Do you consider 'snitches' or 'informants' to be bad people?

Tom_Cruise

Should they turn a blind eye to crime and just get on with their own lives?

AnonoBoy

Depends on the crime, see? Toothpick Charlie is just looking out for himself, see? Ain't nobody more important to Toothpick Charlie than Toothpick Charlie, see? A stool pigeon's gotta do what a stool pigeon's gotta do.

ZzubZzub

My Dad liked to say snitches get stitches if one of us told on the other.

SEPT 23 1989

Absolutely

lukesmom

Yes cannot stand rats and all types of vermin

talla10

You mean people assisting the police catch criminals? Anybody who a probken with them is an idiot.

AH answer; Fookin rats should be extermineted.... exturnineted... killed

Daroxtar

Is that you Nidge?

Bad Santa

Thread reported.

fasttalkerchat

Depends how they go about it. If the cards offer to let you off a speeding ticket if you name 3 people with no tax that's being a tout.
Reporting someone who you saw breaking into a house isn't.

twinQuins

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Depends how they go about it. If the cards offer to let you off a speeding ticket if you name 3 people with no tax that's being a tout.
Reporting someone who you saw breaking into a house isn't.

And why is that? Aren't they breaking the law too?

mawk

twinQuins wrote: »

And why is that? Aren't they breaking the law too?

Facetious argument. You know its a different thing.

Zascar

Are we talking the likes of Julian Assange etc? If so, no. He's a modern day hero exposing horrific activities at the highest levels of power that should be brought to light so that people don't try to get away with this stuff in the future...

If they're informing on things you kind of approve of, they're rats or snitches.

If they're informing on things you really hate, they're whistleblowers.

Thrill

A snitch in time saves crime.

fasttalkerchat

twinQuins wrote: »

And why is that? Aren't they breaking the law too?

they are but you are doing it for self preservation.
Pedophiles and drug addicts and dealers did this for years during the troubles.
The worst was paid informants and British agents.

twinQuins

mawk wrote: »

Facetious argument. You know its a different thing.

The opposite of facetious, actually. I'm curious to get to the bottom of this strain of thought that sees it as okay to defraud or otherwise cheat the state.

Now, I'm sure I'll get someone or a number of people saying... something about the IMF/bankers/whatever but not every cent of tax money goes to them.
It also goes to the likes of emergency services, with the result that less take intake means less money for them.

So, why is tax evasion (for the little man, of course, once you're rich it's not okay, another one of those bizarre hypocrisies) or simply not paying it alright and reporting people engaged in it seen as touting/ratting/etc.?

blaze1

ArtyM

Scrap metal is becoming big business these days, scumbags seem to see it as easy cash and consider anything not nailed down as fair game.
Roadsigns, manhole covers, even frames from kids playgrounds are being stolen for scrap metal.
If I knew the identity of someone who removed a sign warning of a dangerous bend ahead, or a manhole cover - leaving a dangerous exposed hole in a footpath, or the f**king slides that kids play on. Would I give them up?
Abso F**kin lootley.

Biggins

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Do you consider 'snitches' or 'informants' to be bad people?
Should they turn a blind eye to crime and just get on with their own lives?

Ironic question coming from a member called Tom Cruise - when the real Tom Cruise is apparently willing to turn a blind eye to bad people!

People who tell and expose others crimes are necessary.
Anyone that definitely keeps their mouth shut about perverts, child abuse and other terrible crimes, are themselves condemning themselves to be seen as also rotten to the core.

Odysseus

Biggins wrote: »

People who tell and expose others crimes are necessary.
Anyone that definitely keeps their mouth shut about perverts, child abuse and other terrible crimes, are themselves condemning themselves to be seen as also rotten to the core.

I don't know if that applies to all cases, I know plenty of people who have experienced abuse and they do not wish to report for various reasons. IWhat other terrible crimes would you include here?

Duggys Housemate

Whistleblowers are often brave people. Braver than keyboard warriors.

Biggins

Odysseus wrote: »

I don't know if that applies to all cases, I know plenty of people who have experienced abuse and they do not wish to report for various reasons. What other terrible crimes would you include here?

Certainly the feelings of the victim should be taken into account.
Where thats not possible, its the moral duty (I feel) that such crimes should be reported.

My definition range of "various crimes" would almost certainly differ in some way to all elses - but generally those that are capable of effecting people immediately badly in stress, worry, and loss, as well as more longer term effects which might never see them rest back into an average normal emotional calm.

ITS_A_BADGER

Depends if they're just reporting on neighbours or actually real crimes either way id be very carefull about doing my business when they are around

Duggys Housemate

ITS_A_BADGER wrote: »

Depends if they're just reporting on neighbours or actually real crimes either way id be very carefull about doing my business when they are around

A crimes a crime.

Odysseus

Biggins wrote: »

Certainly the feelings of the victim should be taken into account.
Where thats not possible, its the moral duty (I feel) that such crimes should be reported.

My definition range of "various crimes" would almost certainly differ in some way to all elses - but generally those that are capable of effecting people immediately badly in stress, worry, and loss, as well as more longer term effects which might never see them rest back into an average normal emotional calm.

Just personally I suppose though some of it would be professional it depends on context for me. I have seen people bullied into reporting abusers, I can't agree with that.

I'm also against the reporting g guidelines imposed on me in work, though I'm not effected by them in private work.

In order for people to move on, they need to talk about the type of criminality they where involved in; if they think I am going to report them they won't talk about it.

I do think that we need to provide support for those people who take risk to expose criminal and unethical behaviour; however, some people who have access to that type of knowledge sometimes just don't have the strenght of character to become a whistle blower. I'm not sure if we should just write of these people as being just as bad as the actual offender.

I'm not sure, it is a complex area and I certainly don't have all the ideas

kristian12

It would depend on the crime. Would i report someone for mugging an old dear? Or breaking into someones house? Withou a doubt i would. Would i tell the security guard in tescos the woman in front of me hadn't paid for her bread? Or tell the gards the bloke across the road is driving without tax? No, yet all are stealing. I suppose its a question of our own moral values.

ITS_A_BADGER

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

A crimes a crime.

I agree, but reporting someone for not having a tv licence or not paying tax on their car is being a busybody, reporting someone for selling drugs im all for

Bad Santa

Odysseus wrote: »

however, some people who have access to that type of knowledge sometimes just don't have the strenght of character to become a whistle blower. I'm not sure if we should just write of these people as being just as bad as the actual offender.

Indeed and from the smallest aspect of whistle blowing, to just standing up and saying that you have bullied by people in more established and well liked positions that they are, to the very large examples such as Jeffrey Wigand, the common denominator is that at first, you will pay a price for what you are saying.

Almost without exception, the first thing that happens those who out people in positions of power, is that they will attempt (and quite often succeed) in discrediting that person almost to the point of unrecognizability. People they once thought as friends will turn on them and believe that there is no smoke without fire and even after the truth is well and truly out and mud slung is seen as precisely that, some of it unfortunately will have stuck.

So yes, without question, it takes bottle to raise your head above the parapet and say things that will not be received well and that will most likely destroy any good standing that you have in a particular circle.

MaxSteele

Again depends on the context.

Would I report a burglar, joyrider, vicious psychopath who attacks random people ? Without a doubt.

Snitches and informants usually apply to those who feel the model citizen need to report someone maybe doing nixers, no TV licence, out of date car tax or selling a bit of grass. You get the gist.

Scruffles

Odysseus wrote: »

I don't know if that applies to all cases, I know plenty of people who have experienced abuse and they do not wish to report for various reasons. IWhat other terrible crimes would you include here?

abuse of vulnerable adults such as elderly and disabled in residential or nursing homes shoud be included there, one case in the public eye which has recently ended was the winterbourne institution scandal in england,very serious abuse of learning disabled adults-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-20078999
have also personaly experienced serious abuse [physical,mental,sensory and sexual] in institutional and residential care and there is a lot of corruption that goes on- staff protecting staff; we have our mental capacity brought into it and made to look like we havent got a clue what is going on, have whistle blown for a number of residents in the past and woud do it again.

have also reported benefit frauds, specificaly have reported people frauding disability living allowance because it is tough enough for genuinely disabled people to get,and there is this small minority of frauds [0.5% official fraud rate] being used to represent all of us who claim DLA genuinely,these are the individuals who are able to spend it on luxury items and not essential needs from disability.

woud also report non disabled people parking in disabled parking bays if support staff of mine bothered to pass it on as am not able to verbaly communicate it to them.
people without blue badges do not have any care for those they affect,they think they are not going to be in long and that makes it ok-some of us are unable to park anywhere other than disability bays due to how our disabilities affects us and that then has a knock on effect on our entire day; our quality of life,ability just to get out and independance.

people who have an issue with reporting dont realise how badly they are affected by frauds getting away with it,it puts up costs for the genuine/innocent.

PureDacent

I can't stand rats but sure ya can't complain as it is quite emusing to see them get beat to an inch of there lives