Originally Posted by
polonius
Why is this so difficult for the pro-harassment folks to understand? The problem is not with "contact," the problem is with police reaction when that contact is declined. I get police asking me "how are you doing today?" all the time. I respond by telling them I don't as a matter of course engage in conversations with law enforcement officers. Most of the time their friendliness is phony anyway.
The problem starts when many of them refuse to accept that and start hassling you. No one here is complaining about someone saying "hello". Why is that difficult for you to understand?
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That's the real problem, Polonius: in your world a patrol car is always an "autoritah-mobile", a police office a "half-wit cop", he says hello and you "don't engage in conversation"...
Why it is so difficult for you to understand ? Wouldn't be much easier for you to show the ginger ale label ?
A cop, or anybody else, wants to know what I had for breakfast, or what my middle initial stands for ? Who cares! I'm telling them, no problem.
They want to know if I'm attracted to underage girls or read my diary, then things are different.
Defend your privacy and your rights when they are really in danger and, above all, be polite to other people, whether they are wearing a uniform or not. It is your constitutional right to be a perfect jerk, but that's not a good reason for being one.
That's what intelligence is all about
: being able to act accordingly to circumstances, instead of blindly following written rules no matter what.
Yes, you can require a court order before telling a policemen the time of the day. You can also be rude to your dentist and still demand the best service. My question to you is: Is this behaviour going to make your life better, or worse ?