Second Circuit: You Can Flip Off Cops
2013.01.03
So yeah – you can flip off those who wear a badge, but is it advisable?
Treating someone different based solely on their claimed authority – whether being hesitant to flip them off when you would otherwise, or flipping them off when you wouldn’t – is reactionary. If your actions are caused by others aren’t you then buying into the double-standards put-forth?
Sure, if the former was to occur, it’d very well mean that the act would lessen in impact. But, going back to the question, which would you welcome?
True, the act – extending your middle finger or waving your hand – isn’t inherently good or bad. But according to the cultural framework considered the norm for this society, the motivation for the former is hostility and for the latter friendliness.
I know I’d prefer to live in a community where more folks were friendly. That’s why my default isn’t to flip off anyone, even those employed as police.
I’d proffer that most who went into policing did so with good intentions. Wouldn’t you like for police employees to quit their job and engage in actions that don’t rely on coercion? What tactic is more likely to bring that about?
This is why the CopBlock.org/WelcomeLEOs page exists – in the hope that current police employees see it as a resource, think for themselves, and decide to act according to their conscience.
So yeah – you can flip off those who wear a badge, but is it advisable?
First, consider the act itself:
If you would have flipped off someone due to an egregious action on their part, then, being consistent, it shouldn’t matter their place of employment. Conversely, if you would not have flipped off someone you pass, then doing so to a police employee is a deviation.Treating someone different based solely on their claimed authority – whether being hesitant to flip them off when you would otherwise, or flipping them off when you wouldn’t – is reactionary. If your actions are caused by others aren’t you then buying into the double-standards put-forth?
Secondly, consider the ramifications of the act:
Would you prefer to live in a place where you were regularly flipped off or where you received many waves?Sure, if the former was to occur, it’d very well mean that the act would lessen in impact. But, going back to the question, which would you welcome?
True, the act – extending your middle finger or waving your hand – isn’t inherently good or bad. But according to the cultural framework considered the norm for this society, the motivation for the former is hostility and for the latter friendliness.
I know I’d prefer to live in a community where more folks were friendly. That’s why my default isn’t to flip off anyone, even those employed as police.
I’d proffer that most who went into policing did so with good intentions. Wouldn’t you like for police employees to quit their job and engage in actions that don’t rely on coercion? What tactic is more likely to bring that about?
This is why the CopBlock.org/WelcomeLEOs page exists – in the hope that current police employees see it as a resource, think for themselves, and decide to act according to their conscience.
