Police Culture in the USA

i once heard somebody say ‘trust, but verify‘… when you think on it… that can apply to a lot of the most troubling aspects of humanity…

Over at PopeHat.com, Ken White has a good piece on the police culture being presented to society at the Republican National Convention and more broadly in the media…
And since that’s the kind of thing I talk about at Pink Ink…
I felt I’d share…

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They carry messages about the relationship between the citizen and the state, as embodied by its armed officers: armed officers of the state are, by definition, heroes. Armed officers of the state are, by definition, trustworthy and right. It’s wrong to question them. They need and deserve special protection.

We already get that from television and movies and other parts of the culture. It’s only natural that we get it from our politicians as well. Law and order rhetoric has two parts — you’re in danger and I’ll protect you. Lionizing cops is part of the I’ll protect you phase. It signifies “I support cops, cops are part of my tribe, and together we will keep you safe.” At least, it says that for some values of “you.”
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Read the whole article here: https://popehat.com/2016/07/21/reverence-for-the-blue/

I’m very tired from listening to Donald Trump and such so I’m not going to say much…

So, have you ever thought about the fact that Tupac Shakur simply, and honestly, communicating to people that the police are not on their side and very well may hurt them has probably saved hundreds of lives… Hundreds of people have probably been saved from getting shot by police officers because of some music. Let all of the implications of that soak into your brain.