posted
re: the whole "cops" thing, yeah bad experiences with them has lead me to kinda hate that whole institution which I used to respect.
A situation where I forgot to renew the tags on my car resulted in me getting pulled over. And then I didn't take care of *that* ticket which resulted in me actually getting pulled over and *arrested* while driving to work. (even though I had since gotten new tags). I realize I should have taken care of business, but I was still, like, Really? Aren't there any real crimes being committed?
Kinda ruined cop shows for me.
And working in the medical field has ruined shows like ER for me. I hate how doctors are shown to do everything when everyone knows nurses do 99.9% of all the actual bedside care. And I swear to God, if I see one more show where they use a defibrillator to "restart" a stopped heart I will throw something at the TV....
-------------------- "are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over- an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist."
quote:Originally posted by KidChaos: A situation where I forgot to renew the tags on my car resulted in me getting pulled over. And then I didn't take care of *that* ticket which resulted in me actually getting pulled over and *arrested* while driving to work. (even though I had since gotten new tags). I realize I should have taken care of business, but I was still, like, Really? Aren't there any real crimes being committed?
Full disclosure: My brother is a cop, so what I have to say is biased . . . but, yeah, you should have taken care of business, KidC.
Two months ago, I was pulled over twice by police officers who thought my tags were expired. They were not: The cheapo tags my state uses fade after awhile and look expired (and my tags were due to be renewed within a few weeks). Both cops ran my license (which they are required to do) and let me go.
Cops don't make the laws; they merely enforce them.
Yes, cops who abuse their authority exist.
And yes, cops go after "real" criminals, too. They are the ones who go after drugged-up men who take axes to their girlfriends' apartments and wrestle them to the ground when they resist arrest, and who respond to reports of women jumping off bridges (which my brother did, both on Easter Sunday, no less)! They are the ones who deal with torn uniforms, bruised knees, and emotional trauma, not to mention insults from people who think the concept of personal responsibility doesn't apply to them.
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we have to pay the price for them. But don't blame the messenger.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Yeah, you're right. I understand they were just doing their jobs. I think some people (like me) develop negative feelings because all we have are bad experiences.
Which really isn't fair to cops cause I bet most people's experiences with them are bad ones... for obvious reasons, none of which are really their fault.
My "they should go after real crimes" remark wasn't fair, I know. But I'm thinking that's how lots of otherwise law abiding, tax paying citizens feel when their lives seriously disrupted by stupid mistakes. Again, on an intellectual level, I know the police are in the right, but on an emotional level I often feel differently....
-------------------- "are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over- an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist."
cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by KidChaos: re: the whole "cops" thing, yeah bad experiences with them has lead me to kinda hate that whole institution which I used to respect...
KC, (and HWW) I'm talking more about the kind of thing described in the links here.
For me, it's not that cops "should go after real criminals," but rather that far too many of them have incredibly distorted ideas of what "real criminal" behavior actually is. And that too often they aren't held accountable for their wrongdoing.
It's a constant refrain that "most cops are good people," but even if that's true, nobody can find out in advance of calling the cops whether a "good one" will show up or not.
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Quislet, Esq: Giffen's BWA-HA-HA Justice League. I initially enjoyed the little silly bits that were thrown in. But then the silly bits became the focal point. I got so tired of it that I didn't like it when it was brought back years later as specials. Between this, his later Legion art, and "killing" Karate Kid just because he didn't like the character has really turned me off of everything he does now.
Well said, Quis. I came into the DCU just as that era of Justice League was winding down, and I didn't like it at all. When my library got the first four trades, I tried reading them with the most open mind I was capable of, and I felt exactly the way that you do -- strong start, but then it got way too self-amused and overreliant on silliness.
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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quote:Originally posted by cleome45: It's a constant refrain that "most cops are good people," but even if that's true, nobody can find out in advance of calling the cops whether a "good one" will show up or not.
If you were being threatened by someone with a knife, would you really hesitate to call the police just because the officer who answers might not be a "good" cop?
I've had to call the police for situations in which I've felt threatened exactly twice in my life. The first time I was working the graveyard shift at a gas station and was being harassed by a young man who couldn't understand why I wouldn't sell him alcohol after hours. Let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing those red and blue lights enter the parking lot.
The second time I called the police was when a strange man was hanging around my apartment complex. He even banged on my door. (I happened to be in my car at the time.) Though he got away (as did the drunk young man in the gas station*), I was delighted to see the flashlights of police officers outside, in the snow, looking for clues. It is great to know that someone has the training to investigate such situations and the bravery to do it, not knowing if the person they are looking for has a weapon.
As I said above, corrupt cops do exist, and this is truly unfortunate. They undermine the very trust we are supposed to place in police officers. But reports online or in the news do not undermine the very real experiences I've had with police, which, all things considered, have been positive.
*This was my fault. In my nervousness, I gave an incomplete address.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by KidChaos: I regret using the word "hate" there...
I think I used it due to the title of this thread, more than anything else...
My apologies if I offended anyone.
I was not offended by your comments, KidC, though I think they reflect an all-too-common and unfair attitude toward the police: Someone gets a ticket for something they did wrong, and, somehow, the police are to blame.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders:
quote:Originally posted by cleome45: It's a constant refrain that "most cops are good people," but even if that's true, nobody can find out in advance of calling the cops whether a "good one" will show up or not.
If you were being threatened by someone with a knife, would you really hesitate to call the police just because the officer who answers might not be a "good" cop?...
Given what I've learned about the way the police and their bosses operate in this town, I'd have to say "yes."
I have called the police maybe three times in the last twenty-plus years. In all cases, it was over minor incidents, and only for the second two were there any other people involved. Frankly, I was at least as concerned for the safety of the other people involved as I was for my own.
Nobody should have to choose between their own safety and putting another human being at risk of deadly force because an officer himself/herself has severe anger management issues, is a racist or a bigot, or has been badly trained by the people in charge. And all of these situations cause ongoing problems where I live, unfortunately.
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
He Who, I tend to take it on an individual basis, but some things can't be taken in stride. Carol got stopped late at night on the way home in Lake City from work for a bad taillight. They ran a check, and she was arrested for Driving under Suspension.
Turns out, the reason the DUS was issued was because the cash she paid a year before for a minor speeding ticket was embezzled by the town clerk in a different town. Carol had no idea about it until she was handcuffed and locked up.
Then, she was transferred from town to county lockup on a cold november night with the transport cop driving with the windows down... and wasn't allowed to get her coat. Even the crackhead in transport was asking the cop to role up the window. He refused.
These are the same town cops that ran the DARE program and were taking the confiscated drugs down to Myrtle Beach and reselling them. The same town that had the mayor arrested for harboring a fugitive and counterfeiting.
Not all cops are bad by any means, but where I'm from, a little distrust is a natural thing. And I've got a cousin that's a cop and one that's married to one.
I'll say that I have met good ones, but there's some bad ones out there too, and they tend to stand out.
-------------------- Damn you, you kids! Get off my lawn or I'm callin' tha cops!
posted
Sweet and Sour food. Used to love it but now can't even stand the smell of it. And apples, can't eat them anymore as they turn my stomach!
Maybe sweet and sour apples are the answer?
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: He Who, I tend to take it on an individual basis, but some things can't be taken in stride. Carol got stopped late at night on the way home in Lake City from work for a bad taillight. They ran a check, and she was arrested for Driving under Suspension.
Turns out, the reason the DUS was issued was because the cash she paid a year before for a minor speeding ticket was embezzled by the town clerk in a different town. Carol had no idea about it until she was handcuffed and locked up.
Then, she was transferred from town to county lockup on a cold november night with the transport cop driving with the windows down... and wasn't allowed to get her coat. Even the crackhead in transport was asking the cop to role up the window. He refused.
These are the same town cops that ran the DARE program and were taking the confiscated drugs down to Myrtle Beach and reselling them. The same town that had the mayor arrested for harboring a fugitive and counterfeiting.
Not all cops are bad by any means, but where I'm from, a little distrust is a natural thing. And I've got a cousin that's a cop and one that's married to one.
I'll say that I have met good ones, but there's some bad ones out there too, and they tend to stand out.
I'm sorry Carol had to go through all that, but it sounds like it was the town clerk's fault, not the cops'.
However, the guy who wouldn't roll up the window was being a d__k!
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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