12 Comments
Nov 14, 2022Liked by Alec Karakatsanis

I started the BVT Stolen Report and Recovery group after two meaningful bikes were stolen. Had no idea where it would go from there. Going to copy and past a short response about the article:

"The writer of the article contacted me first and him and the photographer were here for four days. It was supposed to be about a local Bike Retrieval group (crime watch) and how it could become a model to take pressure off of the police, but they changed it into something else. We spent so much time with them, but hey, negativity sells. Sure calling out problems is good, but we gave them positive ideas on how to deal with Burlingtons issues, almost none mentioned here. Negativity sells even if the reporter and photographer seem nice and intelligent. (negativity bias)"

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Thanks Michael. Would you mind if I shared this comment with the author of the article and/or posted it online? No worries if you'd prefer not. Thanks!

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Nov 15, 2022Liked by Alec Karakatsanis

Sure! But I have more in depth replies and thoughts on the article too.

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That's depressing but if you've ever had a story written about anything you're involved with--this is what always seems to happen. They don't choose to report a narrative that challenges any presuppositions perhaps? So what they report often isn't accurate. They will only report a narrative that fits into an extremely narrow set of preexisting assumptions, and anything that doesn't fit or is too outside the usual framing they discard or distort. One neutral explanation is that there are conventions for journalism that force events into these frameworks.

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Nov 14, 2022Liked by Alec Karakatsanis

As always, a very insightful article. It is so disappointing that a newspaper syndicate like the NY Times puts out such biased, misleading and unchecked articles. I actually pay a monthly subscription to them and the Washington Post. Luckily I am a bit of a skeptic and prefer backup for any 'facts' presented in articles but I am considering canceling both. Thank you for your ever-diligent monitoring. I share your commentaries on social media with the hope that other people realize the need for thinking and questioning while they read. In other words, being mindful. Thank you.

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This is the second major newspaper article that I have read recently that provides the same conclusions without any data to back them up. That article was about San Francisco houseless people and how the city government is unable to help anyone, since they have the freedom to be houseless and addicted- and liberals would never infringe on that freedom... and the city was a mess due to the (implied) crazy liberal ideas. It discussed safety issues in the same manner as this one. It was in the Washington Post, the Guardian or another major paper. The attitude was those poor liberal saps are causing the problems and tying their own hands with their liberalism.

I wonder if the papers collude on what topics and approach to prove their desired points?

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The only times I've been plagued with theft (porch pirates and property damage), it turns out it was privileged people from my own neighborhood. I'd like to see a NYT article about rich people thinking petty theft is just a game their kids can play with zero consequences.

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Excellent (again). I am grateful (again).

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I've done meth and going on a bicycle ride while high never crossed my mind. I also love the fact that "only two" officers were patrolling is stated as a negative. Let's bring that down to none!

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Removed (Banned)Nov 14, 2022
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Copless dreamscape you mean!

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RemovedNov 14, 2022·edited Nov 14, 2022
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Yes my friend I don't disagree but that's not what is happening here. The facts are that people have banded together to find each other's missing bikes in their spare time and no one is getting their jaw broken with a chain. Burlington is a tiny, tiny town. Apparently the locals have a lot of free time! Also, I don't know much about jaw-breaking-chain-action, but I'm pretty sure that's not part of the BDSM lifestyle!

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deletedNov 14, 2022·edited Nov 15, 2022
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Maybe they are just sheltered and simple minded. People from certain backgrounds often don't understand social explanations or the complexity of economics, race, and other systemic effects. They've been primed with a simplistic ideology on all of these issues that they mindlessly fall back upon when faced with any social problem.

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