# The Signifying Douchebag? \[Henry Gates arrest - racism?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703 "2009-07-21T01:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/21 "2009-07-21T14:08:18Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > There’s also an elitist streak here, underlined by the colleague’s claim that “this wouldn’t happen to a white PROFESSOR” (emphasis mine), that he understands the police need to investigate break ins, but their offense was not recognizing and respecting Gates’ status as an elite. I don’t doubt him. There is a certain entitlement to being wealthy and important, and a well-dressed white man would be more readily believed. But the outrage here is that Gates has earned that wealth and importance, and yet was treated like an ordinary man by mere public servants. This is clear from the [Boston.com](http://Boston.com) commentary, rife with calling the police stupid and illiterate for not knowing who Gates was. > > When I’ve locked myself out and considered letting myself in by unconventional methods, I worried the police would come and that I’d have to explain myself. Almost anyone would assume that in this situation, unless they have enjoyed special status for a while and don’t think the way ordinary people think. Maybe Gates was tired, cranky, off his game, whatever; I’m willing to cut the guy some slack. But the quickness to cause foul doesn’t prove the folks in the stands are not racist. It might prove they are racist – they can’t see past Gates’ skin color to just see a self-important windbag who thought he was too good to deal with a routine police call. Or perhaps they are not racist, but just see where the class line is drawn and are as upset as Gates that a dignitary would be troubled by mere peasants. Agreed. It sounds like Gates was being a grade A douchebag, and is going to play the race card to get away with it. The police were reporting a reported break in. All Gates had to do was show some ID and the cop would have been on his merry way. Instead, he decided to make it a racial thing and got himself arrested for abusing a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/22 "2009-07-21T14:12:00Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Agreed. It sounds like Gates was being a grade A douchebag, and is going to play the race card to get away with it. The police were reporting a reported break in. All Gates had to do was show some ID and the cop would have been on his merry way. Instead, he decided to make it a racial thing and got himself arrested for abusing a cop. In the other thread they’re saying that the police report indicates he _did_ show ID (his Harvard ID) and the officer was fully convinced almost from the beginning that Gates was who he said he was and was in his own house. The link to the report, however, seems to be broken. I’d like to read it because what people are saying is that you’d think the report written by the officer would make the officer look good–but instead, it makes him look like he needs to take an unpaid leave for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/23 "2009-07-21T14:16:11Z")
> [@treis](#): > > All Gates had to do was show some ID and the cop would have been on his merry way. The cop’s report says Gates showed gave him his Harvard ID. [Here’s a second link to a copy of the police report.](http://www.scribd.com/doc/17512830/Gates-Police-Report) ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/24 "2009-07-21T14:24:28Z")
After yelling at him and calling him a racist. My point is that it is Gates that escalated and caused the incident. If this had occurred at a non-douchebag’s home the conversation goes: Officer: “We had a report of someone breaking into this home” NDB: “Oh, my front door was stuck, here is my ID” Officer: “Thank you sir, have a nice night.” Instead it’s Officer: “We had a report of someone breaking into this home” DB: “Why because I am a black man in America?” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/25 "2009-07-21T14:28:10Z")
> [@treis](#): > > After yelling at him and calling him a racist. My point is that it is Gates that escalated and caused the incident. You know this how? Once he showed them his ID, they should have fucked off. The end. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/26 "2009-07-21T14:29:20Z")
> [@treis](#): > > After yelling at him and calling him a racist. My point is that it is Gates that escalated and caused the incident. If this had occurred at a non-douchebag’s home the conversation goes: > > Officer: “We had a report of someone breaking into this home” > NDB: “Oh, my front door was stuck, here is my ID” > Officer: “Thank you sir, have a nice night.” > > Instead it’s > > Officer: “We had a report of someone breaking into this home” > DB: “Why because I am a black man in America?” Agreed. Even the most racist cop in the world wouldn’t hassle a black man that lives in a posh neighborhood because green is a much more important color than white or black. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/27 "2009-07-21T14:31:32Z")
I also wonder (assuming he hasn’t had to deal with the police before) if he misunderstood the police’s general attitude. More or less every cop I’ve ever met has had a seriously suspicious, hard-edged manner. This applies to cops in the most crime-free suburb, too. They usually have an emotional barrier and aren’t known for being polite. Furthermore, they tend to act as if you _did_ do something wrong and they just don’t know what it is… yet. This makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. Presumably, it’s because they’re always feeling a little endangered and also because it makes actual guilty people crack up. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/28 "2009-07-21T14:36:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > You know this how? > > Once he showed them his ID, they should have fucked off. The end. He yelled at them for a while before showing his ID. He finally showed it, they did leave, and he followed them out, continuing to yell. RTFA. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/29 "2009-07-21T14:39:20Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > WTF planet do you live on? If I broke into my own house and the cops saw it I’d be happy to prove that I live there. Yeah it’s better if they don’t try to make you prove it that way the person robbing me blind can just pretend like they live there as they move my TV out the side door. :rolleyes: Most people would be happy to do just about anything to cooperate with the police. But in America, we’re not required to, especially within our own homes. If a man answers the doorbell of a residence, the logical assumption is that he lives there. You start assuming people are hiding some criminal act, and it gives you license to harrass people on nothing more than your suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/30 "2009-07-21T14:42:15Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > If a man answers the doorbell of a residence, the logical assumption is that he lives there. Unless there had just been a report of someone breaking and entering. I tend to think the police screwed up here, but several people have said something like the above, and I think that is definitely not where they screwed up. If someone calls reporting a breaking/entering into my house, then when the police arrive and I answer the door, they should ask me to show that I live in that house. A driver’s license should do fine. Even if I don’t have one, it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. On the other hand, if I am angry at the police for disrupting my day, and if I think they are persecuting me, they should, basically, ignore that, just get the i.d., and leave. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/31 "2009-07-21T14:43:55Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Most people would be happy to do just about anything to cooperate with the police. But in America, we’re not required to, especially within our own homes. > > If a man answers the doorbell of a residence, the logical assumption is that he lives there. Unless two people have just been seen breaking into the same house. > [@](#): > > You start assuming people are hiding some criminal act, and it gives you license to harrass people on nothing more than your suspicion. You start assuming people might be hiding some criminal act when someone saw them breaking into a house. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/32 "2009-07-21T14:44:52Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > You know this how? Police report and reading through the lines of Gates’ lawyers statement. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Once he showed them his ID, they should have fucked off. The end. He was “fucking off”, but Gates chose to follow him outside to yell some more. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/33 "2009-07-21T14:45:00Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Unless there had just been a report of someone breaking and entering. > > I tend to think the police screwed up here, but several people have said something like the above, and I think that is definitely not where they screwed up. If someone calls reporting a breaking/entering into my house, then when the police arrive and I answer the door, they should ask me to show that I live in that house. A driver’s license should do fine. Even if I don’t have one, it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. > > On the other hand, if I am angry at the police for disrupting my day, and if I think they are persecuting me, they should, basically, ignore that, just get the i.d., and leave. They did. He followed them out of the house, still yelling at them. For some reason that little detail keeps escaping people. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/34 "2009-07-21T14:48:58Z")
How viciously unAmerican. Screw the principals behind the First Amendment. You must respect authority or you deserve to go to jail. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/35 "2009-07-21T14:49:42Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > They did. He followed them out of the house, still yelling at them. For some reason that little detail keeps escaping people. I did not forget that detail, that detail is part of their failure to do what I was saying they should have done. You’re saying they did what? “Basically ignore that and leave” as I said? No, they started to leave, but did not follow through. They turned around and arrested him because he was yelling\* at them. That–his signifying his frustration–is what I was saying they should have ignored, leaving instead. \*(Awww, poow widdle powice officews getting awl yewwed at!) ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/36 "2009-07-21T14:51:41Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I did not forget that detail, that detail is part of their failure to do what I was saying they should have done. > > You’re saying they did what? “Basically ignore that and leave” as I said? No, they started to leave, but did not follow through. They turned around and arrested him because he was yelling\* at them. That–his signifying his frustration–is what I was saying they should have ignored, leaving instead. > > \*(Awww, poow widdle powice officews getting awl yewwed at!) They’d left the house. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/37 "2009-07-21T14:52:53Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Agreed. Even the most racist cop in the world wouldn’t hassle a black man that lives in a posh neighborhood because green is a much more important color than white or black. What would set them off is thinking they had a bust, and then finding out their target was innocent. I got hassled by the cops all the time when I was a DFH. I used to get pulled over and get my ar searched all the time because I had long hair and lived in a right wing conservative town. The cops always used to get really annoyed when they couldn’t find anything. It would piss them off that I did _not_ have any drugs or weapons in the car. They acted like I was ssomehow getting away with something by being innocent. One time a cop frisked me, drunk tested me, shone the flashlight around in my car, searched my trunk, couldn’t find anything and then told me “you got lucky, asshole.” Somehow, not being a criminal was sly and sneaky in their eyes. It’slike they feel cheated. I suspect that something like that was going on in this case. They thought they were going to get to bust a minority breaking into a rich whitey’s house, and then this guy that they already decided before they got there was a criminal turns out to be the homeowner, and richer than them and completely insubordinate to them. When the cops couldn’t find any drugs in my car, they used to contrive equipment citations just to be able to write something. I had a cop give me a ticket for having too much snow on a windshield that had a microscopic amount of snow on it. I had a cop write me a ticket for wearing sunglasses while driving at night. I’ve had a cop write me a ticket for taking my seatbelt off to get my drivers licence (and he SAW me take my seatbelt off, he was standing at the window). I think that may be the equivalent of what these cops were doing. They weren’t going to let this guy get away without busting him for _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/38 "2009-07-21T14:54:29Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > They did. He followed them out of the house, still yelling at them. Says who, the cops? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/39 "2009-07-21T14:56:47Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Police report and reading through the lines of Gates’ lawyers statement. > > He was “fucking off”, but Gates chose to follow him outside to yell some more. Police reports are not cites. You can’t support the police account by _citing_ the police account. That’s circular. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703/40 "2009-07-21T14:56:53Z")
Whether intentionally or not, I think the police probably arrested Gates because he was embarrassing them in front of a crowd of people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-signifying-douchebag-henry-gates-arrest-racism/503703.md?page=3)