Assignment 1: Attitudes towards Law Enforcement Officers.
Throughout history people have judged other people, there have always been stereotypes. Police officers have not been exempt from stereotypes. "Cops" have always been called "Donut Eating Pigs" and other offense names, but why are they called this? Aren't these the people who protect us and are always there? I believe most individuals should not stereotype groups but instead develop ideas of different people based on experiences and time spent with them.
My attitude towards cops is not a loving one. Almost every police officer I have interacted with has had some bad attitude and has acted like an asshole. I have met very few nice or even polite officers of the law. With every experience I find that cops have a cocky or sarcastic attitude, my personality is also never ill-tempered or malicious when dealing with them. Cops" attitudes towards young adults and teenagers is a very demeaning one, they always feel as if they can abuse their power so they can look tough and better than the person or people that they are dealing with.
I believe that the ideas written by Cara Solomon in her article best represent how I and most teenagers I know feel about how the police deal with the youth. The author shows how teenagers are discriminated against because of their stereotypes, they way they look, and how they dress. I believe that many cops prejudge people based on their looks and race; there are many racist people on the police force. Many of my minority friends have been discriminated against based on race and I have been discriminated against because of the clothes I wear and the people I hang out with. The article shows that many teenagers and police officers have a hostile relationship with each other. Solomon best describes this when she writes "Teens associate the crisp, blue uniform of an officer with police brutality; police associate the baggy pants and black bandana of a teenager with the gang members who made it famous".
