Stop hitting your brother, don’t hit your sister, and always expect retaliation if you do. This is a lesson most people learn before entering grade school, and if they haven’t, chances are someone will be calling home to discuss this behavior with the parents. Remove a few peers and replace some of them with police officers, we still abide by the no hitting rule; especially if the intended target is a law man. Becoming physical in the presence of a public servant not only arouses attention, but it also forces them to react.
Today an Occupy Wall Street(OWS) protester was found guilty of assaulting a police officer. In case you missed 2011, OWS started as cry against corporate greed that quickly deteriorated into public squatting and police heavy-handedness. It’s not denied that some officers can be aggressive when detaining the uncooperative, especially the unruly, but it seems only those instances with police being forceful get featured on the nightly news. The case of Cecily McMillan is not just a case of violence against a public servant, but also a case of accountability (or lack thereof).
A jury of 8 women and 4 men convicted her based on this and other videos posted on YouTube of the incident. Like a juvenile who’s never learned that actions have consequences, her supporters cried foul as the verdict was read. Ironically, some had to be escorted out due to their unruly behavior. If ever you’ve interacted with someone lacking accountability (kids usually), you quickly notice the complete lack of respect for authority. Animals impart the lesson of authoritative respect by nipping when play is to rough, we humans do this with words and consequences.
Cecily bashed her elbow into a man’s face while he was at work causing near permanent damage. Then, as he’s falling atop her to prevent escape, she cries police brutality before convulsing while being arrested. I’m no parent, but that sounds a lot like a tantrum to me. This person, and many like her may never see their behavior as faulty, and in fact justify it like a child who justifies disobedience. The only way to impress the importance of good behavior sometimes is with a heavy hand.
In this new world of feelings and Child Services, parents are increasingly afraid of being forceful or rigid. However, the price of not being assertive with the young is manefested later and paid by society. Any animal owner or parent will tell you that part of child rearing also involves suppression of violence. Animals bite or scratch, humans hit, but never is it allowed to evolve into pain inflicting damage, by the alpha(s). Hopefully this animal learns her lesson during her vacation on Riker’s Island.
