5 ms·

So many responses aren't getting the point of this comment. Cops are basically trying to sort "good people" from "bad people", despite how regressive that is. O

So many responses aren't getting the point of this comment. Cops are basically trying to sort "good people" from "bad people", despite how regressive that is. Often times you'll get pulled over while being "guilty" of something that is completely understandable (newly broken tail light) or mostly used as a pretext to pull people over to investigate other things (5-10 mph over in most areas). If you stay terse with the cop, especially if you're young, they'll see you as someone flippant who doesn't respect their authorituh and punish you with the letter of the law. Whereas if you engage and give them friendly answers they're more likely to see you as a person (aka "good person") and let you go with a warning. Obviously for this to work, you need to have the sense to not give them answers that incriminate you or otherwise make them suspicious.

mplanchard 3y ago
Heck you don’t have to be rude to not answer their questions. If you’re young you can even blame your parents: “Sorry officer but my parents advised me to never answer any questions without my lawyer, so that’s what I’m doing.” As an older person, if you want to deflect blame, you can blame your lawyer, your LEO cousin, or anyone else you want.
- lelanthran 3y ago
  > If you’re young you can even blame your parents: “Sorry officer but my parents advised me to never answer any questions without my lawyer, so that’s what I’m doing.” This is the best advice for young people: if you say you're taking your parent's advice, there's a number of advantages: a) You're not being rude, b) You're coming across as someone who obeys authority, c) It's nothing personal,
93po 3y ago
If a cop lets how nice you are influence whether they ticket you, they are corrupt and making a joke of their profession. Cops don’t ask you questions to be conversational. They do it because they want to fuck you.
- mindslight 3y ago
  What exactly do you think the goal of their profession is? Pure uniform malevolence?
  - 93po 3y ago
    I think the personal goals of the average cop involve doing the least amount of work possible, doing whatever they want, supporting their peers in doing whatever they want, and getting paid. Doing whatever they want usually involving "putting people in their place" and forcing them to "respect their authority", whether consciously or not. The goals of policing as a profession has roots in protecting capitalism and those who control capital. It hasn't deviated much from that since it started. And I would describe capitalism as malevolent. So to answer your question: yes.
    - mindslight 3y ago
      I agree with most of what you wrote in this comment - I don't agree with your original comment that just seems to be rejecting analysis. If police are protecting capital and those who control capital, then they're not uniformly malevolent - coming across as someone who, in another context, might be telling them what to do is likely to get you further with them. Likewise, if one goal of individual police is to force people to "respect their authority", then you're going to have a better time when you do "respect" that authority, especially when you're at the business end of the stick. Note that I put the quotes there because you don't actually have to respect them in order to make them feel respected. That's essentially what my argument boils down to - acknowledging their motivations, especially the nuances and not just painting with a broad brush, in a way that you personally can work with will be advantageous.
      - 93po 3y ago
        I don’t care about having a bad time if it’s the result of a corrupt cop not respecting me exercising my rights. I think it is my moral imperative to use all my rights at all times with cops because it helps normalize it for others who can’t so nonchalantly have a lawyer and afford going to court. If a cop treats me courteously and greets me kindly and is respectful in doing their job, I will also greet them kindly and wish them well at the end, but I still still say “respectfully, I will provide identification/documentation and confirm basic details about my identity but am otherwise exercising my right to remain silent and to speak with an attorney”. I will acquiesce only very slightly in that I will sign the ticket they give me instead of getting arrested for refusal to sign. If he wants to make up a reason to arrest me or potentially even harm me, I will fight it in court.

mplanchard 3y ago

Heck you don’t have to be rude to not answer their questions. If you’re young you can even blame your parents: “Sorry officer but my parents advised me to never answer any questions without my lawyer, so that’s what I’m doing.” As an older person, if you want to deflect blame, you can blame your lawyer, your LEO cousin, or anyone else you want.

lelanthran 3y ago
> If you’re young you can even blame your parents: “Sorry officer but my parents advised me to never answer any questions without my lawyer, so that’s what I’m doing.” This is the best advice for young people: if you say you're taking your parent's advice, there's a number of advantages: a) You're not being rude, b) You're coming across as someone who obeys authority, c) It's nothing personal,

93po 3y ago

If a cop lets how nice you are influence whether they ticket you, they are corrupt and making a joke of their profession. Cops don’t ask you questions to be conversational. They do it because they want to fuck you.

mindslight 3y ago
What exactly do you think the goal of their profession is? Pure uniform malevolence?
- 93po 3y ago
  I think the personal goals of the average cop involve doing the least amount of work possible, doing whatever they want, supporting their peers in doing whatever they want, and getting paid. Doing whatever they want usually involving "putting people in their place" and forcing them to "respect their authority", whether consciously or not. The goals of policing as a profession has roots in protecting capitalism and those who control capital. It hasn't deviated much from that since it started. And I would describe capitalism as malevolent. So to answer your question: yes.
  - mindslight 3y ago
    I agree with most of what you wrote in this comment - I don't agree with your original comment that just seems to be rejecting analysis. If police are protecting capital and those who control capital, then they're not uniformly malevolent - coming across as someone who, in another context, might be telling them what to do is likely to get you further with them. Likewise, if one goal of individual police is to force people to "respect their authority", then you're going to have a better time when you do "respect" that authority, especially when you're at the business end of the stick. Note that I put the quotes there because you don't actually have to respect them in order to make them feel respected. That's essentially what my argument boils down to - acknowledging their motivations, especially the nuances and not just painting with a broad brush, in a way that you personally can work with will be advantageous.
    - 93po 3y ago
      I don’t care about having a bad time if it’s the result of a corrupt cop not respecting me exercising my rights. I think it is my moral imperative to use all my rights at all times with cops because it helps normalize it for others who can’t so nonchalantly have a lawyer and afford going to court. If a cop treats me courteously and greets me kindly and is respectful in doing their job, I will also greet them kindly and wish them well at the end, but I still still say “respectfully, I will provide identification/documentation and confirm basic details about my identity but am otherwise exercising my right to remain silent and to speak with an attorney”. I will acquiesce only very slightly in that I will sign the ticket they give me instead of getting arrested for refusal to sign. If he wants to make up a reason to arrest me or potentially even harm me, I will fight it in court.