Quote:
|
Originally Posted by chabib
khchris... the kids were running around in the bathroom. it turned out that some jackass who worked at the theater had grabbed them and thrown them into a wall to get them to settle down. the thing was... he wasn't the one in trouble. these two kids were--with the police--for being rowdy in a bathroom. it seemed unnecessary to have two cops yelling at them to the point of tears when an adult had just abused them.
the other thing with that case is that there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything. if a cop violates the law to make a point, that's absolutely wrong. it happens all the time and just cos one instance of it might not be as extreme as another doesn't make either instance acceptable. many americans have this ridiculous ability to rationalize abused power as a necessity to keep order.
fuck that. it's wrong. it's particularly wrong when it results in harm to the public. people like you don't seem to care about that though. that's pathetic and weak. you don't just have liberty because someone tells you you do. you have liberty when you fight for it and question those who act to violate it. if yr the type of person who lives life by saying that things aren't as bad as X, Y or Z, you don't deserve freedom or liberty. yr not using them anyway. why not join the army? they'll happily absolve you of that pesky freedom and readily manipulate yr life for you.
as for art, i'm happy to make things that people hate. that's great. it's fun to exploit symbols to create dialogue. the thing is, no one has a right to request that i remove something that's not violating any laws and no one has a right to try to use law enforcement against me to remove something that violates no laws. you think that's ok?
do you engage in these dialogues purely in the interest of conversation, or do you really believe that opression, repression, abuse and the violation of civil liberties are ok?
|
Not all cops are good, not all cops are bad. Just try to understand. I don't find it necessary for cops to abuse kids in a bathroom just as I don't find it necessary for French cops to take a kid by her neck and slam her against the wall. There are bad cops everywhere in the world. Nothing new. For me, I have certain priorities and right now my life is pretty busy, much to busy complaining about "spilled milk". I'm not saying it's "right", but what I am saying is save your energy on causes that need more attention due to importance. To say "many americans have this ridiculous ability to rationalize abused power as a necessity to keep order" is pretty ridiculous considering cops in every country abuse power physically. Ever been to Europe? You should go sometime and take a look at how cops treat criminals or deliquents and I think you'll have a slight change of heart, atleast with singling out "America".
Who's to say what's right and what's wrong, CHABIB? Do we not break the speed limit when we are on the freeway? Do we not lie/fidge on our tax forms for more credit? Do we not spit on sidewalks, jaywalk, or litter? I guess it's ok for civilians to break the law, but god forbid a cop breaking the law, who has ever heard such a thing? Does it really "shock" you to find cops breaking the law? Law Enforcement breaking laws have been there since the beginning of governing society by law...nothing new. Living in Los Angeles and knowing how aggressive people are, when you have the Watts riots and the Rodney King Riots, it's very understandable why cops are very on-edge and may tend to break the laws a little when dealing with civilians. Do I think it's right? Absolutely not. Do I understand? Absolutely so. I guess you'd just have to be in their shoes. Remember Chabib, people(humans) are not perfect. I can name 20 gov'ts off my hand that have worse examples of government and law enforcement. I think if you were to compare it with the world, you will see that the US gov't & Law Enforcement isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
As far as the military, you don't know shit about the military chabib. And that's putting it bluntly. What you know about the military is what you are fed from the very media that you despise(ironically). Were you in the military? Was your father in the military? What do you really know about the military besides what you read off the internet, newspapers, tv, and magazines? Try joining the military. Try being a child of a father who's in the military and your view of the military changes dramatically because you experience it and you see what's on the media so you have a more accurate assessment of what the military really is. It's all to easy(dare I say "cliche"???) to say, "oh, Military = brainwashing".
But, what job really doesn't have a need of conformity(brainwashing)? Flight Attendants are all the same, they have to or else they will be fired. Sports, you have a philosophy you go by with the team or else you're traded/cut. Police, the same way. There are not alot of jobs where you aren't forced to be brainwashed, and those jobs that you aren't we should be lucky.
I am more of a realist and I guess I appreciate what I have a little more than those who are unappreciative. Just because "x" is making more money doesn't mean my life is shit. Just because "x" has connections and gets more freedoms in certain areas doesn't mean my life is shit. Sorry for being appreciative of what I have chabib, but I think if you can stop and look at the entire world and see what you have, your life isn't half bad, huh?
If anything, I deserve my freedom much more than you because of the simple fact that I appreciate what I have here. If you don't like the US & you hate the Gov't and law enforcement and you hate most americans, what makes you think that you deserve "freedom" more than the person who is more appreciative of what they have going???
As far as art, well like I said...you'll have to deal with people who like and dislike your art. Do I think that's right? Sure, why not? I don't expect everyone to like what I do. And if someone doesn't like it and they try to take it down, well they're only following their own convictions just as I am as an artist. I don't however think it's right trying to censor art. I just understand that's just part of the game, bro. If you do art, just expect people to like and dislike your art. Also expect that to be the case while dealing with law enforcement. No use in whining about something that every artist deals with. It's not like you're the first and only artist to ever be hassled by "the man". That just goes with the territory. So, why complain about it? Doesn't make much sense to if that's the game you're in.
Do I really believe that opression, repression, abuse and the violation of civil liberties are ok? Chabib, don't fall into the same pitfall that narrow-minded people fall into when they feel upset and hit a wall. Of course not. I've never said any of this is ok. Chabib, what you have to understand is that: condoning and understanding are 2 completely different things. I don't condone oppression, repression, abuse and violation of civil liberties, but I do understand why it happens.
Just try to open your mind a little chabib. It doesn't sound like you are a very fair person, which now doesn't surprise me considering you're ok with trolls that are only here to harass certain people(like myself).
Life in the US is pretty fucking good, and I'm appreciative of all of it. Sure, I may get a fucking ticket, I may get tailed & questioned by cops, but atleast I'm not shot on spot like they do in some countries. Atleast I'm not dragged and beaten to death by cops & gov't in some countries. The US is not perfect, and that's good & bad. It's good because it allows us to take advantage of an imperfect system, but just as we all take advantage of this imperfect system we also have to take the bad with it.
There is a reason why people come to this country. Our college education is quite remarkable, the ability break into the market as an entrepreneur is unlike any other country's, you have much more ways of using freedom of speech in this country than you do in most countries. Speaking of, I was talking to a friend who goes to an LA film school and how certain gov'ts in South America do not allow certain films to be release because the gov't does not approve of them. Not the case here...you may get a "rating" but you sure can put just about anything out as long as it's not "snuff" or something that could lead to being an "accessory of a crime".
I'm pretty fucking glad to have been able to get a job, get a degree at a pretty good school, do freelance and make my own money, go to shows, watch movies & tv, take vacations, spend money on clothes, listen & make music, art, design, swim, and do whatever I want in this country.
Life could be worse, like living in the Philipines, middle east, russia, china, north korea. Chabib, life for you could certainly be worse and there are millions of people around the world who would kill you to be in your shoes definitely. Definitely.