
Three Sheldons - samclemens
https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertsamaha/threesheldons
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shas3
I can't move past the son's crime. It is horrific sadism and violence. Read
about Yu: [http://www.wikicu.com/Minghui_Yu](http://www.wikicu.com/Minghui_Yu)

Why should we delude ourselves that he is genuinely remorseful or that he will
redeem himself for such a horrific crime? Some criminals reform, others don't.
It is a mistake to assume that everyone can or will mend their ways. One
consequence of the article's theme, the fact that we don't fully control our
destiny (absence of free will) is that the likelihood of recidivism is high.

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eximius
Do you think, having read the article, that it was a mistake?

Even if we accept that not everyone can reform, what should we do about it? It
is similar to the problem of sending innocent men to prison. I would err on
the side of caution and freedom.

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woodruffw
This was a real pleasure to read (in terms of prose and not content,
obviously). I'm gratified to see BuzzFeed make the jump to professional, long-
form pieces.

Kudos to the author for the excellent writing, and to the Sheldons for sharing
their story. Speaking as a white man who grew up 8 blocks from the apartment
mentioned in the article, it's both surreal and saddening to learn how
drastically different (meaning unfair) their lives were and continue to be.

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dmoy
If you liked this, there's a long form book about another family in a similar
situation.

Edit: help if I include the name: "All God's Children", by Fox Butterfield

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woodruffw
Thanks! I'll check it out.

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whack
I've been reading a lot of articles lately, which describe in detail the
sympathetic pasts and life stories of convicted criminals. Personally, I would
love to see a balance where victims of crime have their life stories written
about and sympathetically depicted as well.

In this article for example, the Sheldon family story was told in great
detail, but Yu, a university student who was killed while walking down the
street, for no fault of his own, barely got a paragraph or two. I wonder how
many of those arguing for more lenient sentencing laws would change their
minds, if they were exposed in detail to all the lives that were ruined or
ended by the actions of criminals.

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jmcgough
Great article. He was rightfully charged with manslaughter, but it's hard to
see the full picture sometimes (what lead up to this point, what are his life
circumstances). Empathy is important, even towards criminals who do awful
things. If we can better understand the problem, we can do better at
preventing similar incidents in the future.

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Grangar
Buzzfeed seems to be looking to better themselves. I hope they continue
publishing pieces like this.

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zethraeus
This article is really good.

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Mauricio_
Top 3 Sheldons that will blow your mind!

