Last night I sat in a room filled with family.
They were from near and far.
After dinner and desert we sat in groups talking and listening.
I do more listening these days as my views are different from most.
I consider my views "more thoughtful."
It's because the first question I ask myself when judging my own opinions is, "Where did this come from? and "Why do you believe this?
I believe most people are programmed, first by the media and then by their peers, (who also get their thinking from the media giants.
Let's face it, Corporations wouldn't spend Trillions of dollars on advertising if it didn't work.
The Reason for this post;
On the television is a "news" story. No one is listening but the video is of 3 cops beating a man on the ground. One cop doing the beating and two others standing over the activity. My nephew, who is in the California Highway Patrol is explaining that the man is being beaten because he will not surrender to the police officers his hands. He will comply or they will beat him into unconsciousness or worse. And their reasoning is; that they are not safe until this happens. Three men with clubs and guns and a government that will stand behind their actions, and their excuse for this is that they are not safe. This is what they have been taught. That the citizens that pay their exorbitant salaries are all the enemy. That "Their" safety should be their primary concern. That demanding someone who has committed no crime, surrender their dignity, their freedom, to a group of individuals acting more like thugs than professionals. No one likes a bully and I am constantly amazed that the police are surprised by those that resist this treatment.
Remember these two things about the police and the dangers they face.
1. They volunteered for the job. They weren't drafted. They volunteered to Protect and Serve. I don't accept any excuse for their actions because they claim their jobs are dangerous.
2. And just how dangerous is it to be a cop. Go to the CDC's website. They compile data on deaths by occupation. Cops are less likely to be shot, stabbed or bludgeoned than a normal citizen. The only case of a higher death rate is from how they drive. They are more likely than you and I of dying in a car accident. And that's on them.
I've always believed that those people who want to be cops are the last people that should be given a badge. They want respect, but don't give it. They also don't understand that the respect their given is not real. Not earned. It's artificial.
My nephew commented that once the police got their "suspect" into handcuffs that he didn't look so bad. "I don't see any blood," he says.
I've always thought of my nephew as smart, and a bit of a know it all. One thing he lacks is wisdom. And it may be that the only way he'll learn it is the hard way.
Below is an example of how I think, and it illustrates how you don't think.
A CHP Officer can make $100,000 a year. What is their primary duty? To patrol the roads and issue traffic citations to unarmed drivers. And he or she is paid this because their job is thought to be dangerous.
How much money does a Private in the Army make? As they patrol the roads of some shit hole country far from home. Less than minimum wage. Who has the more dangerous job?
