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That Ghandi quote is also a two way street. Why must it be the public who is the first to bend? I don't care much for your anecdote either. There is no way to

by bena 7y ago

That Ghandi quote is also a two way street. Why must it be the public who is the first to bend? I don't care much for your anecdote either. There is no way to verify it and you could be lying about it simply in order to make it seem like you understand the other side. If you genuinely had a point, you wouldn't need to drop to such a blatant appeal to emotion. There are more instances of cops shooting unarmed civilians than there are of cops reporting each other for misconduct. Cops with reports of misconduct from the public are often found in new districts or precincts. They protect their own with far more fervor than they protect the public.

JPKab 7y ago
My anecdote is real. I was walking back from a party to my girlfriend's house at 2AM, and a vehicle approached me head on and came to an abrupt stop. I was blinded by the headlights and a large man with gray hair jumped out of it carrying a baseball bat and charged me with it. He held it horizontally with both hands and rammed me in the chest, knocking me to the ground. He had already called the police, and lived a few blocks away. Neighbors woke up, and he asked them to update his location. 3 cars showed up. I was happily waiting for the police because the man was threatening to hit me in the head, and I knew I was innocent. The neighbors were all away, watching from their porches. The cops showed up, didn't believe me at all, and 100% believed the man who had just fucked me up with a bat. It wasn't a fun night. Keep in mind, I was already hurting from the bat when I got cuffed and tossed down. You are constructing a straw man here, by acting as if I'm against cops doing the same thing. Of course I'm not. I'm simply observing that individuals should first change their own behavior before expecting changes from others. This goes for the cops too. They should respect people even if they are being disrespected and called pigs or whatever. I'm against all forms of abuse of power, and I take huge issue with police unions and departments sheltering bad actors. It's deeply frightening to me to think about abusive people being given a license to commit violence with impunity.
- bena 7y ago
  The point is that it tells us nothing. Once again, just because you provided more details to the story does absolutely nothing to verify those details. We have only your word. You're more paying lip service to the idea that you take "huge issue" with police unions and departments sheltering bad actors. You say the words. But you're also here defending them with the whole "they're not all bad" shtick. And pulling the whole "replace X with Y, well aren't you a racist" card. There's far more instances of them protecting each other than there are of them protecting us from "the bad actors". If it were "deeply frightening" to you to think about abusive people being given license to commit violence with impunity, then I don't see how you so readily leap to the defense of law enforcement officers.
  - JPKab 7y ago
    I disagree with you on some points, and therefore my story is made up and I don't have concern about abuse of power. I'll halt my comments now. I'm arguing with an ideologue, obviously. Nice how you didn't debate my points, you just doubled down on your blind, juvenile tribalism, and positioned me as being partisan to the enemy. Ideological possession personified.
    - bena 7y ago
      No. That's what you're doing here. I even clearly explained why your anecdote was pointless to any argument you might want to make. It's unverifiable and simply an appeal to emotion. I think it's fair to question the motives of someone who would not only do that, but fail to acknowledge it when it was pointed out. You're the one labeling people as "ideologue"s and refusing to bring anything resembling a fact. It's just straight to defense of the police. With the occasional "Oh, I hate abuse too, sure" when called on it.

by bena 7y ago

JPKab 7y ago

My anecdote is real. I was walking back from a party to my girlfriend's house at 2AM, and a vehicle approached me head on and came to an abrupt stop. I was blinded by the headlights and a large man with gray hair jumped out of it carrying a baseball bat and charged me with it. He held it horizontally with both hands and rammed me in the chest, knocking me to the ground. He had already called the police, and lived a few blocks away. Neighbors woke up, and he asked them to update his location. 3 cars showed up. I was happily waiting for the police because the man was threatening to hit me in the head, and I knew I was innocent. The neighbors were all away, watching from their porches. The cops showed up, didn't believe me at all, and 100% believed the man who had just fucked me up with a bat. It wasn't a fun night. Keep in mind, I was already hurting from the bat when I got cuffed and tossed down. You are constructing a straw man here, by acting as if I'm against cops doing the same thing. Of course I'm not. I'm simply observing that individuals should first change their own behavior before expecting changes from others. This goes for the cops too. They should respect people even if they are being disrespected and called pigs or whatever. I'm against all forms of abuse of power, and I take huge issue with police unions and departments sheltering bad actors. It's deeply frightening to me to think about abusive people being given a license to commit violence with impunity.

bena 7y ago
The point is that it tells us nothing. Once again, just because you provided more details to the story does absolutely nothing to verify those details. We have only your word. You're more paying lip service to the idea that you take "huge issue" with police unions and departments sheltering bad actors. You say the words. But you're also here defending them with the whole "they're not all bad" shtick. And pulling the whole "replace X with Y, well aren't you a racist" card. There's far more instances of them protecting each other than there are of them protecting us from "the bad actors". If it were "deeply frightening" to you to think about abusive people being given license to commit violence with impunity, then I don't see how you so readily leap to the defense of law enforcement officers.
- JPKab 7y ago
  I disagree with you on some points, and therefore my story is made up and I don't have concern about abuse of power. I'll halt my comments now. I'm arguing with an ideologue, obviously. Nice how you didn't debate my points, you just doubled down on your blind, juvenile tribalism, and positioned me as being partisan to the enemy. Ideological possession personified.
  - bena 7y ago
    No. That's what you're doing here. I even clearly explained why your anecdote was pointless to any argument you might want to make. It's unverifiable and simply an appeal to emotion. I think it's fair to question the motives of someone who would not only do that, but fail to acknowledge it when it was pointed out. You're the one labeling people as "ideologue"s and refusing to bring anything resembling a fact. It's just straight to defense of the police. With the occasional "Oh, I hate abuse too, sure" when called on it.