May
19
When the going gets tough, people start snitching.
That seems to be the case, according to this New York Times report.
The Times reports that calls to the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers hot line in the first quarter of this year were up 30 percent over last year and that San Antonio had a 44 percent increase. There were similar figures across America with callers telling the police they need the money to pay the rent and power bill.
With people turning in neighbors, relatives or former boyfriends, it does raise interesting ethical issues. Yes, it might also have something to do with rising crime rates but it also suggests a wider breakdown of trust and strong bonds. And in hard times, that's a worry.
I think this may also be an incentive for people who would not ordinarily snitch on people they are afraid of. Not being able to pay the rent can do this to a person. In hard times people will do anything for money, but turning something like this into a business, so to say, does raise ethical questions.