04-13-2015, 11:49 AM
(04-13-2015, 10:43 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote: A career criminal, leading cops on a 3 hour tour, placing innocent lives and cops' lives in danger, probably needs a little extra-curricular in order to get the message. He needs more than a time-out.
Police officers are not parents and adult strangers -- well-behaved or ill-behaved -- are not their children. That's an over-simplistic and ineffective analogy, IMO.
Police officers are paid and trained to enforce laws. They are not paid, trained or permitted to decide the guilt or innocence of suspects, nor to decide and administer discipline/punishment/sentencing.
Despite all of its flaws, the American criminal justice system has separate branches for good and deliberate reasons. You don't seem to understand or respect that. Your view suggests that America might as well just scrap the prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and juries and leave it all up to the police officers. I think that's a dangerous prospect.
Your view is simple-minded and skewed, IMO.
(04-13-2015, 10:43 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote: Earlier I said I was in the minority in my thinking, and you disagreed.
You really believe the majority of US citizens feel the way I do about this?
Your view contained several points. I believe that most Americans feel the same way about most of those points.
-Like you, I believe that the majority of Americans generally support police over criminals.
-Like you, I believe the majority of Americans are not in situations or environments where they face routine harassment or brutality by police.
-Like you, I believe the majority of Americans do not sympathize naturally with all criminals.
But, like you, are most Americans apathetic or tolerant about cops breaking the law or taking the law into their own hands when dealing with criminals? Unfortunately, I do think that the majority of Americans still view it like you do, but I think that viewpoint will (rightfully) be the minority one in the short-term future.
News and videos are accessible everywhere, all the time now. Thus, more Americans are able to see first-hand police brutality in action. I think the increased insight and awareness regarding police brutality has more Americans looking objectively and critically at policing in this country and coming to the conclusion that police brutality is a serious problem which may be more systematic than exceptional. I think that the growing protest of police brutality is a good thing for society and a good thing for law enforcement.
(04-13-2015, 10:43 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote: Anyway I sense that you really dislike my viewpoint on this, however, I understand the way you feel from your standpoint. We just look at it differently.
Yeah, I think your personal reasons for holding a fairly common viewpoint stem from contempt for others, an unjustified sense of superiority in regards to yourself, and overall ignorance. Still, I don't wanna tase you, pin you down, and invite a bunch of friends over to beat you to a bloody pulp or anything.