4 ms·

It's a heavy accusation to say that "police are racist and violent". Maybe it's true, and generalizing all police as "racist and violent" is an acceptable thing

It's a heavy accusation to say that "police are racist and violent". Maybe it's true, and generalizing all police as "racist and violent" is an acceptable thing to say because it's a systemic issue. I understand that the choice of headline was in part motivated by maximizing clicks, but if I were a cop I probably would be repulsed by this headline. This made me stop and think for a bit. About cultural criticism: I'm reminded that accusations like "the Japanese are xenophobic", or "The Chinese are rude" are OK (if said delicately) because these are criticisms of culture, not race (wait... are these the same?). It seems taboo though, to make sweeping generalizations of some other cultures, in particular minorities. Is this because of a lack of "fairness", or that cultural majorities are far more prone to reductive stereotyping? I'd be interested to hear HN's thoughts on this. Anyway, appointing a special, third-party prosecutor to excessive force cases is an excellent idea. I liked what the article had to say.

fiatmoney 11y ago
And what would be the incentives of such a prosecutor? They're appointed by, say, a mayor, or a governor - if they do a "good" job of prosecuting brutality, are they going to get a further appointment to a judgeship, or get enough support from the police union to pursue an elected office? How are they going to get good staff when they can't promise them any advancement inside that office, and doing too good of a job precludes them from being employed in a proper prosecutor's office? Effectively all you've done is established an organization specifically dedicated to sweeping up messes.
pmorici 11y ago
The headline isn't saying all police are violent and racist, it is saying that in his experience of being a cop he saw the degree to which police were. He more explicitly makes this distinction in the article. I've never experienced the stuff he talks about directly but based on my interactions with the police and those of people I know I totally believe that there is a portion of the police that act inappropriately on a routine basis. Why the police force at large feels these people should be protected from the consequences of their behavior or even shielded from any public criticism is beyond me.
kelukelugames 11y ago
I am reading "Rule for Radicals." It's the bible for social social. One of the core tenets is that people will only act on polarized issues. I hate it when people misquote facts or sensationalize an opinion. But the book teaches these tactics are necessary and gives historical examples. Link to the book: http://amzn.to/1R2ihZQ http://amzn.to/1R2ihZQ
- ericjang 11y ago
  Thanks! This book looks interesting.
finid 11y ago
>> It's a heavy accusation to say that "police are racist and violent". Unless you're or have been at the receiving end of police brutality and racist policing, you'll never understand why they're generally considered racist and violent. They are truly a legal criminal gang. Not that every cop is a criminal, but if a cop is decent and refuses to play by their "code", he/she will not survive for too long. The culture does not tolerate "rats".

fiatmoney 11y ago

And what would be the incentives of such a prosecutor? They're appointed by, say, a mayor, or a governor - if they do a "good" job of prosecuting brutality, are they going to get a further appointment to a judgeship, or get enough support from the police union to pursue an elected office? How are they going to get good staff when they can't promise them any advancement inside that office, and doing too good of a job precludes them from being employed in a proper prosecutor's office? Effectively all you've done is established an organization specifically dedicated to sweeping up messes.

pmorici 11y ago

The headline isn't saying all police are violent and racist, it is saying that in his experience of being a cop he saw the degree to which police were. He more explicitly makes this distinction in the article. I've never experienced the stuff he talks about directly but based on my interactions with the police and those of people I know I totally believe that there is a portion of the police that act inappropriately on a routine basis. Why the police force at large feels these people should be protected from the consequences of their behavior or even shielded from any public criticism is beyond me.

kelukelugames 11y ago

I am reading "Rule for Radicals." It's the bible for social social. One of the core tenets is that people will only act on polarized issues. I hate it when people misquote facts or sensationalize an opinion. But the book teaches these tactics are necessary and gives historical examples. Link to the book: http://amzn.to/1R2ihZQ http://amzn.to/1R2ihZQ

ericjang 11y ago
Thanks! This book looks interesting.

finid 11y ago

>> It's a heavy accusation to say that "police are racist and violent". Unless you're or have been at the receiving end of police brutality and racist policing, you'll never understand why they're generally considered racist and violent. They are truly a legal criminal gang. Not that every cop is a criminal, but if a cop is decent and refuses to play by their "code", he/she will not survive for too long. The culture does not tolerate "rats".