The Occupy movement has caught my eye again. I have been wondering 'why'. Why it is going on and Why the powers that be are treating it in such a way.
The Occupy is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. With spring coming and summer break looming for my college students it very likely to just keep growing. Granted the movement is not just made up of college students but it should be expected that with coming months off the movements ranks will swell. Also, with it being spring and summer it is a lot easier to spend your time outside.
Sure as spring the NYPD is using heavy handed tactics on the protesters. Mainly just beating them. Now this should not come as shock to anyone. The Police always tend to overact to peaceful protests if they get large enough. Before we started I feel that it is needed to point that I am not saying that police are bad or that they are violent in nature. Or that the Police 'hate' anyone. The Police are human beings just like you and me. People are not necessarily bad nor violent in nature.
We are however it is fair to that humans are fearful beings. I would hesitate to call it human nature but history teaches us that whenever authority meets an vocal outsider, one of two things happen. They join the movement such as in the case of the Arab Spring, Russian revolution, etc. Or they use their force to stamp out the outsiders. Such as in the case of the American Civil Rights movement, Tiananmen Square Massacre, etc. They do this often out of fear. Fear that they will be left behind if the movement carries on without them. Or fearful that if action is not taken now the movement will 'win'.
However, we are speaking about History for the most part these confrontations tend to be peaceful and dull with the authority simply watching while the outsider speaks its mind. There is a good reason for this public violence is hard to hide. More so now then ever before. With one google search of "police beating occupy wall street" yields about 9,120,000 results and About 1,160,000 videos on the subject.
I do not think that the police or any authority
actively fears or hates the Occupy movement. The movement has no clear leadership and is offering up no clear alternative to the status quo. It is no real threat and the most part is overlooked by the national media.
Yet the police are beating protesters. That I fail to understand. You can say that their are a few 'bad eggs' that are overrating to the protesters. But that fails to explain why it keeps happening and not just in New York but in cities around America. Why is there so much unnecessary force? I can only think that it is because the Police feel that it is needed to once again put people back in their place.
The funny thing is that whenever you see the police beating someone in the video links above you will notice that no one is really doing anything about it.
It is almost like Americans are used to violence coming form the powers that be. However it is far more likely that Americans have ingrained in them a respect for the Police that leads to inaction even in plan slight of injustice. There is something distinctly American about 'putting people back in their place'. It is not so much hate or fear but the thought that this people need some sense beaten into them. There is a sense that violence is needed not for public order but for people to see their wrongs. It is tactic common now for American Police. American powers want to be bad asses but often just end up looking like asses.
Also, it has to be said that the Police may just dislike the Occupy movement and dislike the people involved. I imagine many Cops just want it to be over with. I can see how the cops could see those protesting as smug entitled ass holes that again need to put into their place. Not that it excuses their behavior. But what is often forgotten is that the police are humans. Humans that make mistakes and get enraged for dumb reasons.
I can only think that it speaks to the lack of professionalism that we are now finding in Police force. Americans have freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. It is the law. Police see order now are the most important part of their job now. Order means that everyone knows their place and society stays the same. The Police should not have attack protesters they should be better trained and react better. I do not think that anyone really understands why the Police are doing this.
It is almost like Americans are used to violence coming form the powers that be. However it is far more likely that Americans have ingrained in them a respect for the Police that leads to inaction even in plan slight of injustice. There is something distinctly American about 'putting people back in their place'. It is not so much hate or fear but the thought that this people need some sense beaten into them. There is a sense that violence is needed not for public order but for people to see their wrongs. It is tactic common now for American Police. American powers want to be bad asses but often just end up looking like asses.
Also, it has to be said that the Police may just dislike the Occupy movement and dislike the people involved. I imagine many Cops just want it to be over with. I can see how the cops could see those protesting as smug entitled ass holes that again need to put into their place. Not that it excuses their behavior. But what is often forgotten is that the police are humans. Humans that make mistakes and get enraged for dumb reasons.
I can only think that it speaks to the lack of professionalism that we are now finding in Police force. Americans have freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. It is the law. Police see order now are the most important part of their job now. Order means that everyone knows their place and society stays the same. The Police should not have attack protesters they should be better trained and react better. I do not think that anyone really understands why the Police are doing this.
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