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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   23841 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of June 8, 2026

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For places where this is a regular issue, I'd say Allow police officers to inflict corporal punishment as a summary procedure.

I'm watching a lot of youtubes of (US) police bodycams and man it's hard to argue otherwise. Of course, it's a biaised sample, but man does it seem unreasonably annoying to have to deal with someone who believes they are going to argue, refuse to comply their way out of a ticket and then physically resist and yell and twist their way out of an arrest. I think there might be some people who'd become more reasonable if they were clearly told by the police "if you do not shut up and comply, I am empowered to beat your ass".

There are also of course, police officers who seem to jump to every opportunity to claim battery on a law enforcement officer. I get that anything that can discourage resisting is probably good in the end, but resisting is already its own charge, it makes me lose some respect for the officers if they feel like a suspect lightly pushing back on them while resisting is them being "battered".

I'm also confused by how many people in the US seem to be driving without their license on them; what the fuck?

Yep.

A) Cops are apparently a lot more restrained than you might think given the stressors they often face. The exceptions are out there, of course.

B) We already trust cops with proper escalation of force, and they do an okay job at it. I don't see much reason to let them use their discretion to tase people vs. letting them just inflict a few strikes with the cane, following a modicum of process.

C) I think a lot of suspects might actually agree to take a beating on the spot vs. going through the full system's process where jail time would be on the table.

I think there might be some people who'd become more reasonable if they were clearly told by the police "if you do not shut up and comply, I am empowered to beat your ass"

Eh... I'm in favor of corporal punishment, but I think it needs to be adjudged, like all other forms of punishment. If you give that power to cops directly, you can be almost certain they'll get drunk on it.

I'm also confused by how many people in the US seem to be driving without their license on them; what the fuck?

It's not a big deal in Europe. You get fined, and you're adding an extra half hour to your detainment as they verify that you do, in fact, have a license, but otherwise it's not a problem.

That's how it is in most US states too. I've been pulled over for speeding and didnt have my license on me for some reason. The stop went exactly like any other traffic stop, except it took a few minutes for the cop to verify I did, in fact, have a valid license. He gave me my speeding ticket and a warning to not forget my license next time.

In New Jersey if you don't have your paperwork (especially insurance), the cops tow your car and leave you by the side of the road, any time, day or night. They did this even before cell phones were common.

Good to know. I've almost never had a non-expired insurance card on me in the car when pulled over (it's usually sitting in an opened envelope on my desk for months as I forget to replace the card), and I've alwayd gotten off with a warning. Though I admit I have always had unusually good luck/rapport with police officers who pull me over--immediately taking full responsibility for breaking the law, apologizing profusely for not having your documents organized, and making polite small talk goes a long way. (all of these stops would have been in Western states btw)

I'm also confused by how many people in the US seem to be driving without their license on them; what the fuck?

In most parts of the US, not driving is simply not an option. If you can’t get a license, then you just have to deal with your entire life being a continuous string of misdemeanor offenses.

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