My answer to that isn’t going to change just because a different person asks. If you expect people to turn in their friends and colleagues, under pretty much any circumstances, you’re going to spend your life disappointed.
It’s petty to call the cops when no-one’s harmed. It’s fine to kill in self defence. Not only are those views not mutually exclusive, they have almost no bearing on each other.
It’s perfectly acceptable for police officers to watch crimes being committed and do nothing about it, because there’s just no way to make a change?
It’s fear:
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20724340&postcount=12437
He’s paralyzed by terror to the point that he praised a convicted murderer (Dunn) who shot teenagers for playing loud music:
I just try to remind him, calmly and kindly, that loud music isn’t going to hurt you, and teenagers being rowdy is just normal teenage behavior, and it’s okay out there… most youngsters being rowdy and playing loud music are just regular kids being kids, and not dangerous to you or anyone else. It’s okay, and it’s going to be okay.
Off-duty police officer in California pointed a gun at man buying Mentos candy
Because, you know, pulling a gun on a suspected shoplifter is completely reasonable. He might have had a diet Coke in his pocket.
So, it would be petty to call the police about shoplifting?
Anyway, away from what ever this particular Steophan trainwreck is…
Here’s a trusted member of our law enforcement community, finally sentenced for using his position as a judge to find and force women, many of them underage, into performing sex acts with him.
Of course, he doesn’t think that what he did was so bad.
And of course, taking responsibility for his actions.
Just in case you were wondering political affiliation:
If you don’t work for the shop, yes.
But, if you do work at that shop, then you shouldn’t call attention to your co-worker stealing, right?
…the NY Sergeants Benevolent Association had this to say in response to a tweet from the The Civilian Complaint Review Board who made a “may the fourth be with you” joke about the importance of the Fourth Amendment:
Depends. If you want to do what is officially right, at the expense of friendships and your job, go for it. But don’t expect managers to thank someone who’s not trustworthy, they’ll be wondering what else you’ll be reporting and to who.
Sometimes blowing the whistle is necessary. Often, it just fucks up the whistleblower for little to no gain. I’m not making a moral point, I’m observing what actually happens. Something that, for some reason, people in this thread seem disinclined to do, instead treating every action and interaction as though it happens in a vacuum, with no complications, no fallout, just a simple moral decision that could be computed with an algorithm. Sadly, life is messy, and until people understand that they’ll be unable to work towards practical solutions to any problems, they’ll just sit there wondering why people aren’t perfectly moral robots.
You work at some shitty places, with some shitty people, and you are part of the problem.
I’ve been an employee, and I’ve been a manager, and I am now a business owner. You are flat out wrong to say that managers do not respect people who are honest. I don’t wonder who else they are reporting to, reporting what?
And I guess there is something to that. If I, as a manager, and up to shady shit, then I may not like people that call people out on shady shit. As I have actually been the cause of at least 2 general managers losing their jobs, (with one of them having charges pressed, though I don’t know how it turned out) because they were stealing, I guess I can see you point.
If you are stuck with no choice but to work for shitty people who are corrupt and stealing, and who will punish you for doing the right thing, then I can see turning a blind eye towards some behaviors.
But, in the case that that analogies to what we are talking about, police assaulting people and other cops just looking on and lying in their reports to cover for them, that means that you are saying that the entire police department is corrupt, from the top down. Even more so, as we are not talking about shoplifting, but assault.
I don’t know that I agree with that.
Yeah, and sometimes they affect you directly. I was a cook for many years in many restaurants. One thing that I certainly did do was to catch and call out servers for stealing. Once the servers were called out for stealing, miraculously, food cost would fall in line, and cooks would get a raise.
You are the one treating it as if it’s just in a vacuum with no issues. Other employees stealing lowers morale, it increases employee theft if it goes unchecked. It means lower wages, higher prices, eventually fewer customers and possibly going out of business.
And that is talking about stealing. We are in this case, actually talking about assault. You really think that physical violence should be tolerated in the workplace? You see someone give a beat down to another employee, and you aren’t going to report that?
Yeah, you would also be the cop that covers for the other cop. “Oh shit, you shot that guy for no reason. Here’s a gun to plant on him, and I’ll say that I saw him point it at you.” Do you think that that would be acceptable behavior? From what you are saying here, I think that you do, and if that is the case you are a truly shitty person, and the world is a worse place for your existence.
I live in the real world. Look up what happens to whistleblowers sometime, it quite often isn’t pretty. Anyway, no-one - not one single person - follows every law and regulation, whether at work or in their day to day life. While you’re focussing on the waiter who steals a small amount of money, the cook or the manager is figuring out how best to serve out of date, potentially dangerous food, or how to cover up flaws when the inspectors come round. Only one of those things is harmful, and it’s not the petty theft.
To go back to the cops thing. Should career criminals be getting their heads kicked in? Obviously not, and those caught doing it should be punished appropriately. But a few bruises is far less harm than they do to people, and yet it’s what is more focussed on. Very few cops are going to want to remove someone from their team for doing that, when it means they’ll have to work harder and get more hassle from their other colleagues (and probably superiors). It’s not right, no, but it’s normal behaviour, and it’s a minor problem.
Drop the hypocrisy and get your priorities sorted.
Yeah, I’m I’m tying people’s hands behind their backs and kicking them in the head all the time. It’s like not crossing the street at the light–a victimless crime.
Everyone is aware that **Steophan **is a sociopath, right?
What do you do if there’s a whistleblower at your working place? You call him a rat and be hostile, so he’ll never do it again ? Or show him respect for being an honest person, so he’ll keep weeding out the crime ?
IF I break laws in my everyday life, I have no idea what they are. I don’t steal, I don’t beat up people, I don’t even jaywalk. Same with all people I know ( except jaywalking… ). However, you apparently are a repeat offender.
What he hell are you talking about ? Where do you work and with what kind of people ? Nothing that sort happens where I work. Also who says a whistleblower can focus only one thing.
And how would they get caught without those loathsome snitches ratting them out ?
So what’s your take on crimes where the victim isn’t even aware it happened ? You know, like embezzling from a demented person, or drug-raping somebody. Would it be petty to inform the cops about these, 'cause who actually got harmed there ?
Why should a good cop be nervous about who’s going to be a whistleblower. I don’t care if some of my co-workers is a ‘rat’, because he’ll never have anything on me. However, if there’s a thief, I don’t want HIM around.
I’d rather have my priorities right. And of all those around me.
But I wouldn’t want to have your kind around me, because you are a part of the problem. You are an enabler, one cog in a broken system that will only get worse with people like you. You are stupid and corrupt.
You’re either a liar or an idiot.
Or not a career criminal like yourself.
I guess that I’m an idiot then.
Because apparently obeying the laws makes a person an idiot in your world.
And THAT was your take on the post that I composed more than an hour.
Yes, I guess I’m an idiot for expecting more.
Edit. could you list here the laws YOU break on a daily basis ?
Whereas you manage both.
Hey, did you ever apologize for repeatedly and blatantly lying about the content of people’s posts?