Father Steals Best: Crime in an American Family

NY Times ^ | 8-21-02 | FOX BUTTERFIELD

[Orual]

family

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/737017/<img ----- "The requested document does not exist on this server."

[shhrubbery!]

Genes or environment? A bit of both, I would imagine

Reminds me of an old sociological study, the "Jukes and the Kallikaks." Haven't heard that study mentioned for years; must be politically incorrect.

[aculeus]

Link for 17 in cut-and-paste form.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380728621/qid=1029965193/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4432621-3943949

[dighton]

That worked -- thanks.

[rollin]

There is a sure fire way to stop things like this.

After the third felony conviction for any reason, use 9 cents of lead to the back of the head.

Would cut down the need for prisons, and probably reduce the crime rate.

[aculeus]

Sorry.

It was the amazon link for this book:


All God's Children: The Bosket Family and the American Tradition of Violence
by Fox Butterfield

Now that I am recalling better the theme for this book is that these African-Americans picked up the violence habit by observing violent whites in the Carolinas.

It's been years since I read the reviews but that recollection would fit the Times typical slant. (It is also extremely stupid.)

[Orual]

All God's Children

Just as you said, from one of the reviews:

Butterfield presents a fascinating discussion of American violence. He suggests that contemporary black violence is a tradition inherited from white southern violence, theorizing that white honor, slave reputation, and black respect are codes capable of provoking violence if impugned, or even slightly stepped on. Butterfield considered closely the political, social, judicial, and racial climates influencing violence, particularly their impact on the Boskets, a black U.S. family.

[metesky]

Sawney Bean and his fine family are a sort of running joke between Leisler and me.

I use them as an example of his fine Scottish heritage and he unfairly keeps reminding me that Greek soldiers wear dresses.

[Glutton]

We have many "crankster ganster" families here in Oregon. My wallet was stolen in 1970 by one member of a particularly nasty clan. Before the next decade began, I spent five days in jail twice for crimes where he pawned himself off as me using my license. (I have changed my number.)

I had to clear up tickets, and had many other nightmare hassls over this identity theft. I also have run into others in his disfunctional family who thought my anger and plight was at best funny.

Even though many of them didn't like this guy themselves.

He and his brothers and their kids keep a top lawyer on retainer, and are in and out of prison all the time.

This is a real problem, and these people are a blight on humanity merely by existing.

[Leisler]

"...Greek soldiers wear dresses." It was a tactical decision on their part. When the hill Amazons attacked, they'd assume the mustached, hairy chested dress wearers were females and bypass them.

[NorCoGOP]

I'd go one better - and this is the ONLY thing about the Chinese that I respect - the family has to pay for the ammunition used in the execution....

[Glutton]

Historically, the Chinese also held the family fully responsible for crimes committed by any of it's members.

That has changed naturally, but I am sure some people there long for this old legal principle to be revived there.

[blam]

"I wonder (since he had claimed to be a gypsy) if he could trace his way back to those English gypsy-type wanderers? (I forgot their name--someone help me out here; Clinton was accused of having come from them)."

I don't know what name you're talking about...but, I don't know it either.

The Gypsies are originally from The Indus Valley.(In India)
Thousands of years ago 10,000 at a time were given away by their king to the kings of other nations. The gypsies we are familar with were the descendents of those given to the king of Iran who escaped and settled in Egypt.
Once they began to migrate out of Egypt and into Europe, the Europeans thought they were Egyptians and called them 'Gypsies.'

[Jesse]

Too bad the Darwin award is self-inflicted, and not awarded. Prime candidate family here.

[Old Professer]

It bogles the mind!!!!

[Pharmboy]

The English variety of gypsy--not related genetically to the Rom or India-derived gypsies--(see example of them in very funny movie "Snatch") is called the Travelers.