DON'T TURN YR BACK
Jan. 6th, 2015 11:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogI don't really want to get back into the whole “Black Lives Matter” debate, since I’ve pretty much said what I have to say about it.
But in the wake of the NYPD cop killings and some cops turning their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio – as if it were all his fault that Liu Wenjian and Rafael Ramos got killed – I feel compelled to add something, which is this:
I think the back-turning – and the subsequent debate where people make a point of supporting the police at the expense of the people protesting police brutality – is a good illustration of the overall problem.
To me, it indicates a clear “us vs them” mentality on the part of the back-turners. You can support the police, or you can support the “Black Lives Matter” protesters and get cops killed. You can’t do both. Yr either with us or against us.
This is the mentality that’s causing the tensions in Ferguson and elsewhere in the first place. It’s also a mentality based on several false premises: (1) BLM protesters are anti-police, (2) BLM protesters are therefore directly responsible for any idiot who decides to go kill some cops and (3) said idiot represents the will of the entire BLM movement.
That is not true. It’s also intellectually lazy. No one in charge of the BLM movement has ever declared open season on the police. Dingbats like Ishmael Brinsley don’t represent their views anymore than Darren Wilson represents every single cop in St Louis (or even America) or this guy represents the whole of Christianity.
The BLM movement is calling for accountability of police behaving badly, to include racist behavior (which is a reasonable demand, since police accountability benefits everyone regardless of race, so it’s not like there’s nothing in it for you, Whitey). This is not mutually exclusive to supporting the police. It’s entirely possible to support the police AND hold bad and/or racist cops accountable. It’s not about taking sides.
But I guess many cops (and their supporters) don't see it that way. Like much of the US, they’ve developed a “wartime” mentality towards law enforcement that feeds that “us vs them” viewpoint. (It also explains all the military equipment). That’s a shame, because the unintended message they're sending is this: (1) Cops’ lives matter more than people killed by cops, and (2) Never question our tactics. Ever. Respect us, or else.
Which isn’t really helpful. (It’s also not a new thing, I know – that meme has been around for decades – but recent events have thrown it into sharp relief again.)
Anyway, here’s a good column explaining why the police need to rise above that mentality, and why disrespecting de Blasio (who is technically their commander in chief) is indicative of a disregard for the chain of command, which in itself is a significant part of the problem.
I’d also recommend this article on the current state of the US military, which seems to operate under a similar unspoken agreement with its supporters as the police: we’ll defend you, just don’t tell us how to do our job or criticize the way we do it. A simple thank you will suffice.
Justify my love,
This is dF
But in the wake of the NYPD cop killings and some cops turning their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio – as if it were all his fault that Liu Wenjian and Rafael Ramos got killed – I feel compelled to add something, which is this:
I think the back-turning – and the subsequent debate where people make a point of supporting the police at the expense of the people protesting police brutality – is a good illustration of the overall problem.
To me, it indicates a clear “us vs them” mentality on the part of the back-turners. You can support the police, or you can support the “Black Lives Matter” protesters and get cops killed. You can’t do both. Yr either with us or against us.
This is the mentality that’s causing the tensions in Ferguson and elsewhere in the first place. It’s also a mentality based on several false premises: (1) BLM protesters are anti-police, (2) BLM protesters are therefore directly responsible for any idiot who decides to go kill some cops and (3) said idiot represents the will of the entire BLM movement.
That is not true. It’s also intellectually lazy. No one in charge of the BLM movement has ever declared open season on the police. Dingbats like Ishmael Brinsley don’t represent their views anymore than Darren Wilson represents every single cop in St Louis (or even America) or this guy represents the whole of Christianity.
The BLM movement is calling for accountability of police behaving badly, to include racist behavior (which is a reasonable demand, since police accountability benefits everyone regardless of race, so it’s not like there’s nothing in it for you, Whitey). This is not mutually exclusive to supporting the police. It’s entirely possible to support the police AND hold bad and/or racist cops accountable. It’s not about taking sides.
But I guess many cops (and their supporters) don't see it that way. Like much of the US, they’ve developed a “wartime” mentality towards law enforcement that feeds that “us vs them” viewpoint. (It also explains all the military equipment). That’s a shame, because the unintended message they're sending is this: (1) Cops’ lives matter more than people killed by cops, and (2) Never question our tactics. Ever. Respect us, or else.
Which isn’t really helpful. (It’s also not a new thing, I know – that meme has been around for decades – but recent events have thrown it into sharp relief again.)
Anyway, here’s a good column explaining why the police need to rise above that mentality, and why disrespecting de Blasio (who is technically their commander in chief) is indicative of a disregard for the chain of command, which in itself is a significant part of the problem.
I’d also recommend this article on the current state of the US military, which seems to operate under a similar unspoken agreement with its supporters as the police: we’ll defend you, just don’t tell us how to do our job or criticize the way we do it. A simple thank you will suffice.
Justify my love,
This is dF
