Joe,

  Thanks for this analysis. Very helpful in clarifying the sociological issues.


Best,
Gregg

 

From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Joseph Michalski
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2020 12:04 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Two articles on Policing

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

 

With all due respect, I simply cannot support a "50-50, he said, she said" approach to the analysis the state of policing and justification systems invoked to support particular agendas. Please feel free to ignore the following "rant" from a stereotypical "left-wing" sociologist, yours truly. I don't agree w/ that characterization, but what choice do I have?

 

Even if one could step outside of the political firestorm, the social scientific theories and certainly the empirical evidence - including that which Heather MacDonald (author, btw, of a book that I read a couple years ago titled The War on Cops) cites - points to deep-seated biases & differential treatment, as well as real-life differential outcomes for what happens to "real people" in "real communities." But the discourse is so tilted in the U.S. (even moreso than in Canada where I live) that it would take far too much time to make the case for why even much of the discourse even in the current framing tends to be far more "right-wing" and conservative, as well as at odds with the social scientific literature. MacDonald states that "I urge this committee to reject the proposition that law enforcement today is systemically biased. The evidence does not support that charge." And yet her own highly distorted & limited presentation of the numbers still provides evidence of biases in policing and disproportionate surveillance & criminalization of African-American (and racialized minorities) in general. And, of course, she ignores the far wider range of evidence that's even more damning and that would subvert her claims entirely.

 

But here's the bigger point. Most people ignore the fact that if you want "more crime," then hold constant civilian behavior and simply increase the number of police. More surveillance alone leads to more crime, all else constant. More people looking for "bad behavior" will lead to more observations, more arrests, etc. And who's in positions to "identify" and "observe" and then "sanction" perceived crime? Those in positions of social advantage and power. And that story has not changed all that much, despite the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Law enforcement continues to be highly skewed and biased, almost regardless of the metric that you use. Tons of empirical stuff does not even get counted, such as the # of times that people who are stopped for "identical reasons" if you could hold all else constant (e.g., speeding) end up being treated differently on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, or any # of other social factors, to say nothing of human psychology, that might affect how transactions & interactions unfold. Where's all that data? Nowhere. And yet, do a thought experiment with me. Imagine if you were to test all the police in terms of their propensities for implicit bias or even overt manifestations of racism? What if you did comprehensive personality profiles? What would you find? And, then take that a step further. Despite the training they receive (often only 12 weeks or less), how might they end up interacting with "random" samples of people from the general public? What do you think you might find if you were to really study these issues in-depth and scientifically? Do you think you might see various forms of differential treatment, especially if "unfiltered" (although, apparently in the case of some officers like Derek Chauvin, it really doesn't even matter if the camera is rolling)? What would be the distribution in terms of the general police force, even if 90% were totally enlightened, fair-minded individuals committed to the highest aspirations of the "protect and serve" philosophy (btw, the evidence on who the police "are" from social scientific research paints a vastly different picture)? So, if "only" 10% act on their biases, what effect would that have & who would disproportionately be targeted? And so on.

 

And so the problems are far more deep-seated. If you want certain groups to be targeted, then increase police presence & see what happens. For example, what happens to "peaceful protesters" if there are more police around to "watch"? Forget the rioting and looting - how many arrests of looters have been caught on tape (and even then there are other issues to consider)? How many peaceful protesters have been beaten, or tear-gassed, or abused in one way or another? 

 

If there's a call to "de-fund" the police, does that mean no policing services? Or does that mean shifting some of the funding to investments in other types of services, education, health, infrastructure, opportunities, and investments in "poor" communities? Even among self-identified "liberals," how many want to live among and work with the poorest of the poor, be the awesome teachers I had in Fairfax County in the 1970s (white, privileged, wealthy, and largely segregated outside of TC Williams!) for young people "at risk" in those communities, move their families & live among & befriend those in the poorest neighbourhoods, and invest in small businesses or have their larger corporations relocate in those communities to create work incentives? And who's providing the health and social services, working with those suffering from substance abuse problems, or coaching the kids in sports and extra-curricular activities? No, none of THAT stuff can really be "legislated" and you certainly cannot force people to live in more integrated or diverse 'hoods, but at least recognize that much of the funding and tax relief directly benefits the wealthy (as Billie Eilish might sing, "Duh") and those in positions of power, including the police & the military. Far more money is spent on the U.S. military (yes, that's directly relevant to this discussion) and to U.S. policing than to all other publicly-funded health and human services. Not even close, especially if you set aside social security (which no one seems to define as "socialism" in the U.S., but I digress...) But what's the narrative being advanced in halls of power and certainly by the Trumpian leadership on the right? 

 

I cannot even begin to do justice to the thousands of scientific research studies that demonstrate the full range of biases and inequalities built into the systems of advanced-industrial democracies in general, to say nothing of what's happening in the most extremely polarized & militarized system on the face of the planet:  the U.S. military-industrial complex, who funding exceeds the next 10 countries in the world combined. I'm sorry, but I have spent my life trying to understand human behavior and, specifically crime, violence, and social control - and none of that (or the best of the work by the top leaders and pioneers in the field) gets noticed, acknowledged, or built into most of the discussions. Speaking only for myself, I think I may have reached the end of my career in even trying to have intelligent conversations about any of this stuff any longer. I'm sure I sound like a raving idiot. I just wish people could see at least some of the arguments and evidence as to how far to the right the discourse & justifications have shifted to the right. The one small kernel of hope? Some white protesters getting beaten again randomly & for no reason being detained are starting to ask, "Hey, I can't believe I'm being attacked for simply 'living my life' and 'being here'." No shit. That's what African-Americans and Indigenous peoples and racialized minorities have been saying for centuries. Duh. 

 

Or, as a right-wing nutcase brother of mine once complained, "I can't believe a group of young black kids stopped & yelled at me 'hey Honky' while I was playing tennis in LA." He was so angry that these youngsters would throw that epithet in his direction, unprovoked & without knowing him. I thought: Great, a teachable moment. I asked him to reflect on how angry he got that this happened to him exactly once and as a successful, wealthy, 40-something lawyer w/ a multi-million dollar home. And could he imagine how his African-American counterpart might feel who experienced this type of prejudice, bias, and discrimination regularly from the time of being a child right on up throughout one's life. No, not everyone would act that way toward the African-American walking among them. MOST people would be kind and treat each person fairly and with respect. But, that said, how many in the population would treat the racialized minority or the "other" differently, negatively, and/or with hostility? And how many times would that have happened over the many years? And what impact would that have on one's self-esteem, confidence, or general feeling of well-being? And yet look at what impact, my dear brother, just ONE incident had upon your mental health and well-being as a successful grown man. He still doesn't get it, and never will.

 

So much more to say, but I'll move along as an "old guy" now. But, in contrast to a lot of others in my generation, I have a different sign on my lawn. It's not "get off my lawn", but rather "all are welcome - come and hang out on my lawn & I'll even get you a drink if you're thirsty..." Best, -joe

 

Dr. Joseph H. Michalski

King’s University College at Western University

266 Epworth Avenue, DL-201

London, Ontario, Canada  N6A 2M3

Tel: (519) 433-3491

Email: [log in to unmask]

______________________

eið + 1 = 0

 


From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2020 7:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Two articles on Policing

 

Dear TOK List,

 

  For folks who are interested in understanding the divergent “justification systems” that are operating about the state of policing in this country, I recommend the following articles:

 

Heather MacDonald is a conservative scholar who has long argued that the fundamental progressive narrative about brutal cops as an aggregate is misguided. This is a transcript of her testimony to congress yesterday: https://www.city-journal.org/repudiate-the-anti-police-narrative

 

Nicholas Kristof is a liberal NY Times columnist who has long advocated for social justice causes. This is his call for how to effectively think about “defunding the police”:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/opinion/defund-police-floyd-protests.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_200611&instance_id=19255&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=35223894&segment_id=30632&user_id=8e4f03af2447d5adeb5069c9fb9bdf47

 

 

  NEXT MONDAY at 5:30 pm EDT we will be having Professor Mike Mascolo offer his insightful framework for understanding conflict, and bridging divides to create common ground. A formal announcement will be coming soon.


Best,
Gregg

 

 

 

 

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