Death at the hands of police.

[Bonobo]

Among the many things that struck me about this was that it is one of the dangers you face if you are a man.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/25/1280319/-Watching-your-husband-die-at-the-hands-of-police-Warning-graphic-video

If you are a woman, there is very little chance of this happening. Not zero chance, but relatively little.

How many men reading this have been bullied or threatened by the police? I have.

Yes, this is a men's issue and we have a right to talk about it. And no, it doesn't matter that the one's doing it are also men. That is missing the point. The point is that this is the Men's Group and we talk about issues that men deal with it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. In general, I haven't been badly treated by cops.

But then again, my best friend is a cop.

However, about 25 years ago I was rear-ended by a young woman driving her mom's pickup while I was stopped at a stop sign. The impact threw me and my motorcycle into the freeway lanes. Luckily, oncoming freeway drivers had adequate evasive driving skills.

As I picked my bleeding self up and pushed my bashed-up bike off to the side of the road, I could see that the truck's bumper was caved in, the grill was destroyed and the hood was buckled up about 8". The woman looked at the damage and said "My mom's going to kill me".

I replied that she had more immediate problems. She silently returned to her truck and locked the doors.

When the cops arrived, as I held a blood-soaked handkerchief against my shoulder, they had lots of questions about how I drive ("I was stationary&quot and how fast the bike goes ("I don't know. Today, I was doing zero&quot .

The driver of the truck got a $30 ticket for failing to yield the right of way. The officer apparently felt that she was adequately traumatized by the interruption in music caused by the loud noise of knocking a guy and his motorcycle 30 feet across the road.

[nomorenomore08]

5. That is a pretty awful story. I'm sorry that happened to you.

If she was a young white woman - particularly middle-class or above - then I'm not at all surprised that she'd be treated overly lightly by the legal system.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. I consider it kind of trivial.

... but the "WTF were you doing in the nice lady's way?" attitude of the cop is something that I remember when conversation drifts to male privilege.

[nomorenomore08]

14. Valid point. But I tend to think it has more to do with race, and even social class, than gender.

I can't know for sure, but I suspect that the cop's "attitude" may have been a bit different if you'd been hit by a young woman of color, particularly one from a lower-class background.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Maybe.

I do know that if you just look at incarceration statistics, it's clear that gender is the biggest determinant of who goes to jail.

[nomorenomore08]

16. No argument there. The systematic criminalization of entire segments of society is an atrocity. n/t

[rrneck]

2. Don't start nutn', won't be nutn'.

Men start shit. Sometimes it's good shit. Sometimes it's bad shit. But if there's some shit that needs starting in the world, men have traditionally gotten the call.

[Bonobo]

3. That simply is not true.

Simply being a young man can easily mean that any encounter with the police can turn ugly. You're lucky not to have experienced it.

[rrneck]

4. It was a too short post.

Don't assume I haven't had an ugly encounter with the police.

I've got a not quite finished OP about the source of patriarchy and male violence and the post came from there. Not all the shit men start is bad, and sometimes "won't be nutn'" is a bad thing.

[sibelian]

10. Quite interested to see your not quite finished OP...

...coming soon?

[rrneck]

11. I hope so.

I messed around and got busy here in the middle of winter.

[sibelian]

12. Cool.

I have a bunch of nebulous musings on the subject of men, stereotyping and the way male emotion is handled and discussed.

I think I'll start tying them up...

[nomorenomore08]

6. Men of color may experience this more frequently, but white men certainly do as well.

I myself have dealt with a few cops, some nice, some not-so-nice. I have a general distrust of authority that in many cases is probably justified.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. Gay men get the short end of the stick too.

Though there has been progress in some areas, many times if the officer assumes you are gay, you can expect to get harassed. If you don't it is a good day. Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful police officers out there and I am not one of those extremist "Fuck the Pigs" hatemongers who frequent liberal sites, but I do know what is what in regards to being a police officer. I have worked with many in my years in higher education. MOST were good men and women, there were a few who, quite frankly, am surprised they haven't been in the national news.

[nomorenomore08]

9. Certainly attracts a lot more violent psychos than most professions. That's rather self-evident.

And I can only imagine what pricks the fucking cops are, living in a red state as a gay man. Seriously, I may not be able to fully relate, but you have my condolences for sure.

[Bonobo]

7. More male privilege right here (Graphic warning)

Hands in the air and unarmed. Shot in the back by police and killed.

When this happens to a woman, get back to me about how men have all the privilege with no disadvantages or dangers that face them because of their gender.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/01/26/warning-video-police-shooting-graphic-justified/