I thought this until I encountered a jerk cop in the middle of the night. I was driving home on a basically deserted road, and he pulled me over and asked me whether I’d been drinking (which I’ve never done in my life), if I knew how fast I was going (yes, 10 under the speed limit), why I was following that other car so closely (what car? Almost nobody is out at 2 AM). I made a really dumb comment asking if he’d pulled over the right car, and then he gave me a ticket for tailgating (I guess his radar wouldn’t have supported a speeding ticket?).
I was mad (and felt powerless), but not offended. I got offended later when my friend behind me was also stopped and searched for weapons. Being young, male, and out at night was evidently reason enough for a traffic stop, which struck me as an offense and abuse of power.
I learned a lesson, though—making a sarcastic jab does not win you more points in life. I stop to think before saying something when emotions run high.
I thought this until I encountered a jerk cop in the middle of the night. I was driving home on a basically deserted road, and he pulled me over and asked me whether I’d been drinking (which I’ve never done in my life), if I knew how fast I was going (yes, 10 under the speed limit), why I was following that other car so closely (what car? Almost nobody is out at 2 AM). I made a really dumb comment asking if he’d pulled over the right car, and then he gave me a ticket for tailgating (I guess his radar wouldn’t have supported a speeding ticket?).
I was mad (and felt powerless), but not offended. I got offended later when my friend behind me was also stopped and searched for weapons. Being young, male, and out at night was evidently reason enough for a traffic stop, which struck me as an offense and abuse of power.
I learned a lesson, though—making a sarcastic jab does not win you more points in life. I stop to think before saying something when emotions run high.
There’s no point in power if you don’t exploit it for personal benefit. Cops are annoying, but they don’t bother me on some sort of existential level.