You mean you haven't seen this video yet? If not, there is about 6 minutes of nothing in the middle that you can scroll through.
First, let me say that I believe the cop should not have escalated the situation. He was out of line. However, what I want to focus on is the behavior of the citizen.
What I see here is becoming the norm in our society. A kid goes through his/her childhood never hearing the word "No". The parents are not willing to follow through with discipline, so they take the easier route of appeasement. Then the child goes to a school which has been completely emasculated. The child experiences no consequences for their behavior. There are second, third, then exponential chances given. If by chance, a child actually is held accountable for misbehavior, the parent is there to "protect and serve" the child. The message to the majority of modern children is "do what you want, when you want, and how you want". By the time the child becomes an adult, they have no mechanisms for dealing with a situation that does not go their way.
Then we get situations like this video. The citizen is getting angrier and more attitudinal because the authority figure is NOT catering to his wishes. This is something he is not used to and does not know how to respond.
There was confusion by the citizen as to "why" he was being asked to step out of the car, but even here it is because he assumes the cop is going to do things according to HIS prerogative (not the cop's). The citizen believes HE is the one who should be giving instructions.
The depth of the citizen's cluelessness is demonstrated when the cop pulls the tazer. He is so entrenched in the "do what I want, when I want, how I want" mode of thinking that he cannot see or believe what is happening. It runs contrary to everything he had been taught growing up. Following an instruction is something he has trouble conceiving.
The cop was wrong, but he may have saved that man from a life of continued self-absorption.
One last point; this happened in Utah. That cop is probably making 16 bucks an hour. Here in Utah, we have an aversion to paying for quality.
2 comments:
Man that was a crazy video. I think you read into the situation quite well - but was the tazer really needed? Coulda just threw him into the back of the cop car and then impounded his vehicle? Just my 2 cents.
I think the kid should of just taken the ticket and admitted his wrong doing - case closed right. But it had to be escalated to a point of stupidity - all for not signing a piece of paper. I think your assertions are on the money but still - that cop was a little over the line.
Oh yeah. Definitely not out to defend the cop. :)
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