Police and Professor: who had moral high ground?

dauer said:
If anyone's interested. here's the police report:

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police report on Gates arrest.PDF

As far as I can tell from the articles I've read, Gates was being a privileged, upper-class idiot. Unfortunately he played the race card and it's working in his favor. If there was any profiling going on it was on the part of the neighbor, not the police. There are certainly legitimate cases of racial profiling and prejudice but I don't think this is one of them.



Obama didn't stop there. He kept going to justify his previous statements.
Click to expand...
Dauer, I'm looking at the overall view, and how things could have been played out. I'm also looking at the anger/fear factor that was quite apparent in the entire situation. I really am not qualified to address the "race" issue, since I don't see it...but then I've been called dumb before, and for good reason.

Obama, for all his intelligence and culture...is only 48 years old...:eek:
 
Q said:
Dauer, I'm looking at the overall view, and how things could have been played out. I'm also looking at the anger/fear factor that was quite apparent in the entire situation. I really am not qualified to address the "race" issue, since I don't see it...but then I've been called dumb before, and for good reason.
Click to expand...

I get the sense that the race issue was something that Gates read into the situation, due to his training, and responded to inappropriately, due to his temperament. Because of who he is and who he knows it's made headline news. Now he's being made out to be the victim of a racist cop by a lot of people.
 
dauer said:
I get the sense that the race issue was something that Gates read into the situation, due to his training, and responded to inappropriately, due to his temperament. Because of who he is and who he knows it's made headline news. Now he's being made out to be the victim of a racist cop by a lot of people.
Click to expand...
Ah, the Giants...now I get it.
 
Quahom1 said:
Bull, it is a generations old adage. Someone has to say "I was afraid". Then the next guy and the next, and so on until they all realize they were all afraid, and acting on what they grew up to expect, but were trying to prevent.

Don't belittle what actually happened. Address it.
Click to expand...
Two people yelled at each other and over reacted. There is nothing to address UNLESS someone is playing the race card after the fact. Two white people do this all the time...watch COPS...two black people as well....and guess what the one with a big mouth and without a badge goes to jail.

Truth is no one will ever know what actually happenned....what we do know is Obama shouldn't have spoke and he wouldn't have had to if Gates didn't speak up AFTER his charges were dropped. Maybe it should have gone to court so they both could lie under oath and create a real mountain out of a mole hill.

belittling mole hills...yup that's what I do ociffer.
 
wil said:
It's a non story that has so far backed three good men into a corner and none of them will look better in the end cause each of them is still trying to retain face.

I think it was about the heat of the moment, as if we all haven't said and done stuff we regret we should give them both a break....

I also think as it was right for Obama it is also right for us..."I don't know all the facts and I shouldn't comment"

None of us know all the facts, none of us ever will as there is no recording, it will always be he said she said. Hindsight says yes one or both could have taken the higher moral ground....yeah so could we have the umpteenth time we've let our tempers get the better of us....

So....ye without sin cast the first stone.
Click to expand...
Yep, they released a 911 recording...apparently in frustration (the key would not turn in the lock), Professor Gates was observed by passersby, trying to shoulder his way through the door. The call was made because of that reason, and observers did not clearly see who was trying to muscle through. Kind of set the stage for the police even before getting there. So, of course the Police are coming in, in tactical mode from the beginning. And of course Professor Gates would be insensed at being confronted on his own property, because he had no idea why the police were there in the first place, let alone being rather aggressive in their position.

At this point, either party could have lowered the stress level of the situation, if the fear factor hadn't kicked in, and indignety hadn't set in.

I am reminded of a movie with Danny Glover, and Kevin Klein back in the 90s..."Grand Canyon" (I think that was the name of the movie). All about preconceptions, fears, and survival instincts.
 
Namaste Q,

Yup the readiness of a policeman to an active crime is high. The patience of someone who just broke into his own house low.

Recipe for disaster.

But as indicated one would think the professor could control his temper and the policeman has been trained to difuse situations...

oh well...
 
I think it's "effing" hilarious that they're supposed to get together over beers and make nice. That is the worst kind of public relations spin. The problem persists and will continue to persist, no matter how many times these people french-kiss each other in a malted stupor.

beerchug.gif
console.gif
beerchug.gif
 
CZ, you are right, passing a peace pipe between them would be better, but Obama doesn't want to get arrested for having illegal substances in the White House :D.
 
Any thoughts on whether this was more a class situation than race situation?

ie exactly what the thread title is Elite (professor) v. Blue Collar (policeman), the edumacacted v. the working stiff?
 
wil said:
Any thoughts on whether this was more a class situation than race situation?

ie exactly what the thread title is Elite (professor) v. Blue Collar (policeman), the edumacacted v. the working stiff?
Click to expand...
It was a mistake based on the unknown, and fear and embarassment between educated people (and cops are as educated as professors Wil...just in different trains of thought), in an environment none of the parties ever expected to be in...but all were wary of.

The professor had no clue that he was viewed by 911 callers as a potential house breaker. The cop responding had no clue it would be the owner of the house he'd be dealing with. the 911 caller had no clue who was trying to shoulder a door open in frustration...let it go.
 
Quahom1 said:
It was a mistake based on the unknown, and fear and embarassment between educated people (and cops are as educated as professors Wil...just in different trains of thought), in an environment none of the parties ever expected to be in...but all were wary of.

The professor had no clue that he was viewed by 911 callers as a potential house breaker. The cop responding had no clue it would be the owner of the house he'd be dealing with. the 911 caller had no clue who was trying to shoulder a door open in frustration...let it go.
Click to expand...
Q, cops may think they are as educated as the professor, but do you believe the professors do? In the education world it is letters after your name that determine hiearchy.

Twas just a question, I'm not defending neither of them for their behaviour.

Let it go?? This is a discussion board...case you didn't notice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top