• TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Both are yes but also no.

    Each person is responsible for their own actions and choices.

    Also, often systemic issues make certain behaviors far more likely, and rather than suggesting there is something inherently wrong with a person or group of people who have made those negative actions or choices, we should address the issues that contributed.

    If a person beats their kids, saying they came from an abusive household does not absolve them, but if there has been a culture of ignoring (or encouraging) child abuse, addressing that would go a long way toward reducing child abuse in the next generation, for example. But the person who abused their kid still deserves the punishment they get.

    • 🔍🦘🛎@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Both absolve any action an individual takes. But one blames society at large and the other blames innate human behavior. We could, presumably, improve society.

      • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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        19 hours ago

        We can improve society by changing the system and by addressing the root cause. Accountability, in the sense of punishment after the fact, does little to improve it and is often counter-productive (see e.g. how the US prison system breeds more crime).