> On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:18:37 -0700
> "Jordan Hayes" <jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com> wrote:
>
> > If a demand to be professional in all situations isn't perfection,
> > you've lost me.
>
> This trope of "professionalism" is a little unsavory. And
what is "professionalism" for a cop, if not to be a bullying
> prick?
Point taken. However, I used to be a teacher in a pretty tough inner-city school. And occasionally I was on the receiving end of some pretty rough back talk and disrespect. To deal with this behavior I had recourse to various actions. However, to be professional required that I not punch some kid in the mouth for his back talk regardless of how much he or she pissed me off . Obviously, teachers are expected to stay within those professional boundaries in nearly all situations. And this is how I think we should expect cops "to be professional". Whether its a Harvard professor or some kid on the block.
However, if we disregard these semantic problems and accept
> arguendo that the Cambridge cop's behavior was "unprofessional",
> where "professional" means some notion of ours about how cops
> should behave, the question becomes: is it reasonable to ask
> people to be "professional" when they're on the job and sucking
> the public teat? Offissa Pupp was on the job; Gates wasn't.
> Heavens. To think that I've found myself in the position of
> defending, however faintly, a Harvard professor. In fact of course
> it would be nothing but poetic justice if the Cambridge cops were
> to frog-march the entire Harvard professiorate off to some
> undisclosed secure location.
>
And is Harvard prof. Gates really the issue? Not for me. His case is just the conversation piece for the broader issue of police abuse of their authority.
Sheldon
-- http://left-wingwacko.blogspot.com/