Heroism—that is the disposition of a man who aspires to a goal compared to which he himself is wholly insignificant. – Friedrich Nietzsche
In our lifetimes we have seen the collectivists redefine the word “hero” from its traditional meaning to “anyone who survives a nasty experience”, then more recently to “anyone who works for a government in any job which might carry some element of danger.” And now, apparently, police departments are trying to refine the word again, to mean “a cop who shoots unarmed citizens in the back”. Somehow, I think the latest redefinition isn’t going to catch on in the public mind; oppressive regimes often award cops medals and citations for brutalizing people and enforcing tyrannical decrees, but such awards of “heroism” never seem to mean much to those on the receiving end of the brutality.
There is a popular myth (promoted by cops themselves) that the job of police is to protect people, but this is not true and never was; the job of police is to enforce laws and arrest those who break the laws. Police are not empowered to act to “protect” anyone when no law has been broken, and they themselves inflict considerable harm on those whom they declare (whether truthfully or not) to be in violation of arbitrary laws which are not designed to protect anyone. Furthermore, the Supreme Court of the United States specifically ruled in 2005 that police do not have the duty to protect people from harm. Yet, gun-control fanatics live in a fantasyland (based no doubt on television cop dramas) where the police nearly always arrive in time to “protect” people…despite the fact that common sense, statistics and the highest judiciary in the country all say otherwise. And even when the law clearly requires police to act, they are notoriously disinterested if the victim is a prostitute.
It seems pretty clear that a wise person provides for his own defense, and this is especially true for whores. But when a person foolishly fails to exercise due diligence, or when proper protective measures fail or are overwhelmed, it’s good to have backup. And since the cops are incapable even when they don’t pose as great a danger as the original threat, who’s a working girl to call on? Well, a group of weapons and combat experts in New York have volunteered for the job; last week Brandy called my attention to this story about the New York Initiative, who first announced themselves to hookers via this ad on Craigslist:
Hello, pretty lady!
I’m writing you on behalf of a group called the New York Initiative (We are not affiliated with law enforcement), and with the hopes that I’ve created a system that will help keep you safe when you go on dates! You can find our Facebook page through Google, as well as Google us with the words New York Press or Superheroes Documentary 2011 to find out what we’re about (Craigslist doesn’t allow me to post our URL)…yes, we look a little funny, but believe me when I say that we are all quite competent and capable of doing the things we say.
So with that out of the way, let me just get down to business…The Long Island Killer is out there. He’s a scary bastard, and it’s starting to seem like he is focusing on you pretty ladies because some people are slower to report you missing, and also because apparently the law doesn’t respect your personal choices and that means cops are slower to follow through when it comes to you. Well, I’m here to say F*** THAT. We respect you as human beings, we believe in personal freedoms and think that you’re doing something that is absolutely your choice to do.
So rock on, ladies…We are on your side. With that said, we are here to help…
The rest of the ad details their alert system and advises a check-in system such as I myself have advised in the past. Now, some have branded the NYI as vigilantes, dismissed them as eccentrics or subjected their ad to PC nitpicking, but only the willfully blind could fail to see that their professed viewpoint is a HELL of a lot more enlightened than that of the damned cops or the soi-disant “women’s groups” who only speak up for women who are willing to accept their poisonous catechism of victimization and infantilization. The following is an excerpt of a story republished from the April 24th Daily Mail on a website dedicated to real-life superheroes:
Self-styled superheroes have offered their help in fighting the serial killer thought to be behind the murders of over a dozen prostitutes in New York City. The New York Initiative (NYI) – a group of vigilantes who model themselves on comic book superheroes – have posted an advert on classified ads website Craigslist offering ‘rescue teams’ for hookers whose clients turn violent. NYI, who identify themselves as a group of ‘martial arts trainers, security specialists, emergency first responders, drug counsellors, former military police and former law enforcement’, are also offering free martial arts and weapons training to the women.
…The group is offering ‘a number to call and a few one-number or one-word codes you can say or text to us so that we can contact someone to assist you with a possibly violent date.’ They add: ‘We will react quickly and without hesitation every time, using our considerable contacts to the full extent of their reach.’ And they promise not to involve the police unless there is a risk of ‘serious danger’. The New York Initiative patrol the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan by night, attempting to deter crime. Though they are loosely affiliated with the so-called Real Life Superheroes, unlike their more colourfully-dressed counterparts they tend not to wear masks and capes. According to their website the group is composed of 11 members, with roles ranging from medic to combat specialist. ‘Our primary goal will always be to help those in the most need to the highest ethical standard and to the maximum effect,’ they say…
Think or say whatever you like about them; until and unless I find out that they’re not what they present themselves to be, I would call the NYI before the NYPD any day of the week. These are people who are doing what they believe in, working to help others without asking anything in return but the satisfaction of knowing they’re doing the right thing. And IMHO the world needs more like them.
Thank you SO much. After being accused of being juvenile, expecting “favors” in return for the FREE protection and training we’ve offered, and a bunch of other really inappropriate stuff, it’s really nice to see that someone gets what we are trying to do.
The superhero thing is incidental and often serves as a platform to speak out the loudest. A lot of people have chastised that we are not addressing or aiding the REAL issues, and I have two things to say to that:
1. Feel free to use our current media attention as the platform to get the word out about ANY cause you think is worthy, and saves lives. We’re on FB, use our wall, contact our email, I’ll personally champion whatever you think will help. Go for it.
2. We’re not saying that what we’re doing is the end all and big solution to the problem. We’re saying that we have something to give in addition to whatever other people are giving, and we’re giving it 100%. It’s all we have, it’s not a lot, but it’s better than saying “well, I’m not going to be the solution” and then do nothing. All of us working together are “heroes”. That’s what “heroes” do, they band together with others to solve problems rather than have to be the end all of problems solvers. That’s a cowboy. We know what has to be done, and it’s not brash cowboy action. It’s calculated, methodical and above all, persistent.
I know this is a lot to take in, as well as the media circus which may or may not look like it’s us just trying to get famous, but here’s the deal on the media… I released the press release myself because what I’m doing is creating a way for us to vet ourselves in the eyes of the public. A lot of people are saying “how can “girls” (term used generally, we accept all) trust them?”
Well, we are trying to be as transparent as we can and still retain a tactical advantage ourselves, as well as continue to grab enough media coverage to continue to be visible enough for everyone with or without internet to see. Word of mouth takes too long, and we would lose a lot of lives in the process. I thought this the quicker route, and more effective.
There are a lot of really good cops out there, to be sure… unfortunately most of them are beat cops who can’t rise in the ranks because they don’t give in to the blatant corruption of the NYPD brass barking at them to keep up things such as illegal quotas and only reporting of certain crime to make NY crime stats look better.
We’re willing to help this cause in any way we can. Just point us in the direction of where we might best serve.
Any other questions, feel free to ask. We are *somewhat* of an open book… Just no public questions about tactics and ID’s, if possible.
-Zero
Thanks for replying, Zero; I’m sure other readers will answer you so feel free to say as much as you like on my site. 🙂
It really pains me that people can be so clueless about what you’re trying to do; superheroes are a powerful cultural symbol, so why SHOULDN’T someone use that symbol to call attention to a problem that needs solving? If y’all were just a bunch of guys in business suits who put out that ad, who would’ve paid attention? Nobody. By taking a nom de guerre and a costume, a man signifies that he symbolizes something bigger than himself; if that’s “juvenile” then so are uniforms and judicial robes, or titles like “officer”, “doctor” or “senator”.
And as someone with a “secret identity” myself, I can certainly relate. 😉
Hello, Zero.
It’s nice to meet a fellow New Yorker.
I’m glad that you are helping sex workers in Gotham. But perhaps I could take this opportunity to put the treatment of sex workers in perspective to the way that New Yorkers have been treated, especially after 9/11 and the first election of Bloomberg as Alcalde soon after the attacks.
People like Bloomberg work best through what is called infantilization–turning his subjects into children who can’t make decisions for themselves. That is how dictators work–by turning their people into infants who can’t think and do for themselves. If you have lived in New York for the past ten years, you will have noticed that Bloomberg has banned smoking in any establishment, and has banned “fatty foods” in some dining establishments. This is not because he cares about people’s health. No, it is to infantalize people. He’s the Big Daddy Who Cares about “people’s health”, just as he is the Big Daddy Who Tells People To Bundle Up when it’s so obvious to everyone that it’s freezing outside. He has succeeded in deceiving people into thinking he cares about them even as they lose their homes and businesses through eminent domain, and lets Wall Street suck up more and more money that should be there to maintain the subway system. People still think he cares about them even after he strong-armed the City Council into giving him an illegal third term.
So I’m glad you’re out there, Zero, and I hope that you are serious and not a bunch of bored hipsters playing a game or a front group for some corporation or right-wing think-tank. So I’m with you if you’re for real.
Hey. I’m totally for the whole secret identity thing.
Good luck, guys. You’ll need it.
Expect huge amounts of police harassment.
Have a plan, or something. Find a lawyer to call just in case.
Yeah, I know. We have some alternatives to lawyers, so we *somewhat* covered on that front.
I appreciate also that you get the cultural symbol and “manifestation of ideas” thing. We are simply becoming something fully realized and as awesome as possible in a world full of people settling for things.
We refuse to settle anymore. We refuse to distracted, silenced, despairing, hateful, and above all, discriminating in ANY way to ANY human being. We would protect anyone, from what society considers to be the “lowest” to it’s “highest.” We are all the same.
The time for division is over. We have no illusions of being the leaders of anything, but we are taking the “initiative”. Anyone who wants to throw in can just turn to someone in need and really LISTEN. The world will tell you what it wants.
Thanks for reading.
-Zero
So much i want to say but i hate posting/typing using my phone. I do want to thank Zero for reading and responding. It seems we have similar desires such as not being willing to just stand in the background and settle. According to the RLSH.org sitemap there arent any cells in texas
I had heard of the real life superheroes. It was either GREEN or Currant what did a feature. This is real, and these guys are doing it without powers.
And really, this is sort of the way a society is supposed to operate: we look out for each other. I hope this doesn’t sound terribly “collectivist” of me, but a society is made up of people, and we can’t all be islands, islands on a planet with no other land. People working with people; that’s what we’re supposed to do. A neighborhood watch program is better than any burglar alarm.
I may never be able to do more than dial 911 and say what I heard or saw, but I should do that, if the occasion arises.
Methinks you misunderstand collectivism. For people to freely cooperate with one another, uncoerced from above, for mutually agreeable benefit is not collectivism; it is the basic principle of friendship, society and even business.
Collectivism is best summed up by a quote from the Emperor Caligula: “Would that the Roman people had but one neck!” It is the insistence that every individual be fit to a Procrustean bed for ease of control by the masters.
You keep using that word. I trust that it means what you think it means. I’m not so sure I know what it means.
You’re big on words, so you wouldn’t use it if you weren’t sure. I read a lot of people using it, and I’m not sure that everybody is using it the same way.
I’ve read two people describe the exact same news story. One will say “see what happens when you put liberals in charge” and another will assure us that this is the price one pays for putting conservatives in charge. To a lot of people, “liberal” or “conservative” simply means “the folks I blame for stuff I don’t like.”
And a lot of folks are using “collectivist” the same way. I trust you to be more careful than that, but I’m starting to doubt that the word has any real value.
Unlike “liberal” or “conservative”, whose meanings are innately relativistic, “collectivist” always means the same thing: subjugation of the individual to the state in the name of “collective good” (hence the term “collectivist”). Just because some ignorant people misuse it doesn’t mean it’s not a good word, just as the ridiculous misuse of words like “science” or “evil” does not rob them of useful meaning.
OK. An excellent example is the way people misuse the word “theory,” as in “evolution is only a theory.” The word “theory” does not mean “a wild-assed guess that would be a fact if there were any real evidence, which there obviously isn’t or it wouldn’t still be only a theory.” So yeah, “theory” isn’t a lousy word just because some people misuse it. So the same with “collectivist.”
But the truth is, any time a large group of human beings gather together, there’s going to be some collectivism, because human beings aren’t angels. There has to be some way to deal with those who would rob and kill, and there has to be some way to build the roads, defend the territory, and go to the Moon. So it’s a question of how much.
Ah, I see the problem; you’re confusing “collectivism” with “collective action”. They’re not the same thing. If I form a company with three other people that’s a collective action, but it isn’t collectivism because we all have rights and responsibilities which we freely agreed to in forming the company. Collectivism is “you’re in it whether you like it or not, authorities determine what you contribute and what you get, and you only have as much say in the matter as we choose to allow you.”
A group of hookers forming an escort service = collective action. The Swedish Model = collectivism.
No, I get the difference. If I’m Richard Branson and I found Virgin Galactic and ask for investors (or even donations), that’s collective action. If I’m NASA and I’m paying for Project Mercury with tax money…
No, that’s still not it. Project Mercury didn’t violate anyone’s rights any more than road-building does. An example of collectivism would be the government telling Branson that he couldn’t spend his money on space travel, then taking his money and spending it on something else. Or, banning any private space exploration because the government deems the astronauts incompetent to decide for themselves whether to take the risk.
So… taxation isn’t collectivist? I could get that NASA isn’t (unless they drafted astronauts or ground controllers or such, which they don’t), and that road building isn’t (except where imminent domain comes into play).
Is this something I’m just not going to get?
Taxation is certainly statist, but not intrinsically collectivist; it’s possible to tax everyone for a reasonable amount and still leave them most of their income to do as they please. It only becomes collectivism when the state takes away so much that the individual is forced to rely on it for things (like housing or medical care) he could otherwise easily pay for himself, or the government represses individual choice for the “common good”.
OK, still wrapping my brain around it. Give me some time and I’ll let you know if I just can’t do it. This could be like the replicant test.
There are a variety of books that feature collectivist societies:
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Nineteen-Eighty-Four, George Orwell
Anthem, Ayn Rand
Time Will Run Back, Henry Hazlitt
I need to get back to 1984. I had my issues with Brave New World, but at least it was fairly engaging. 1984 is so dreary and uninteresting that I have to make myself read it, and frankly, I just fell off of it. But since everybody and his brother references the thing, I need to force my way through it.
1984 was my least favorite of the four. It’s a lot more involved that the others.
I’m a dual citizen and have lived in both the USA and Canada. Three years ago, I moved back to Canada after having lived in Seattle for fifteen years. There is one example of collectivism which I wholeheartedly believe is good: the universal, single-payer health care system we have in Canada. It is indeed collectivist, but in this one particular area, I’m glad we have it.
Vigilante shouldn’t automatically be a bad word. Several of the historical Vigilance Committees did pretty good work (the SanFrancisco committee springs to mind).
Also; with 39 states having either adopted “must issue” laws for concealed carry permits, or not requiring permits at all, we are at a three decade low for violent crime. I’m not flat out saying there’s a causal relationship, but the widespread predictions of unconsidered vigilantism and blood in the streets certainly haven’t come true.
A citizen with a gun is still a citizen. He values the good opinion of his peers, and of society in general. Consequently he does not use his gun like a teenage boy playing Doom.
A thug without a gun is still a thug; he is accustomed to getting his way through thuggery, and will use whatever comes to hand (including an illegal gun, if he can get one).
If citizens are armed, thugs have it tougher. If citizens have been disarmed by a bunch of bedwetting buttinskis, the thugs generally have a field day.
I can’t prove my point of view here, and really it’s just something that popped into my head when I read your comment. The mention of “a teenage boy playing Doom” may be what triggered it, in addition to the statistics.
The three-decade low in violent crime isn’t because of more guns or fewer guns, or laws about guns. It’s because the teenagers of the ’00s (who gave America three- and even four-decade lows in violent teen crime rates) are continuing their non-violent habits into official adulthood. These folks are pretty safe, whether they own guns or not.
Steven Levitt would argue the drop in crime is because the people who are most likely to commit crimes were not born because of Roe v. Wade.
The 1’s who weren’t born don’t count anyway. They were just human trash, products of conception, a bunch of cells, etc. For some reason, though, these “things” (dehumanization and WONDERFUL eugenics thinking anyone?) always come out as human babies if allowed to live. But, I thought they’re just trash, etc., like I said above? Sarcasm helps me cope when thinking of this stuff.
There certainly may be something there. As I said, I shy way from saying there’s a causal connection. But my point about the constant predictions of “Blood in the Streets” every time anybody even suggests lightening up on Gun Control stands.
Every time a Gun Control proposal is mooted, the GC advocates assure us it will result in less crime. Statistically and historically there is precious little evidence for this, and there seems to be plenty for the opposite. Britain passed Gun Bans so encompassing that their Olympic shooters leave the country to practice, and the next three years see a 40% jump in violent crime.
Every time a loosening of Gun Laws is mooted, the GC advocates babble hysterically about blood running in the streets, and Dodge City. Neither prediction has EVER come to pass.
And on a side note; every mass shooting I’ve heard of over the last two decades has been in “Gun Free” zones of some kind. Including the Islamic idiot who went on a shooting spree on an Army Base (a Army Base with a Gun Ban? How idiotic is that?).
I say we change the name to something both more suitable and accurate. “Free Range Target Zones” sounds about right.
And I swear I’m going to blow a blood vessel the next time I hear wails about “our chiiiiiiildren” in regards to university campuses.
There are things far more dangerous than guns that are legal.
A swimming pool is nearly 100 times more likely to kill a child than a gun.
A child who is shot is more likely to die than a child who is splashing about in a pool. But there are many more children playing in pools than there are children playing with guns. More parents deliberately put their children in pools than deliberately put their children near guns. Stats like “A swimming pool is nearly 100 times more likely to kill a child than a gun” don’t really mean anything.
Tobacco kills a lot more people than crack cocaine. But if as many people smoked crack as smoke tobacco…?
I am LOVING the discourse resulting from this issue. Seriously, I’ve seen tons of different topics covered resulting from stories about this. It’s great to not have people saying “u r kool do u kno batman” every five minutes.
For the most part, this last few weeks have made me proud to be a human. More proud than I’ve been in a while.
On the whole my readership is pretty intelligent and expresses itself well. Trolls are vanishingly rare and I haven’t seen a subliterate poster yet. 🙂
She’s being generous. Most of my responses are inventive swearing. They keep me around for my comedic value.
But that value is high.
Not as high as My Balls, but I can only try.
nothin’ wrong with a bit of inventive swearing if I do say so myself…
Zero, do you and any of the rest of the NYI consider yourself libertarians?
The ideas you expressed are certainly libertarian-friendly.
I facebooked and tweeted this post 🙂
You go, NYI. I reserve judgment on your efficacy or hidden motives because, well, I’m just a f’ing cynic like that. I will say that it is extremely refreshing to see people respond with something productive and useful, rather than sitting on their thumbs crying about education, funding and whether the serial killer is the fault of hookers, white men, society or God.
If you get a shot on the bastard, take it. Two to the body, one to the head.
10/10 for the post. Guess everyone’s unsure at first about a new product or service, and in this industry triply so, but even if NYI don’t mean a thing, their action and the traction it’s getting certainly says a lot about the hooker-cop relationship – or lack of it – in the big bad apple.
Exactly so, Stephen. 🙂
I honestly try to stay away from any and all labels like that. What I can tell you is that we all have our different beliefs, and not a one of em prevents any of us from helping everyone we can.
So if me thinking that a working girl deserves to live like any other, as well as the other views I’ve expressed here makes me *insert faction here*, then I guess they’ll call me that.
And as far as “hidden motives”… Really, let me just say that I’ve seen enough nasty stuff close up to not need any deeper motives than stopping someone from murdering/maliciously hurting another person. Everything else is just noise.
**Applause** 🙂
Don’t mind me. I’m just a cynic. I’ve seen enough to know it would be naive to think there are situations people would not use to their advantage. I don’t know that NYI has Machiavellian intent, I merely know human nature, so the best I can offer is reservation of judgment and applause for your gumption.
I’m a hard sell, but please don’t take that as j’accuse. More people with your initiative would raise my opinion of humanity considerably.
Dear Zero, yes, all those WONDERFUL labels! I call it putting people into “little category boxes”. Isn’t it GREAT? I really love the 1’s that say EVERYONE is ____. Does it matter that some people don’t WANT to be ____? Or that it makes whatever ___ meaningless as the definition is so overly broad? The 1’s that say NO ONE is ____ are just as great. Does it matter that some people ARE ____ and even 1 of that type or a small group of them count as much/have as much value as a bigger group? A big THANK YOU from me as anyone who cares enough to do ANYTHING to prevent murder/violent crime is wonderful. I have a dear Internet friend whose daughter was murdered and she works with “at risk” kids to keep them from turning to crime, etc. Your group reminds me of her. Keep up the great work! Does your group need more exposure? If so, I’d be glad to help by putting your links, etc., up on some message boards I’m on where people are very concerned about crime (especially murder)/preventing crime, etc. Thank you and your other group members for all your help and caring and for not giving in to the popular mentality of thinking any 1 issue is all “gloom and doom”‘; don’t even bother to try; you can’t change things; who cares about protecting prostitutes or anyone?, etc. I’m a surviving family member of 2 murder victims so love anyone who’s doing anything to prevent any kind of murder/violent crime. Take care.
But seriously… I’ve met a lot of people who have seen bad shit and lived in horrible areas. Most often they use it as a justification to harden up, and detach further from people and reality… I find what I do is grow more compassionate the more wrong I see.
And trust me, I did NOT start out that way. Not by a long shot.
Watch out heroes, lest you be called pimps.
Ah, well, they would be in good company. Sex worker advocates are called “pimps” all the time, just as those who have the balls to speak out against government tyranny have been called “communists”, “terrorists”, or even simply “criminals”.
It’s a smear campaign – pure propaganda – meant to dehumanize the dissenter so that when he gets thrown in jail nobody gives a fuck.
*knock knock* oh shit…is that Lucifer knocking again?
*listening intently*
Forgive my late reply to this post, I’m playing catch up this evening 🙂
“For the most part, this last few weeks have made me proud to be a human. More proud than I’ve been in a while.”
Zero – hell, in that case you definitely might be on to something.
The individual is the smallest minority. We need more like you and like some of those around here willing to stand up for the individual or else we’re all going to drown in rampant collectivism.
Good for you.
YES! THANK YOU! I’m so sick of this ###***: 1 person doesn’t matter; 1 person can’t make a difference, etc. OR small groups don’t matter; the group is too small for anyone to bother with or care about; they can’t change anything; it’s all GLOOM AND DOOM with so many things so why even TRY to change things, etc., etc. This defeatist and arrogant ###*** is very popular. ###*** it! Isn’t what’s important is that we TRY? If we don’t try, NOTHING will EVER change.
To Tiddas:
The wording is very careful. We’ve considered that problem.
Respectfully, I never take anyone who offers to “help” at face value, as it almost never comes for free. I was taken aback when you guys first showed up on the spearhead, I immediately thought “what are these guys trying to get?”. My final stance is that if you guys are genuine, by all means.
Also, while it’s nice to have that spirit of “working to help others without asking anything”, there are some people I absolutely .refuse. to help. Amanda Marcotte for instance, I wouldn’t come to her aide under any circumstances, and you can paint me as whatever, but the fact remains.
But good luck, you’ll most certainly need it as you’re wanting to protect a group viewed as lower than animals by “good” people.(L.o.L.)