This is a strange statement because by definition the innocent don't need mercy. Mercy is forgiveness for wrongdoing, and refusing to forgive and give mercy to some leads to a society that is cruel. As Thomas Acquinas put it:
> justice without mercy is cruelty; mercy without justice is dissolution.
Yet government wrongs normal people who have done nothing daily. Subjects them to crime through ineffective justice, taxes them, criminalizes behaviour that rational people would consider not to be criminal, etc...
In my country they'll try to prosecute you for longer jail sentences if you criticize the government than if you kill someone...
Look at the UAE, no income tax, only 9% corporate tax, GDP per capita higher than most of western Europe, and three of the top ten safest cities in the world (<a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-city-rankings/safest-cities-in-the-world" rel="nofollow">https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-city-rankings/safest...). GDP projected to grow 3% this year in spite of being bombed and having its main export waterway blocked. Literally over 100x lower chance of being sexually assaulted there than in the UK or France.
> Human Rights Watch has reported on the country's ongoing unfair mass trials, restrictions of freedom of speech and abuses to migrant labour forces.[217] The annual Freedom House report on Freedom in the World has listed the United Arab Emirates as "Not Free" every year since 1999, the first year for which records are available on their website.[218] In 2025, the country ranked 18 out of 100 in terms of the freedom index, due to a lack of free elections, lack of government transparency and accountability, and a lack of free media and independent judicial system, and low scores against other metrics.[140]
> At the same time, the UAE has made it illegal to disseminate online material that can threaten "public order",[375] and hands down prison terms for those who "deride or damage" the reputation of the state and "display contempt" for religion. Journalists who are arrested for violating this law are often brutally beaten by the police.[376]
> Freedom of association is also severely curtailed, and in most cases, banned under existing law. In the UAE an association requires twenty individuals, none of which can have previous convictions and must be preauthorized and registered with the government.[219] All associations have to be submitted to censorship guidelines and all publications have first to be approved by the government.
Are you one of those technofascists who wants to trade everyone else's privacy and freedom all in the name of "security" (read: repression of the masses) for the elite?
Because, with your comment, it surely seems that way.
Furthermore, your source is garbage. No methodology at all, and if you click around to try to get what might be methodology, you instead get popup spam for malware. For fuck's sake get some actual data to underpin your opinions.
I think you've actually made my point for me with your example, thank you.
Given a bunch of cultural considerations in the UAE, I highly doubt that the reporting rates of sexual assault in UAE is comparable to that of France and UK. "Marital rape" isn't a thing in UAE; nor is consent generally legally codified. UAE has a history of laws against extra-marital relations; rape victims could face legal counter-charges.
Also, the legal definition of what a sexual assault is vary widely across earth making apple to apple comparison difficult. In addition to the reporting problem. Safe is hard to measure.
Which is basically Wilhoit's Law, an attempt to define conservatism.
edit: For those who don't want to look it up, Wilhoit's law is usually stated like this: "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
To back up stvltvs, the OP did more or less just use the one-liner as a zinger. "Protects but doesn't bind X, binds but doesn't protect Y" is the caricature, really. I'm sure you can find more floating examples on HN of it because it is a very lazy, midwit flex that signals the in-group the person spends too much time on the internet.
The law, as practiced in the United States, is Schrodinger's law, it magically changes if you observe it.
As an example, if me and 10 others commit the same crime, in the same city, get caught by the same cop, processed by the same judge, even all somehow hire the same lawyer to defend and represent us, I'm willing to bet we would all get completely inconsistent sentencing. None of us need to be politicians or elites either. There's definitely judges who don't care how much money you have, they'll treat you like anyone else, or with extreme prejudice.
ChrisLTD · · focus · HN ↗
jameskilton · · focus · HN ↗
Mercy for the rich. Justice for the poor.
A healthy society does the opposite, those with much should be held to higher standards.
dismalaf · · focus · HN ↗
jameskilton · · focus · HN ↗
> justice without mercy is cruelty; mercy without justice is dissolution.
dismalaf · · focus · HN ↗
In my country they'll try to prosecute you for longer jail sentences if you criticize the government than if you kill someone...
buellerbueller · · focus · HN ↗
logicchains · · focus · HN ↗
turtlesdown11 · · focus · HN ↗
> Human Rights Watch has reported on the country's ongoing unfair mass trials, restrictions of freedom of speech and abuses to migrant labour forces.[217] The annual Freedom House report on Freedom in the World has listed the United Arab Emirates as "Not Free" every year since 1999, the first year for which records are available on their website.[218] In 2025, the country ranked 18 out of 100 in terms of the freedom index, due to a lack of free elections, lack of government transparency and accountability, and a lack of free media and independent judicial system, and low scores against other metrics.[140]
> At the same time, the UAE has made it illegal to disseminate online material that can threaten "public order",[375] and hands down prison terms for those who "deride or damage" the reputation of the state and "display contempt" for religion. Journalists who are arrested for violating this law are often brutally beaten by the police.[376]
> Freedom of association is also severely curtailed, and in most cases, banned under existing law. In the UAE an association requires twenty individuals, none of which can have previous convictions and must be preauthorized and registered with the government.[219] All associations have to be submitted to censorship guidelines and all publications have first to be approved by the government.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_United_Ara...
buellerbueller · · focus · HN ↗
Because, with your comment, it surely seems that way.
Furthermore, your source is garbage. No methodology at all, and if you click around to try to get what might be methodology, you instead get popup spam for malware. For fuck's sake get some actual data to underpin your opinions.
I think you've actually made my point for me with your example, thank you.
buellerbueller · · focus · HN ↗
edoceo · · focus · HN ↗
owebmaster · · focus · HN ↗
stvltvs · · focus · HN ↗
edit: For those who don't want to look it up, Wilhoit's law is usually stated like this: "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
psunavy03 · · focus · HN ↗
stvltvs · · focus · HN ↗
FLeXMurphy · · focus · HN ↗
SoftTalker · · focus · HN ↗
ChrisLTD · · focus · HN ↗
SoftTalker · · focus · HN ↗
ChrisLTD · · focus · HN ↗
giancarlostoro · · focus · HN ↗
As an example, if me and 10 others commit the same crime, in the same city, get caught by the same cop, processed by the same judge, even all somehow hire the same lawyer to defend and represent us, I'm willing to bet we would all get completely inconsistent sentencing. None of us need to be politicians or elites either. There's definitely judges who don't care how much money you have, they'll treat you like anyone else, or with extreme prejudice.