World is Falling Apart Thread (Locked forever)

[MrPopo]

Isn't Rand Paul against vaccinations or something dumb like that?

[dsheinem]

as usual the dirt has been dug up at the right moment.

The Salon story is from ~5 years ago and comes via a Kentucky news source, the Wash Post story is from 2 months ago covering Paul on the pre-campaign campaign trail.

[Jmustang1968]

as usual the dirt has been dug up at the right moment.

The Salon story is from ~5 years ago and comes via a Kentucky news source, the Wash Post story is from 2 months ago covering Paul on the pre-campaign campaign trail.

If he has an anti-vaccine stance, then I do not agree with that. But the Wash Post article is nitpicky. Oh let's go after the guy who studied Biology, and left early to get a med degree at Duke, in which he scored so high on MCAT that he was admitted early.

[Sarge]

Even more ridiculous are the reports that he "stormed off" from a Guardian interview, when he told the guy one more question, he answers the question, then leaves as the reporter keeps going and CNN turns off the lights because Rand Paul had an interview with Dana Bash.

Political season is ridiculous.

[marurun]

Political season is ridiculous.

Can we make this the money quote?

[RCBH928]

So is it true that white cops are shooting black people on purpose in America?

I find that very hard to believe, I can't imagine there are people out there so racist that are willing to kill people just because. I think the media is over reacting. But thats what I think not what I know..

[Luke]

So is it true that white cops are shooting black people on purpose in America?

I find that very hard to believe, I can't imagine there are people out there so racist that are willing to kill people just because. I think the media is over reacting. But thats what I think not what I know..

Check the smile/ticked thread a page or two back.

[marurun]

So is it true that white cops are shooting black people on purpose in America?

I find that very hard to believe, I can't imagine there are people out there so racist that are willing to kill people just because. I think the media is over reacting. But thats what I think not what I know..

Typically, when a cop shoots someone it is on purpose. But there are two problems at work, here.

1) Many officers and departments don't get good training.

This results in several issues. Sometimes they put themselves in harm's way so that the only way out involves shooting. Sometimes they assess the situation poorly such that they perceive threats incorrectly. Sometimes they simply don't follow proper protocol and shoot at inappropriate times. Often they don't have proper conflict resolution skills and don't know how to peacefully deescalate a situation. The end result is that the officer feels they are in danger and shoots someone. In this case they are often let off the hook for the shooting because they genuinely felt they were at risk of harm, even though that risk of harm resulted at least in part because of the officer's behavior or lack of training.

2) There are racial biases buried deeply in policing practices (similar to society at large, but more dangerous because officers have more power than average citizens). In fact, sometimes poor police training can create racial bias in officers.

This factor can create issues where officers inordinately target minorities, or rely on racial profiling as a substitute for other better, but more complex, profiling techniques. Poor training makes this bias a bigger issue.

Departments with the greatest problems tend to have serious racial bias issues compounded by poor training. So you have officers targeting minorities at a far greater rate, and then not utilizing good practices resulting in situations that get out of hand more quickly and more often.

Well-trained officers are able to step back from situations quickly and better assess conditions. They see fewer shootings because they are able to keep situations calm and react more appropriately to ambiguity. They are far less likely to put themselves in situations where they perceive danger that isn't there. And while training often doesn't reduce intrinsic racial bias, it reduces the impact of bias on practical behavior, meaning that racial bias is less likely to impact policing practices.

So the key is to properly fund police departments to make sure they can attract and screen high quality candidates, train them properly, and be less dependent upon revenue-based policing strategies.

[MrPopo]

marurun, this is the internet. Having anything rational to say about the police is strictly forbidden; in fact referring to them by anything more positive than "the pigs" can get you banned from the internet for no less than five years. The police exist solely to shoot people and keep us all down.

[Luke]

The police exist solely to shoot people and keep us all down.

...and to ruin a perfectly nice makeout session.

The whole "no gun" thing seems to work well in England.