When Backing the Blue Blinds Us: The Harsh Reality of Police Misconduct
Blindly backing the blue only empowers corrupt officers.
I write about police miscoduct quite a bit...even more so lately.
I've always been interested in how folks on the right respond to the instances of police misconduct I've highlighted over the years...especially the uber pro-police folks.
So far, the response that has interested me the most is a variation of: "This happened because the left defunded the police and made all the good ones quit, so now you only have bad police officers.
Yet, I’d say most of the stories I’ve written about involve corrupt officers who were on the force long before the George Floyd protests and the “Defund the Police” movement.
Even so, these folks have convinced themselves that most of the good officers resigned or moved to different areas while most of the corrupt ones stayed put – even though police misconduct has been an issue for decades.
For me, it highlights two things:
Firstly, people are so hyperpartisan these days that they view EVERYTHING through the lens of Democrats vs Republicans, left vs right.
Secondly, their need to believe in law enforcement is so strong that they concocted this fairy tale to make themselves feel better about being “Back the Blue No Matter What They Do.” There is absolutely no evidence that the “defund the police” movement pushed out good cops while retaining the corrupt ones.
Lastly, it shows that too many people, regardless of political affiliation, still prioritize narratives over truth. To many folks, it is impossible to look at a story and assess it on the facts of the case, without injecting politics into it.
It’s hard for me to suss out why this is. But I do believe that much of this has to do with the Team Sports mentality Americans have applied to politics. If something bad happens, it absolutely must be the opposite team’s fault – and the parties involved are all that matters – even if it involves officers blatantly abusing people.
I also believe that people’s emotional attachment to narratives is a significant factor in this equation. It is difficult for the vast majority of people to give up deeply-held beliefs even when they are proven wrong. If one has grown up with an extreme reverence for law enforcement, it seems to be difficult to reconcile this with the many incidents involving officers abusing their positions.
The bottom line is that police officers are government officials who have been granted the authority to violate our rights when they deem it appropriate. They are no different from politicians, bureaucrats, and other state officials. Perhaps the only real difference is that they wear guns and badges and operate under the threat of violence – for good and bad.
Those who claim to believe in “limited government” are contradicting themselves when they make exceptions for the police. When a mayor, city council member, prosecutor, or other official engages in corrupt activity, they do not hesitate to condemn them. They are rarely hesitant to call it out.
But, when an officer commits a crime or violates someone’s rights, it is harder for these folks to treat them the same way they do other government officials. It has always vexed me. But it is part and parcel of the brainwashing we all went through that prompts us to view the government as a supreme being whose every decree is sacrosanct.
People on both sides of the political spectrum have been conditioned in this way. The difference is that left and right just worship different parts of the government while purporting to despise other aspects of the state.
Fortunately, over the years, I have seen many conservatives who have had a change of heart about law enforcement. Even before the COVID years, I’ve seen many who have abandoned the irrational adoration of the police. But while the pandemic was in full swing, it seems many others woke up as well.
There is absolutely nothing conservative or liberty-loving about blindly trusting government officials who carry the level of power that the police have. They are agents of the state and should be scrutinized as such and held accountable when they overstep their boundaries.
The “Back the Blue No Matter What They Do” element on the right still has a significant presence. But I’m hoping more folks on the right wake up to the reality that being for limited government also includes law enforcement.