Honor Culture Fills Policing Gaps

Where people don’t trust the state to protect them, men enforce status and safety through retaliatory 'honor' norms—much like medieval Europe. The author argues U.S. reluctance to police effectively in some Black neighborhoods sustains a DIY order that normalizes violent score‑settling. Dignity norms only take root when a capable, trusted state reliably enforces public order. — This reframes crime and policing debates around state capacity and trust as cultural levers that move violence, not just around guns or poverty.