Thread: The loss of common courtesy?

Getting back to courtesy, I have to agree 100% with Randy. It goes back to family, and the only person that we can control is ourself. People need to think of the consequences of their actions, and how it reflects upon them and the family.
Rex

(I have to say that Randy is a man that lives by what he preaches. I enjoy his view on life.)

Originally Posted by FUD

I repeat the 'comradery' of the badge, etc. Have you ever seen a video of a locker room discussion from a police station? I have seen several. They remind me of military on steroids. It was always "civilians" and "us". "We" were always at odds with "civilians" for one reason or another, no matter the base; always with stories of how the community wanted the base out of there and how the base 'proved over 80% of the community cash flow' was military.

The only thing that annoys me about this...and the mistake is made quite often (from both sides) is that LEOs are civilians!

And the good ones don't forget that. I'll admit there is a large "us vs. them" mentality in police work (and the military, for that matter...I did both), but it's earned. To sort of steer this side-topic back on course, though, I try to treat those I deal with with courtesy and respect. I'll show any person respect until they show me they don't deserve it. I've had very few problems, very few complaints, and great compliance because of this. I try to remember that "there but for the grace of God go I", because lord knows, I've screwed up a few (thousand ) times. I try to remember that when dealing with people. That's the best I can do. I have a profession I'm very proud of, and that I feel is vital and necessary. That doesn't mean everybody's always happy. I try to remember (unlike our elected officials) that I'm there to serve, not to rule.

FUD I agree with you. That's why the only uses of biometrics that I will support is for my home use (eliminates keys lol) and my computers, which means locally stored. The downside to this use is that it would condition the masses to get used to BM and then the corporate world and the governments would go all out, thus creating a Gattaca-like society.

Originally Posted by rexj

Getting back to courtesy, I have to agree 100% with Randy. It goes back to family, and the only person that we can control is ourself. People need to think of the consequences of their actions, and how it reflects upon them and the family.
Rex

You hit the nail on the head with that. We can only control ourselves, and we really should consider how our actions reflect on our friends & family.

I was riding in a car with a friend tonight, and he got mildly upset that a car didn't scoot over so he could merge. It's a three lane expressway, 45 MPH speed limit, no other cars besides the one in the rightmost lane where our street merges. The guy didn't scoot over and he's all upset about it. OOOH, we're an entire 15 seconds later for dinner now. It would certainly have been nice for the guy to scoot over, but he's not obligated to. He started in with, "I must be getting old. It seems there's no common courtesy anymore." Heh, maybe there's a chance to convert the guy to the straight razor

Kyle, your friend is partially right. If I am driving in the right lane of a 3-lane highway and the traffic is light, as I come up to a ramp, I always move over to the middle lane, for several purposes:
1) It allows other drivers to merge easily, without worrying about me.
2) I reduce my own risk of collision
3) Helps me stay alert on long (250+mi) drives

In all honesty, since I've been doing most of my driving in the Toronto area, I usually camp out in the middle lane or the passing lane. There is more traffic volume and I go faster than most cars on the road (about 12-14mi above the limit is my average) so it's only normal. Ofcourse, if I see a car catching up to me in the passing lane, I signal right, find a safe spot to change lanes, let him pass me and go back to the passing lane since as a general rule, the middle lane traffic never goes above 5mi over the speed limit.

If every driver acted with the same consideration for their fellow road-users, there would be far less tailgating and other forms of road rage.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

... the only uses of biometrics that I will support is for my home use (eliminates keys lol) and my computers ...

Right! That way the'd have to hack off your arm to get into your house. ... Wait a minute ...

Originally Posted by FUD

Biometric information is one of the key factors in modern legalized discrimination.

How's that, FUD? This is me pleading actual ignorance here, not being sarcasic.

X

Originally Posted by xman

Right! That way the'd have to hack off your arm to get into your house. ... Wait a minute ...

finger prints and retinal patterns are duplicatable, that's not science fiction, just expensive science.

Originally Posted by xman

How's that, FUD? This is me pleading actual ignorance here, not being sarcasic.
X

1) Biometric information for company uses is generally stored in a 3rd party company. These companies also flag a user's information when a company alerts them that an employee has been let go for any suspect reason. (i.e. nothing has to be proven in a court of law). If another company hires that employee there's no laws preventing the company from sharing a risk factor assesment with the new employer.
2) After September 11th 2001, it has become easier for employers to receive criminal background info on employees/applicants, even if that applicant has been clean for 10/20/30/40 years.
3) DNA sequencing is becoming a part of biometric processing. DNA sequencing ALSO provides information regarding susceptibilities to costly diseases, etc. There are NO laws prohibiting preventative discrimination. Who wants to hire an employee that may cost them more in insurance premiums and missed work days than the position is worth?
4)Also new frontiers in DNA sequencing is suggesting that it can predict whether a person has criminal tendancies in certain areas. This is still hotly contested but no more than the newest lie detector scam that the government bought into and spent millions on.
5) Biometrics is also starting to include brain scan analysis for various purposes. A method that's currently effective in less than 60% of it's intended uses.

If your brain waves or DNA sequences don't fit neatly into the cookie cutter imaging that makes the 'standard' you could be turned down for a job, suspected of a crime, or even labeled a latent criminal of God only knows what extreme.

These are valid concerns for valid technologies being tested and some being used today.

I've admitted before to being a cynic but like I've said we live in a society where everyone wants everyone else to pay forever. How many teenage felony convicts are now working in good paying jobs legally? If any are, they probably lied on the application about having a record. Criminals will eventually be the next 'immigrant workers' taking jobs no one else will take. Recidivism is due largely in part to an ex con not being allowed to better him/her self.

Those who do want to go straight have to find a way to capitalize on their misfortune and use it as a launching pad to success. The chances of that happening are less than winning the lottery. Many of those who don't go straight are because they've already been defeated in their own minds thanks to societies hatred.

Was it Hillary Clinton that said "It takes a village to raise a child"? Well guess what. It takes a village to make a criminal. We legally discriminate all the time. Remember Elizabeth Smart? I beleive it was this case where one of the original suspects was a man in the neighborhood who had been convicted almost 30 years before of having consesual sex with his minor girl friend (he had just turned 18). The neighborhood lambasted this guy.

With biometrics and new technologies and new fears for safety it will become possible and even legal for employers to scan a person's hand and in hours or minutes have his/her entire history in a single report. No more forgiveness for any mistakes as a teenager. Hey our national security is too important to let an imperfect human to make an honest living.

Or they may just stake out a house where all they have to do is take the key from the homeowner. Hacking a person's arm is just too much trouble, and don't even get me started on the cleanup