of my business or anyone else's. Unfortunately not a common enough situation.

 

[paranoid android]

Where i grew up people had a mistrust for the police pretty much ingraved into them. I think it came from the fact that everyone knew you through atleast somebody no matter how distant the relationship is. Cops where always outsiders and you never informed on anybody no matter who they where. They could be your worst enemy you still didnt rat on them. Also i always viewed rats as the lowest of the low and you could not trust them. Even if you where not a criminal you couldnt trust them.

A rat will do anything to save themselves and ive even see people rat on someone for doing something as innocent as growing weed even though that person had nothing to gain by it and where not involved in it in any way. That was just one case i remember and i guess that person was trying to be a "good citizen". Guess a good citizen these days is a informer.

Also i view cops as useless and my view of them as completely useless cunts has only hardened over the years. They are lazy bastards who instead of catching people who should really be in prison get the high profile cases instead. I have no respect for the police at all and view them as scum for the most part. Why involve them in anything when they do no good?

The way i look at it it is only ok to call the cops in cases of insurance where you can use them to your advantage. Your house got broken into, you had a car accident and other stuff like that. Cases where you need them so you can collect the money from the damn insurance company.

 

[phatass]

If you're the VICTIM of the crime e.g. a mugging then its not snitching.... snitching is getting caucht e.g. with weed and snitching on your dealer... at least thats how i see it....