August 17, 2014
The Ferguson Military Hollywood Fantasy
I feel like the police in Ferguson, Missouri have lived in a Hollywood dream, where police and military officials regularly have their weapons trained on anybody, friend or foe, until they can ascertain whether or not it is a friend or foe. See, the problem is that this is entirely a Hollywood fantasy, and it’s part of the reason I say that police officers have a thankless and impossible job. But that is no excuse for pointing weapons at innocent citizens. Maybe someone who has served in the military can correct me, but it’s my understanding that the military are trained not to provoke a situation, and that means not pointing weapons at people who pose no threat. I’ve heard this account of military operations multiple times this week, including on Sunday’s “The Week Tonight with John Oliver” on HBO. Again, maybe someone in the military can correct me if this is wrong, but I’m beginning to think that is irrelevant anyway, because we aren’t talking about a military engagement in the Middle East, we are talking about fucking police officers in the middle of America.
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