Zracken3
Learning to walk
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Posts: 95
PSF Member
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« Reply #2249 on: 2020-09-28 15:28:25 » |
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I won't quote individual people since it'd be way too many quotes, but I do want to say a few things as a matter of principle. Hopefully nobody feels like I'm judging them for their political leanings; I just want to provide another perspective on a few things.
The first thing I want to mention is about the police. I agree with what's been said about not all cops being bad people. I've had a few minor encounters with police officers, and it's always gone alright for me. I don't think any reasonable person can defend a position that states that all cops are inherently bad human beings, and I know that the job police officers perform often puts them into situations that are very hard to navigate, and bad things might happen that no one intended.
However, I would like to speak up for those who take issue with the institution of policing, not individual officers. For me and those who think like me, the institution of policing can be quite bad as it creates a sort of "separate" class of citizens -- ones who are empowered by the government to commit violence on its behalf. This has the issue of incentivizing cops to view themselves as "above" their fellow citizens, which is not a healthy attitude for someone in that position. I believe that crime is bad and that violence is sometimes necessary to fight it. But, if officers are the only ones in a society who have a right to commit violence as they see fit, that system is open to abuse. And, people being people, it will be abused at some point. This is, in my opinion, worse than criminal violence, since police officers often have the government at their back when their actions are in question. I won't expound on this point here for brevity's sake, but it is clear that police officers are capable of getting away with much more, regardless of if they do or not.
The other point I'd like to address -- and this will definitely out me for which side of the spectrum I'm on -- is the idea of media bias. I do not believe that any media source in the modern age is associated with any "side" of politics. Some sources may be biased one way or another, but this is not because they actually hold the values of a side. The one value that all media outlets hold, regardless of political bias, is profit. Media companies are businesses, and, as such, they will do whatever they think is most likely to make them money. For CNN and MSNBC, that might be taking a more progressive tone. For Fox, it might be taking a more conservative tone. BOTH benefit from being alarmist and generating fear, however; news stories that say "everything is okay" do not generate good ratings. So, for me -- and here's where my politics become clear -- the issue is not with individual news sources but with the profit motive. As long as media companies are run for profit, they will continue to be divisive, fearmongering, and pandering. Even if they were run by the most good-hearted people on Earth, the incentive to turn a profit will always encourage them to give in to their worse nature.
TL; DR So, to reiterate, not all cops are bad as individuals, but the institution of policing has serious, inherent problems. Media sources can be "biased," but their one true bias is profit; they have no agenda beyond that. I hope everyone appreciates and understands my take on these things, and I'd like to hear what others think about these ideas. And, again, I hope no one feels attacked or judged.
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