7 ms·
Calling yourself the “thin blue line” like a reference to police really doesn’t seem like a way to have an enduring community. Police don’t serve the community;
by foxes 2y ago
Calling yourself the “thin blue line” like a reference to police really doesn’t seem like a way to have an enduring community. Police don’t serve the community; I guess they think in the same way then.
- anon-3988 2y agoPolice in your area maybe?
- adastra22 2y agoLook into the history and meaning of “thin blue line.” It’s an endorsement of the us vs. them mindset prevalent in American policing that is the source of many (most? all?) police scandals.
- milesrout 2y agoIt doesn't even originate in the US, mate.
- tdb7893 2y agoAs far as I can tell it probably is American, all the earliest mentions of it on Wikipedia are American. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line
- milesrout 2y ago[flagged]
- adastra22 2y agoThe British sitcom is far after the coinage and adoption of the phrase in the US. You’ve got the causality backwards.
- tdb7893 2y agoYou have access to Google, if you think Wikipedia is wrong you can find another source. Don't just pretend you know the etymology of the word better while presenting literally no evidence though please.
- adastra22 2y agoIt did though? First attested reference was to the US army, then to various police departments including the (infamously corrupt) LAPD.
- teaearlgraycold 2y ago[flagged]
- milesrout 2y agoThey are largely there to enforce the law and investigate transgressions of it. If you've ever reported a theft lately you'd know that they are not resourced - at least around here - to put any priority on protecting anyone's property. They have their hands full dealing with domestics and drug and alcohol related offending.
- userbinator 2y ago[flagged]
- theden 2y agoI agree with you, and the reference _is_ politically loaded (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line): >The thin blue line U.S. flag has been banned by some police departments in the United States for its associations with ideologies described as "undemocratic, racist, and bigoted." >According to a 2018 law review article, "thin blue line" also refers to an unwritten code of silence used to cover up police misconduct, also known as the blue wall of silence, a term dating back to 1978
- jdlshore 2y agoSeems like ignorance of the implications, not any desire to a tie themselves to a political stance. I think the “assume positive intent” principle needs to apply here.
- lexandstuff 2y agoAlso, if you're not from the USA, you're more likely to associate it with the beloved Rowan Atkinson sitcom.
- OJFord 2y agoOr the non-politically-loaded phrase that the sitcom is named for.
- o11c 2y agoThere's a difference between "not politically-loaded decades ago" and "not politically-loaded now". We still let people use the Swastika if they had a harmless tradition of using it beforetime. But if anybody new uses it, we assume it's because of the murder.
- OJFord 2y agoThere's also a difference between 'the USA' and 'the rest of the world'. I don't know how Tso was using it and don't care nor have any reason to defend him, don't mistake me.
- paulddraper 2y ago> Police don’t serve the community Whom do they serve?
- TheCleric 2y agoIn my experience, mostly themselves.
- bigolkevin 2y agoThe wealthy and powerful, in exchange for their preferential treatment, their place of power, and more generous scraps from the master's table.
- krapp 2y agoCapital. Within capitalist societies police protect the interests of the state, which itself exists to serve and benefit the capitalist class. Police "maintain order" to ensure the proletariat continues to submit to the state and participate in the capitalist machine, and they commit violence against anyone who does otherwise.
- paulddraper 2y agoBro, just don't rob CVS
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sdwr 2y agoPolice can serve the community - but people who use the reference "thin blue line" are casting police as combatants rather than public servants.