As an avid reader of yours, I have many times been impressed with and informed by you of the baser actions many LEOs have evidenced as “justifiable”. I find myself agreeing with your assessment of these situations about 98% of the time. Occasionally, I feel maybe you are a bit too quick to jump on the racism bus when sheer stupidity, brutality and ignorance seem more likely, but then I never blame you for that assumption as 1) you may be right and 2) when anyone deals daily with an overwhelming preponderance of racism, as you do, it is understandable to see it where it may (or may not) truly be the case.
So when I heard of the recent dust-up over the Spring Valley High resource officer’s deplorable actions, I understandably wanted to know your take on the situation… but nothing from you on DKOS. No biggie, I’m a researcher; I can find you wherever you post. So I go a-lookin’ for some SK input and find an article you wrote for NY Daily News (Here) and I am satisfied. The shock comes when I get to the end of the article and begin to read the comments.
I have found that the comments on DKOS have (for the most part) always been at least civil. The back and forth between dissenters has been lively… but (again, for the most part) logical and thought-provoking without devolving into a name calling mess. Maybe I’ve insulated myself a bit too much, preaching to the choir as it were, by only reading and posting in forums that have earned my trust… but much of what I saw in the comments to your NYDN article, frankly made me sick.
I have to say that, if this is indicative of the garbage you have to wade through on a daily basis; my estimation of your strength of character has risen immensely.
The simple fact that ANYONE can view those videos and then come out saying that the young girl in the video “asked for it” or “got what she deserved” has shown me that “the bar” for ignorance and intolerance has sunk much lower than I had believed it could go (someone call James Cameron). And compassion and intelligence have obviously been thrown by the wayside.
This young lady made one small mistake; she underestimated the depths to which the establishment will sink when they feel their “authority” (read: ego) has been slighted. The preponderance of comments stating that “all she had to do was give in” disgust me to no end.
As a problem child myself… well, “problem” in that I didn’t happily eat the pabulum that adults spew as gospel, I can see where she may well have said to herself that this is where she draws the line. The “authority” my teachers and their administration spoke of was nothing more than an excuse to allow these disingenuous power mongers to lord it over someone… anyone... as many of them seemed to have some twisted control fixation that simply does not, nor should it, belong in a place of learning. The former/current teachers that commented that the young lady’s “no” going unpunished was somehow going to cause the whole class to then rebel, are all a member of this sick group and should NEVER teach. If you require unquestioning and immediate capitulation to any and all of your demands, and are willing to resort to violence to accomplish that acquiescence, you are NOT a teacher… you are just another bully. This too goes to those LEOs that seem to think that their position requires unswerving submission to their every whim.
These are people, not cogs in your twisted machine that need to be altered to fit your dysfunctional system. They ALL deserve a bit of understanding and compassion every day. By claiming that “the other students” were somehow slighted by missing out on a few seconds of “teaching”, and that then justifies this young lady’s rights being violated so egregiously, these poor souls have proven that they are simply immoral power-hungry fools just like the teacher/admin and LEO who perpetrated this disgusting act.
After reading the drek vomited forth by so many sheeple on the NYDM site, I simply felt that you could use a bit of a pick-me-up… so here I am to tell you that to this one simple person, you are appreciated and your work does matter.
Thank you.