Can we talk?

Thug Mentality

         We have a strange widespread mentality going on in our country. Part of it says it's not necessary to respect those in authority. Talk back to your teachers, challenge the owner or manager of the store, or disobey a police officer. It doesn't matter whether it's black or white, the attitude is the same. I've seen it in rednecks in shopping centers, other business places, or public parks. Instead of saying, "Yes, sir", or complying with directions, they get mouthy and end up being manhandled and surrounded very quickly by a whole group of cops instead of just one. I know of an officer who was going to let a speeder off with just a warning--his quota was already full--but the wife started cussing from the passenger seat and chewed out the officer, so he gave the driver a ticket. Her big mouth hurt his record and maybe his insurance premiums, when he might have gotten off free, even though he had broken the law. 

         We've been reading about this authority problem lately in the news, where some men tangled with cops and died. Although with considerably less public reaction, a white man was shot by a black cop in the same sort of situation since the other incidents. All of them were breaking the law when the problem happened. Whether or not the policeman in each case overreacted, the situation would not have occurred in any of those 3 cases if the one killed had not been breaking the law, first, and second, had obeyed the police officer when confronted. Each could have lived to file a grievance against the officer.

         The older generation, people my age and older, would comply with the cops because that was the way we were raised. Apparently, my generation didn't instill that value in the younger generations and now they're paying for it.

         The other side of this mentality is that we should overlook certain crimes. I actually saw a protester photographed holding a sign that read, "No mother should have to worry about her son getting killed when he robs a convenience store." The sad part is he wasn't being sarcastic. That is seen as a minor grievance. Since when is stealing a minor grievance? What happened to right and wrong? Shame and guilt?

         A very large segment of our society is way off track. Somehow we've got to get back to basics. Instead of throwing out the ten commandments, we should be teaching, "You shall not steal", "You shall not lie", etc.Kids and young adults need to be held accountable, long before they get to the court system. The schools, the churches, the homes all play a part in this accountability.

         Those of us who are not currently parents, teachers, cops, or community leaders, need to be setting a good example of honesty and justice.