01-09-2018, 10:34 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2018, 10:35 AM by rva_jeremy.
Edit Reason: typo
)
Man, this thread pushes all of my buttons. I find myself of two very different minds.
On the one hand, I know deep within that oppressive, domineering authority is an issue I've had to work on all my life, whether with parents, bullies, bosses, cops, etc. It's not what the authority is doing so much as the deep dread their power instills in me for some reason, this reaction I have to this particular danger separate from all the other deadly dangers I encounter every day. So I know that the thing I need to work on is me. I need a more balanced approach to these aspects of the Creator.
On the other hand, it must be said that law enforcement are not just normal, regular people like others. Not only do they enjoy wide discretion in how they interact with you--to the point that they can pretty much get away with any amount of violence they choose to introduce to a situation--but they have an institutional mindset that sees threats everywhere. They are literally trained to think as warriors, as elite, and this mindset of thinking of the people they are supposed to protect as "sheep" colors the way they interact with us.
That combination of mindset and proclivity to action is not unique to cops, but since they wear uniforms that announce their status, it's easily detected. I agree that I've known lots of decent, good people in law enforcement. But since next to none of them actually stand up to the bad apples in their organizations, it doesn't really matter. They will go to the mat for their brothers in blue 999 out of 1000 times, so the fact that there are good ones makes little difference in how I approach cops.
I think it is how one behaves towards cops that's the biggest challenge for those polarizing positively. How much can you open up to somebody who can punish you, who can use your words against you, who lies in order to entrap you? It's a huge test. What I'm wondering is whether there's a way to assert your rights while being loving and respectful, since it seems like cops have a cultural need to escalate situations whenever they don't get exactly what they want.
On the one hand, I know deep within that oppressive, domineering authority is an issue I've had to work on all my life, whether with parents, bullies, bosses, cops, etc. It's not what the authority is doing so much as the deep dread their power instills in me for some reason, this reaction I have to this particular danger separate from all the other deadly dangers I encounter every day. So I know that the thing I need to work on is me. I need a more balanced approach to these aspects of the Creator.
On the other hand, it must be said that law enforcement are not just normal, regular people like others. Not only do they enjoy wide discretion in how they interact with you--to the point that they can pretty much get away with any amount of violence they choose to introduce to a situation--but they have an institutional mindset that sees threats everywhere. They are literally trained to think as warriors, as elite, and this mindset of thinking of the people they are supposed to protect as "sheep" colors the way they interact with us.
That combination of mindset and proclivity to action is not unique to cops, but since they wear uniforms that announce their status, it's easily detected. I agree that I've known lots of decent, good people in law enforcement. But since next to none of them actually stand up to the bad apples in their organizations, it doesn't really matter. They will go to the mat for their brothers in blue 999 out of 1000 times, so the fact that there are good ones makes little difference in how I approach cops.
I think it is how one behaves towards cops that's the biggest challenge for those polarizing positively. How much can you open up to somebody who can punish you, who can use your words against you, who lies in order to entrap you? It's a huge test. What I'm wondering is whether there's a way to assert your rights while being loving and respectful, since it seems like cops have a cultural need to escalate situations whenever they don't get exactly what they want.