This happens at every social gathering. You pick up your drink, you hold it near your chest, you find yourself speaking to somebody you have never met before and then they ask that age-old question, “So, what do you do?”

You then tell them about your job or about your schooling, they do the same, and voila. You are now your employment. You are now your education. But are you? Are you really?

For some, they pride themselves extensively on their careers and proudly identify as themselves in that frame, but for others, it is one more way that mainstream society helps us feel just a little bit more alienated.

I am an artist, an expressionist, a creator, an inventor. I help others. I help myself. I do many tasks. I build many projects. I do not have a ‘job’ or one career. And I am not my simple label, but a cornucopia of labels that are constantly being adjusted and changed. To succumb to one is a misrepresentation of the complexities of who I am.

This is a human being limited to their capabilities within the role of a police officer

When I hear people defending inappropriate actions of police officers and arguing that these officers are ‘people’ too, it perturbs me. The police officer is a mask, a label. It is a single way of being when it is worn and it is not a complete person. As a police officer, there is a code of conduct, ethics and procedures that must be followed. There is a fraternity (aka community) that protects them, a union and unity that does not accept criticism. When you sign up to be a police officer, you accept that your entire persona cannot come with you. You can take with you only that which applies to the code of conduct and that you can use your discretion only when not being instructed by a superior officer. This is not a person, this is a role. When you defend police officers abuse of power actions, you defend the role, not the person.

Some people are poorly matched and should not be in their assigned role. Someone who turns to violence easily should not be a police officer. This should be a given. Deescalation techniques should be prioritized. Social workers should accompany officers to domestic abuse calls. These are ideas that could help progress policing to a more community-friendly state.

Defending the police’s roles while people continue to be murdered at their hands throughout the world is deplorable. It is often said that there are a few bad apples within the police. This is true. The rest of that anecdote is that those few bad apples spoil the bunch.

Police must not abuse their power if they are to host an amicable relationship with civilization. If the brotherhood continues to defend deplorable actions, the relationship will continue to devolve.

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Jamie Klinger — Founder of JoatU, former member of Coop Sur Genereux, Basic Income Activist, Community Organizer, Entrepreneur, Writer, Photographer, Marketer, Poker Coach and Rebel with a Cause.