Responsible vigilantes, good. To put it in superhero context: more Batman, less Punisher.
LOL, Punisher… in our society, a “Punisher-styled” vigilante is more likely given the limitations of money and resources. In today’s world, how many rich folks out there would give a damn enough to spend millions, even billions, of dollars worth of investment into their own private little war with the national crime - one city at a time at that even? None… which is why it’s more likely to have some nut running around with lots of guns and a really short temper - being buffed up also helps - who probably stole the guns from a local gun shop in the name of the greater good and then goes on a killing spree… one ghetto at a time.
Perhaps we could take an example from the news. Say you were stuck in the Superdome in New Orleans during/just after the flood. And a woman’s screaming because she’s being raped and stabbed. Should you go outside and look for authorities for help (they shot the guy who tried this), or should you get a posse and take care of things yourself?
Does this meet your qualifications for an example, Blazed?
It’s simple.
Vigilantes are vigilantes because they are not subject to due process - they operate outside the law. That means, they arbitrarily hand out whatever they themselves decide is ‘justice’ without any checks or ballances.
Who do you want deciding that for society? The government? Or some creepy nutjob living in his mothers attic?
Does our definition of Vigilante also include groups like The Guardian Angels?