De Facto Civil War Between Police and the Public?

[Classic-Xer]

(07-08-2016, 04:05 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(07-08-2016, 02:45 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: I reconsider myself to be an average American of today. I don't consider socialism, social justice and  the racial favoritism promoted by big government to be the right direction for most of America. I'd prefer to wrap it up and dump it into the shit can of the 60's where it belongs. But, I understand that it to valuable to you and liberal politicians like the Clinton's to give it up. So, we will continue down the path we are on. I'm not concerned about myself. I'm a pretty tough individual who is confidant in his ability to adapt, to provide  and survive a rough patch in our history. I'm not concerned about you, you have the belief in big government to fall back on and  save you.

At the highest level, one might summarize the Red / Blue divide as being between rugged individuals and those who want to work together for the common good.  To often this conflict is described as a contest between wonderful virtues and disgusting mistaken vices.  I like to remind folk that both rugged individualism and working together for the common good can be and are considered virtues by those who believe in such things.

In a simpler culture, it is natural that more will be drawn to rugged individualism.  In a more crowded and complex environment, it is natural to work together more.  Thus, honest differences are apt to continue and are apt to become regional.

It is natural and expected that members of a culture want to spread their culture.  The answers provided by a complete and compatible set of values and world views feel wonderful.  Shouldn't they be expanded?  Shouldn't everyone share the rightness?

If one really believed one size fits all, perhaps.  Different regions have different problems.  Attempts to make one set of solutions work everywhere are going to be problematic.

Pushing the problem down to the lowest level might have something to be said for it.  If a town can't handle a problem that it understands best at the nearest-the-problem level, only then should one look to the county government, or the state, or...  Is there a higher level?

But that loses economy of scale.  It loses a sense of justice, that all are being treated equally.  It loses a sense that the best of all possible solutions (one's own) is being applied everywhere.

The federal government generously makes military equipment available to a small town police department that is running on a very tight budget.  Hey haven't had a problem with use of excessive force in years.  Thus, there is obviously no need to or ability to pay for the expensive training in how to use the equipment well and appropriately.  Should the federal government apply a one size fits all mandate that police forces have to train their people in order to get the equipment?

The problem may be more in good intentions falling than the other political group having bad intentions.  A lot more thought might be put into whether to push down more problem solving to the local level or private sector, or whether good practices should be be practiced everywhere.  I wouldn't want to recommend either extreme be pushed on every level for every issue, but that seems to be what is falling out of vehement partisan Red or Blue thinking.  I'd like to promote the idea that those other guys are well intentioned and trying hard too, rather than they are being in some way vile, insane, stupid, authoritarian, corrupt, fanatics, etc...  Lock into hight abstract principles less.  Look for creative fits-the-problem innovative approaches more.  Insult and demean those who look at a problem in a different way less.  Listen and hope to find gems of wisdom in what they say more.

And the above lecture shouldn't be considered addressed just to you and fellow Red thinkers.  It shouldn't take much reading between the lines to figure I'm writing towards the Blue folk as well.

To the extent that both sides are focused on stopping the other side's approach, that there is a culture of hostility directed toward the other culture of hostility, is it surprising that so many people with good intentions, trying to find a way to make things work, find themselves quashed or swimming against the tide?

I'm not viewing it or approaching it from the highest level. The issues we face today aren't going to be resolved at the highest level by the highest level. America is to big and to diverse for the liberal way of thinking. The liberal way of thinking only works among the liberals at the highest levels. What are going to do if a group of Hispanics decide they're more important than blacks? How are Democrats going to address such an issue? Here's the deal, if we were stranded on an island, I think we would work together to survive. I have skills. You have skills. We are both intelligent and understand the social concept that two is better than one. We would utilize our skills and we'd most likely get along and survive. I can't say the same about Eric. I'd probably have to kill Eric or let him die in order to survive. To me, Eric would be more of a liability than asset as far as survival is concerned.