what are your thoughts on authority

[goombla]

Specifically, im reffering to the police.

I know theres some good ones, but as a whole i think theyre assholes with guns.
Maybe my opinion is biased as a skateboarder (i get arrested and ticketed on a pretty normal basis for practiecing what i love to do).

But ive had some ugly encounters with cops even apart from skating. They all seem the same to me. A dickhead who thinks he can do anyting because of a little metal badge.

[Wedelen64]

First, I am a 48 year old long boarder. I skated short boards as a teen and then picked it right back up as a long boarder 28 years later. I never got harrassed by the cops for boarding because at the time they worried about more important crimes but that was a different time and I am old, according to my nephew, lol.The police have the same problem as all of us. Their job is much harder than it used to be for less pay and less benefits, just like the rest of us. So I am never surprised at asshole cops because they are just as frustrated with everything as we are. They have a job to do like everyone and like everyone they have production standards so where is the incentive to give people a break when they have to meet quota's just like everyone else to get promoted. Now muncipalities are broke and they need their police to write more tickets to make up for the shortages the greedy politicians handed them. Here is where they are different. Cops are basically a security force a little like the military as far as the structure is concerned. They carry weapons and have insane rules on where and when they can use it because everyone is ready to sue. They cannot question orders without losing their job so it is obviously more stressful to work day to day. They also are pressured into the wall of silence which most of the time protects the bad officers from being weeded out and discarded. I am not a fan of the police "force", nor do I trust the police "force. I am not pro or anti cop as individuals, I judge them based on their actions toward me or my friends/family and you are judging them based on their actions toward you, and I don't blame you for being negative towards them.

[Wedelen64]

I would add that you have to, maybe, be a little smarter in your actions. An example, on Thanksgiving day I went to a park where it is forbidden to ride a bike and rode my mountain bike for hours and no one was there but me. There are no cops at this park on thanksgiving and no one to narc on me. I know that you want to be free to skate where you want and this is supposed to be a free country (lol) but you have to pick your battles otherwise the blame may go to you. You can be a rebel just be a smart rebel that doesn't get a "reputation" with police. Be a rebel but try to fly under the police "radar" so you can continue to be free in this cesspool of greed. Learning to "fly under the radar" will only help you when you begin your trip next summer.

[goombla]

well firstly, longboarding is a bit diffferent. The most a cop has ever done to me for long boarding is told me to wear a helmet.
The minute im riding a regular trick board, its as if it all changes and they start assuming im off to vandalize some private property or break in somewhere. Not to mention, Skateboarding in NYC, which is the second skate capitol in the world is illegal in the majority of the city.
I wasnt aware of those little police facts, and that actually clears a few things up.

[Wedelen64]

Well the bad news is the cops are not going to change, they will only get worse because WE (society) allow it. The problem is, as with any group, the majority suffer for the ills of the minority. A few boarders commit vandalism and other crimes so all boarders get profiled (but at least you aren't a black man). You really have to look at the problem from a larger scale. The government wants to run your life and if they need to blame all boarders, all black men, all guns, all abortions, all recreational drug users, to get what they want (your freedom) then they will stop at nothing to succeed. That's why I say don't worry about "why" this is happening, or trying to stop it only worry about what you are going to do about it (getting off the grid, wandering the country, etc). This is where you should focus your energy. Forget the bullshit they teach you in school about "rights" or fighting for your rights. The price for the freedom you want is a little money and a bit of education to learn to survive.

[goombla]

Very true! Thankyou.
I want your wisdom o.o

[paulc]

I had a run-in with the cops in Sydney in October 2011 (I'm from Australia) for walking through a "restricted area" at Central Station.
This "restricted area" required you to have a ticket, and I didn't. I went through to use the toilet, as one must, not
knowing what I had just done. Mind you, I have Asperger's Syndrome, which makes me a bit aloof and situation-unawares
at times. Two female officers pulled me up, asking me for ID, where I lived, what I was doing, where I was going, blah, blah.
The one asking the questions trated me like I had committed a criminal offense, and I sort of expected to be put into a van
and taken to the station for questioning. Now, I don't like authority in general. I know there are good, professional people
ion authority and I respect them. I am easily swayed to anger or respectful behaviour depending on how I am treated.
I told her I would complain if they got me in trouble, and if they pushed further, I would have refused to co-operate.
Seeing I was not going to back down, and seeing my show of strength, she backed down and told me "we are human too".
I was grateful to be let off but indignant at the same time. It took me over an hour to calm down.
So yes, I tend to avoid authority figures, and the only authority in my life is me. Being a busker has reinforced this too.