{"article":{"id":202945,"heading":"The exclusivity of snitchin\u2019","author":"everardo carvajal","created":"2007-07-09 20:42:33","modified":"2013-11-11 00:49:04","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:49:04","article":"

The phrase, ‘Stop Snitchin’, the slogan of a few has gained a bit of attention recently. ‘Stop snitchin’ has been understood to mean ‘do not relay information to authorities’, in its strictest interpretation, there are no instances when one should assist law enforcement. You might remember a similar idea from your childhood, “don’t tell”, or perhaps, “no tattle telling”; similarly these phrases served as warnings about the negative repercussions of snitching or telling. The most common use of ‘stop snitchin’ aims to degrade, intimidate, or threaten individuals that assist police and courts to arrest, detain, or prosecute an alleged criminal; again, this idea is similar to the way be interacted on the playground. However, those that have written on the notion have chosen to characterize or mythologize this idea as a specific attitude exclusive to low income minorities. Stop snitchin is sometimes described by insiders and outsiders alike as a “street code of ethics” or “street code”. This attitude is neither exclusive to the past, nor is it exclusive to minorities and urban neighborhoods.



The ‘Stop snitchin’ attitude was present during childhood. In some sense, we can understand ‘Stop snitching’ as setting protocol. For one thing, the main component is that it emphasizes not ‘cooperating’ with police or other authorities. This “code” is not new; among people of equal status, the threat of established authority, legal or otherwise, can usually influence our actions. For example, remember when your sibling or classmate would threaten to tell the teacher, proctor, or your Mom? Given the threat, it was likely that you didn’t cause the potential mischief, that is, unless you weren’t afraid of the repercussions. Nevertheless, at some point during childhood, for any number of reasons, you probably adhered to this rule rather strictly. Perhaps your brother wouldn’t tell that you chewed all of Mom’s gum because he knew that you could also report his own tom foolery. One way the rule stood back then was “if you don’t tell, I won’t either.” Or, ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut if you will.’ Follow the rule….and we’ll both be free …don’t follow the rule, and you’re also getting pinched.

Aside from the fact that as children we reasoned along the lines of the ‘Stop snitchin’ protocol, we should understand that the childhood code and the ‘Stop snitchin’ ideas don’t diverge on principle. For example, both rules rely upon rather simple moral reasoning where the end result matters more than the means. As children, we knew that if we were to tell, we’d be subject to certain repercussions. Urbanites remain subject to those wiling to harm anyone who is so much as seen as cordial with the authorities. In both cases, the repercussions would likely to result in misfortune by way of a spanking from our parents or a beating from an advocate of ‘Stop snitchin’. There is a fairly obvious element of our own well being that can factor into whether or not we will keep our mouths shut or sing like a bird. Someone is not likely to divulge information if they are the ones that ultimately suffer. We’d have to be ignorant not see that this attitude didn’t end during childhood.

Chances are that you still operate by the same principle and don’t tell for various reasons. This attitude can be found nearly everywhere. At work, you know that if you reported the wrongdoings of your boss or lazy co-worker, you would suffer; and rather than become the moral beacon without a paycheck, you’d much rather ignore the fact that your boss or coworker can definitely contribute more to the team. In fact, fear of reprisal is the reason for the ‘whistleblower laws’. The Federal ‘whistleblower’ laws protect people from corporate thuggery and cronyism. The existence of a federal law to protect people from ‘doing the right thing’ and reporting their employers or superiors means that people in office and people in the suburbs are also subject to reprisals.

Unfortunately, a special status has been given to the prominence of the “no snitching” attitude. It is packaged and written about as exclusive to low-income folks and persons of color. Several commentaries and opinion pieces have argued that people are “stuck” in their “ghetto” attitude, and that only when they “do as they are supposed to do” will they be better off. In other words, those writers nearly blame the poor for urban crime, and the inability of police to solve crimes or prevent future ones. In the end, ‘Stop snitchin’ is not new, it isn’t limited to urban neighborhoods, nor to rappers. Chances are that you have seen several things that you could’ve reported, but you didn’t. Think twice the next time you hear a myth about the “hood”; chances are the given phenomenon is quite common rather than an attribute of the poor.

everardo carvajal<\/p>\n","contact":"lapalabra@gmail.com","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"Recent attention to urban attitudes has painted a picture of a wild urban frontier. The idea of snitching isn\u2019t limited by geography, income level, or time period. For some people, the \u2018Stop snitchin\u2019 idea is another fantasy of how the other half lives.","numcomment":6,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2007\/07\/202945.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":202947,"heading":"Its a way to fight the Bush Regime!","article":"\r\n\r\nThe phenomenon of "don't snitch" in the large inner cities is also an opportunity and a clarion call to all those abused citizens in the nation to begin fighting back at the Right Wing Fascists who run the country,by "Not Cooperating" with them anymore!\r\n\r\nThink of what these Right Wing Faschists of the Bush Regime done to America with instigating 911 and the Iraq "OIL" War.Or look at all the other dirty deeds these fascists have perpetrated on American citizens like illegal wiretaps,the Nazi-like Patriot Act. Everyone now is a "suspect" in this country,the human rights that were once taken for granted have been torn up and eliminated.\r\nHow many abuses will the citizens endure? Theres a greedy,fascist insanity at work these days where special laws have been enacted to oppress various groups like the "3 Strikes" and drug laws that mostly target and incarcerate young black men.Meanwhile other drug users and sellers walk the corridors of power in Washington DC.\r\n\r\nNon Cooperation wih America's increasingly Fascist Government is a viable and righteous way for all concerned Americans to fight and take back their liberty and democracy!","author":"k.hawley","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-09 23:34:34","modified":"2007-07-09 23:34:34","fileurl":""},{"id":202950,"heading":"thank you for this","article":"Yes, I agree that the kulture of rating to the state to bring in its 'approved' force is a carrot to the type of rat we know the overclass nurtures and rewards. We must adopt a secret society culture if this occurs in order to resist. Dark times await if we don't rip the rug off of the evil that is the ruling class and their corrupt system.","author":"Common State Enemy","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-10 00:11:26","modified":"2007-07-10 00:11:26","fileurl":""},{"id":202974,"heading":"Not Street Code","article":"Not snitching is not just for the streets. In fact, I suspect that there are more "snitches" in working-class and lower-middle-class communities than there are in more affluent communities. The only difference is the crime being exposed.\r\n\r\nWhen the president and vice-president collude spread lies to start a war, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the accountants cook the books, at the orders of the upper management, at Enron, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the record companies work together to exploit clueless artists, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the marketing department and ad copywriters come up with some more bullshit to sell sugar water to the masses, that's causing disease, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nSmoking is deadly. Reynolds "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nThe cops in Maywood work with "Tony Bravo" to impound the cars owned by undocumented immigrants, then turn around and sell them. "Don't snitch."\r\n\r\nThe cops on May Day beat up a hundred innocent people. Who was in charge, and made the wrong decisions? Who knows? They "don't snitch" on each other.\r\n\r\nEvery time someone gets robbed in their apartment, duplex, or house, they call the cops. They want and need a snitch. Sometimes, one turns up, but that doesn't mean anything is going to be made right.\r\n\r\nPeople snitch out the drug dealers all the time. They seem to persist year after year.\r\n\r\nSo, why snitch, when some hoodlum is willing to exact some violence on you if you call the cops, and you think "911 is a joke"? There's no honor in not snitching, just fear of reprisals.\r\n\r\nOf course, that's one reason the rich and middle class "don't snitch." They're afraid too. But, when they uphold their end of the bargain, and don't snitch, someone else "below" them is being victimized, economically.","author":"mananimous","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-11 03:41:31","modified":"2007-07-11 03:41:31","fileurl":""},{"id":202975,"heading":"Not Street Code","article":"Not snitching is not just for the streets. In fact, I suspect that there are more "snitches" in working-class and lower-middle-class communities than there are in more affluent communities. The only difference is the crime being exposed.\r\n\r\nWhen the president and vice-president collude spread lies to start a war, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the accountants cook the books, at the orders of the upper management, at Enron, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the record companies work together to exploit clueless artists, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nWhen the marketing department and ad copywriters come up with some more bullshit to sell sugar water to the masses, that's causing disease, "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nSmoking is deadly. Reynolds "don't snitch."\r\n\r\nThe cops in Maywood work with "Tony Bravo" to impound the cars owned by undocumented immigrants, then turn around and sell them. "Don't snitch."\r\n\r\nThe cops on May Day beat up a hundred innocent people. Who was in charge, and made the wrong decisions? Who knows? They "don't snitch" on each other.\r\n\r\nEvery time someone gets robbed in their apartment, duplex, or house, they call the cops. They want and need a snitch. Sometimes, one turns up, but that doesn't mean anything is going to be made right.\r\n\r\nPeople snitch out the drug dealers all the time. They seem to persist year after year.\r\n\r\nSo, why snitch, when some hoodlum is willing to exact some violence on you if you call the cops, and you think "911 is a joke"? There's no honor in not snitching, just fear of reprisals.\r\n\r\nOf course, that's one reason the rich and middle class "don't snitch." They're afraid too. But, when they uphold their end of the bargain, and don't snitch, someone else "below" them is being victimized, economically.","author":"mananimous","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-11 03:41:33","modified":"2007-07-11 03:41:33","fileurl":""},{"id":203033,"heading":"No honor among rug dealers!","article":"Say what you want homey about not snitchn but its an old old tune where drug dealers have been rat'n out other dealers to the cops to protect their own turf.Its simple and effectif - call a cop,maybe one of you pals? Tell em so and so is dealing on this there corner and he's got a big wad of cash in his jeans right! So the cops collar the guy and his dope and money and of course what percent of that loot finally gets turned into the cop shop is the cops word against the dealers word see! Again fast and effectif!","author":"Jayster","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-13 03:10:36","modified":"2007-07-13 03:10:36","fileurl":""},{"id":203102,"heading":"Snitches vs Whistle Blowers","article":"Snitching and Whistle Blowing.\r\nA humorous effort has been made to credit the rat and to demonize the clarion.\r\nIn respect to drug dealers and their desperate enterprises in black marketerring, the top structure of this enterprise is a smooth working relation between the intelligence services such as the DIA and CIA and the major distributors to their tertiary suppliers and street dealers. It wouldn\u2019t take that much effort to down trace the supply chain and bust nearly all the lower players in another massive nationwide police action. Remember last year when such a roundup was orchestrated with respect to other \u2018undesirables\u2019, across the nation?\r\nThe overclass REQUIRES a snitch force to maintain rule as it poisons the prospect of organization for resistance to the growing abuses of a tyranny.\r\nRats facilitate the overclass and are rewarded if they perform this function. \r\n\r\nWhistle blowers are of an entirely different classification. They are themselves a reaction against abuse by the criminal actions of such tyrannies perpetrated by the same overclass.","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":202945,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-07-15 12:08:36","modified":"2013-11-11 00:49:09","fileurl":""}]}