Comment by JumpCrisscross
3 months ago
> Organized crime is able to wield more violence than normal individuals so it has more power over them
In very localised conditions, largely due to the state's neglect.
> only when the state targets you (such as when you perform one very visible / high-severity crime) that it's near impossible to escape it
This is the crux of power. Discretion.
> In very localised conditions, largely due to the state's neglect.
I didn't mean just materialized physical violence against a person's body. It is still violence when it's implied/threatened, when it's targeted at belongings / relatives / reputation, when it's through a third party, etc. and often a combination of these. For example promising to call the cops on someone checks 2 boxes (3 if it's something they haven't done).
> This is the crux of power. Discretion.
Discretion is how you avoid power being used against you, it is not how you exert power. Though in a hierarchical society (pretty much all of them) where you're not at the top, you might need to use discretion to avoid a greater power while exerting your power on someone with even less power.