Comment by burkaman
6 days ago
Calling someone a robber means they are currently a robber. It can be inaccurate and untrue in the same way that calling someone a bartender would be inaccurate and untrue if they are a lawyer who hasn't tended a bar in 20 years.
I don't like the idea of prosecuting people for this, but I don't think it's illogical.
Would you extend the same courtesy to a murderer or child rapist?
Just in case this is a leading question: there are many courtesies we extend some but not all people convicted of a crime. Bail, parole, etc.
Why is such a person wandering around free if they were convicted? Do you think prison sentences are not harsh enough?
Honestly I don't know, I think it would depend on how long ago the crime was and if there's a credible reason to believe they won't do it again. I do think there's a meaningful difference between "they murdered someone" and "they're a murderer", and in general I do prefer to describe people's actions as opposed to using "they're a ___" labels.