Dennis Prager argues that poverty, racism, and low self-esteem don't cause crime. Criminologist Roy Baumeister told him the murderers he studied had the highest self-esteem he'd ever seen, suggesting the opposite link.
The self-esteem roots of crime, which sounds great, but it was, of course, as soon as it happened, I knew it was stupid. What they really were saying is, you know, poverty causes crime, racism causes crime, and now they were adding a third one: low self-esteem causes crime. By the way, poverty is a lie. Racism is a lie. Not that poverty doesn't exist. It's a lie that it causes crime. And low self-esteem. Roy Baumeister, one of the greatest criminologists in American life, professor of criminology, psychologist. He spent his life with criminals. I mean murderers, right? He said to me on my show, Dennis, the people with the highest self-esteem I have ever counseled, interacted with, yes, are murderers.
Life, Legacy, and a Dangerous Mission in the Soviet Union | Sunday Fireside Chat
