OFF THE WIRE
by eric
Ever wonder how come there are men (and women) in costumes “policing” the rest of us?
Most people accept this relationship as both given – and eternal. That there have always
been men (if not always women) in costumes “policing” the rest of us.
But, in fact, it’s a relatively novel thing. Think back to your
schooldays. Do you recall any mention of police when you were
learning about the colonial era and the American Revolution? There were
sheriffs, yes – and the local militia. But these were concerned mostly
with keeping the peace – that is, stepping in when someone harmed
someone else. Up to and even during the Civil War – a titanic struggle
between the fading remnants of the old republican idea and the
centralized, omnipotent state that took its place – the idea of police as we know it was essentially unknown.
It is a modern concept – one developed out of the company town idea.
You may or may not recall the company town. It is a place – once upon
a time, a very real place – in which the company not only employs
nearly everyone but also controls nearly everyone. During work hours and
– most relevant in terms of the discussion at hand – the rest of the
time, too. This is achieved by paying the workers not in specie, but in
“script” or tin coinage or some other form of fiat currency issued by
the company – and good at the company stores in the company town where
all the company workers live. Even the worker’s homes are company
homes. In the company town, everything you did was the company’s
business. And to keep it all nicely organized, there were company police.
Sound familiar?
Examples of these paternalistic – and authoritarian – “communities” include Bournville (see here) founded by Cadbury Chocolate King George Cadbury – which was gently
paternalistic. And also the less gently paternalistic Pullman, Chicago.
You may recall the Pullman Railroad strike of 1894 – which got ugly,
quickly. The cattle – oops, Pullman workers – had become recalcitrant.
They were more firmly dealt with.
Often, they were dealt with by badged and costumed goons hired by the
men who owned the company town. For example, the infamous Pinkertons –
“pinks,” as they were once called.
Shortly after the not-so-Civil War, founder Allan Pinkerton expanded his band of head-crackers into the largest private law enforcement
organization in the world – with more “agents” than there were soldiers
in the U.S. Army at the time. Andrew Carnegie and other corporatists
used the “pinks” to keep the cattle in line.
But, there was a problem.
The cattle were still free range. They could leave the
company town – or the crowded city – and go somewhere beyond the reach
of costumed enforcers. America – even post Civil War – was not yet a
consolidated corporate entity. One could still live relatively
free. But it was only a temporary reprieve – one based almost entirely
on remoteness from the clutches of the octopus and its costumed
enforcers, i.e., the police.
It would not be long before America – the entire continental
United-at-gunpoint-States – became one singular, insufferable,
inescapable company town. One in which rights no longer existed. Only privileges – which could be rescinded at any time, for any reason. Because now, everyone was “on the clock,” 24-7.
Post not-so-Civil War, the federal leviathan that squatted in DC looked upon the Pinkerton model and smiled.
An army – literally, with military grades as well as military-style
uniforms and the military attitude to go with it – was just what was
needed to maintain “order” in the biggest company town the world had yet
seen.
But, some light cosmetic retouching was in order. It would not do,
from the standpoint of public relations, to have private (that is, corporate) law enforcers. These would have to be transformed into public servants and – just like that – Americans fell under the total authority of the police. A standing army of enforcers
from whom there is no escape – and little recourse. Today, most
Americans accept, without question, the company town ideal and the
enforcers that go along with it. The former distinctions between a
private army of goons – and an army of goons styled “public servants”
have been effaced. People not only no longer chafe at being ordered
around by buzz-cut barking goons – they have been conditioned to revere
their tormenters as selfless heroes working ever-so-hard to “protect” them!
The transformation – and consolidation of absolute power – is both astonishing and fearful.
In a company town, one could at least leave – and one could still lawfully defend oneself against an assault by a company goon. Even that is now denied us. To resist in any way – even if the costumed enforcer is acting illegally – is itself
illegal. For example, the courts have ruled that a homeowner may not –
legally – use force to defend his home or himself against a costumed
enforcer who forces his way into the home, even if the break-in is utterly illegal. We are expected – required – to go limp, roll over, present our bellies and trust to the good offices of the “officer” that we won’t get kicked.
Or worse.
“Police” have become a class of persons immune from the normal rules
of civilized human interaction. Almost a sacred priesthood. And we are
expected to play the role of humble supplicant – thanking them for their “service.” Somewhere, far below, Alan Pinkerton is looking upward – and smiling.
Throw it in the Woods?