03/27/2022
I apologize for failure to launch. I started listening A LOT to a police scanner during the Minneapolis riots to stay on top of possible threats to my own family, and to form a more thorough understanding of how policing actually works, partially from a watchdog perspective (i.e. is there systemic racism in policing?...after the George Floyd tragedy...). I came with a wide open mind as well to the possibility the Colin Kaeppernick/defund police movement might be unfairly casting some pretty serious false accusations against police, I really hadn't thought much about police beyond "gee, I'd love to not get a ticket", and I had never gotten wrapped up in the politics that were now being injected into policing.
But, I found myself ABSLOUTELY FASCINATED by the drama, tragedy, comedy, heroism, and frankly the sheer creativity of criminals and even the strange things people in mental crisis or on some intoxicating substance that occurs EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY that we never hear about.
The idea was "hey, I listen to this scanner at least 12 hours a day, I'll post about the things that I found incredibly fascinating, maybe others will find it interesting and informative too"?
However I REALLY don't like the politicization of basically EVERYTHING, so if I say anything positive about cops or criticize them I will get BOTH sides who turn the page into a political bloodbath, and I refuse to host a political UFC match, and frankly, it seems only the fringe, out of touch people tend to get in political fights on policing, I've seen the polling data, only about 18% support the defund police movement AAAAND only about 18% think you must never scrutinize police, BUT if it gets political 100% of the comments will be from these 18%s and the 64% of us who would prefer a decent discussion will leave because we WON'T GET ONE🤣🤣.
Another reason is how to tastefully talk about things that are REALLY complex, in any given incident it CAN be: a cop being a hero AND the worst day of the person's life they are the hero for AND fascinating as an outside observer who has no stake in the whole thing... so, how do I talk about the fascinating part without sounding callous to someone's worsr day.
The same thing goes for PICs (person in crisis), drug induced episodes of various types of DOC (disorderly conduct) or the mentally ill, like, there's ultimately nothing funny about it... but, while I understand it's not funny, I have to be honest... there's so many times that there's a part of me that thinks "that is REALLY creative!" or the picture in my mind's eye IS funny... so, I'm torn, and I know WE ALL ARE but, I know I'd get the same lecture by nitpicky hypocrites who woould accuse me of being insensitive to the suffering of others... and, I already have 4 college degrees, up through the Ivy League PhD level I AM DONE being lectured by 17 year old girls who proceed to "inform" me of what I'm supposed to think, feel, or say, and I will not honor their ignorance with the threads to do it on. But, let's be honest, the lady who was stark naked on University Avenue squirting cars with ketchup?? I'm sorry, a big part of that IS funny. I cannot cure her mental issues, nor can I fix the messed up cars, so, since I can't help in any real way, I just have to see the humor in it. Or the pantsless guy on Snelling hitting cars with a stick screaming at the sky about cookies... once again, mental illness not-funny, cars being vandalized not-funny, how utterly random a dude with his sc***ng hanging out screaming to the sky about cookies? THAT'S FRIGGIN FUNNY🤣🤣.
So, we live in a culture in 2022, humans have gotten significantly dumber, more preachy, and unable to hold more than 1 thought at a time: that = getting lectured nonstop by people who think it's their job to be the thought-police, and I was hoping to find a formula to talk about these UTTERLY FASCINATING things I hear come across the scanner while walking impossible tensions.
In my mind I can compartmentalize because 1. I cannot fix what happens out there in the world, 2. I didn't DO the crime and I'm not a superhero who can stop the crime, I'm not driving the car that crashed into another, and 3. I am, when on the scanner, a true 3rd party observer... however I DO pray for people many times when the calls come across.
So, once I "crack the code" of how to bring across what is fascinating without coming across as callous to the suffering I'll post more.
