Letters to the Editor
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I Was Just About To Suggest This
So if you don't want people who desire to be cops to hold those jobs, what do you suggest? Compulsory police service for all citizens the way some countries have compulsory military service?
--Anonymous
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The libertarian in me hates the idea of a draft or compulsory service. However if we were to bring back the draft then yes people should be used to augment our police services. It would mitigate the Us vs. Them attitude that prevails today.
In fact draftees in my world would only be used for domestically, like for the fire department, schools, hospitals, police, and other emergency services.
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Culture clashes
Our first group identification is with our family where certain rules exist and the members of the group play different roles. As we grow up, we choose different groups with their own cultures. For some cultural groups the idea that their rules are superior to others is one of the important things that holds the group together.
It can be difficult when the different cultural groups we belong to have conflicting values. While some groups adopt the values of pluralism and inclusion, others prefer a totalitarian black and white world view that excludes the view of others. (I think this can happen on both the left and the right.)
I believe that as we get older, if we are reflective, we see that there are limits to the truth of any particular set of cultural norms. And see the fallacy of generalizing to the extent that we attribute to individual members of a particular group all of the negative aspects of the group that we don't agree with.
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Did Cary say cops avoid racial stereotyping?
Gee,
That is not true. Just take a look at the area of criminal profiling.
And let's face it if you look like 50 Cents then you are going to be perceived as trouble. And what about those Muslim clerics who were asked to leave an airoplane recently because fellow passengers felt uncomfortable?
I hope it doesn't get to the point where a woman is raped and brutally murdered by a man of Asian appearance, however the media decides to leave the racial angle out of any reporting because this could be construed as inflammatory or politically incorrect.
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Whatever it is
Whatever is going on, whether it is newcomer excitement--boyfriend adoration (I bet he carries two guns and a knife at all times)--or that your sister has always wanted to have this sort of power, you're probably going to have to do what Cary says here and simply accept most of the behavior. She's her own person, after all, and despite her over-the-top commitment to her new job, she has found a worthy calling.
Some lines can be drawn, however. The presence of guns in your house can be curtailed. The reference to 'black female'--a simple "Knock it off. You've known her for years. Call her by her actual name" will probably take care of that. Perhaps, in some small way, by being the loving thorn in her side about her overcompensating behaviors, you can help ground her in reality.
The key is to do this while still supporting her overall choices: "I love that you've found your calling. But why two guns in church? Are we expecting a Sunday morning shootout?" "I tell you what. Why don't you call up Susie and ask if the 'black female' of the residence is home? See how that goes over, Sis." These little reminders of reality may help.
My brother is a huge neo-conservative Southern Baptist boy. When he starts spouting off about whatever terrible thing must be crushed by the Christian conservative this week, I say things like, "So, is this in the newsletter?" and "Ah, another moment of loving thy neighbor, huh?" These comments usually end up making him feel sheepish and make him laugh. Of course, then, it's open season on my concerns over global warming, but hey, that's what family is all about--needling each other on a regular basis. With any luck, it won't erupt into warfare over dinner. Keep her grounded as best you can, while still loving her. Both of those things are your job, for life.
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bad cop, no donut...
1. most cops are *NOT* motivated primarily by social conscience and 'to protect and to serve'; they need a fucking job (like the rest of us wage slaves), and this is what they can get into... (as others have pointed out, it will *attract* power freaks and other authoritarian types who are prone to succumbing to bigshotism...)
2. most cops are *NOT* in the high-risk, death-defying, hyper-dangerous situations, places, or positions where they are *really* exposed to teevee-style violence, gang warfare, etc... *most* are plodding, cooping, pornlovin' donut-eaters who are more bored than anxious... (90%+ of cops will NEVER draw their guns in the line of duty...)
3. cops have on-the-job murder rates of approx 6 per 100000; retail clerks have 6.sumpin; firefighters have approx 12 per 100000, cabbies have approx 30 per 100000...
why aren't cabbies lionized like donut-eaters for their *really* dangerous occupation ? ? ?
4. society is NOT 'protected' by cops, the 'thin blue line' is NOT what prevents us from chaos, it is OUR collective choices NOT to hit our neighbor over the head and take his shit; we simply don't do that for a million reasons that have NOTHING to do with an overstuffed nazi-swat team descending down on us...
5. cops ARE the steel fist in the velvet glove of the powers that be in order to maintain 'order' and the status quo which benefits the top 10% of society (ie slap down the uppity ones who talk about making things better/different...), THAT is their true purpose...
6. it has ALWAYS been thus: the 'protection', investigative services, crime-solving, etc, are almost incidental to the REAL task of keeping a lid on subversive people and activities that would disturb kapitalist imperialism's great march to everlasting glory/profit...
7. most cops -until they get older and cynicallyer- don't even recognize what their real role in society truly is...
8. its not like there is no need for cops in our society, its just that their proper role has been perverted to be the protectors of bidness interests and ADVERSARIES of The People, rather than being OF The People...
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof