Respecting his authoritay

So, just about the only topic my dad brought up at dinner the other night that didn’t make me want to argue with him was when he asked me if I knew my brother has decided to apply for a job with the police department after graduation. I’ve known about this plan for a while, but haven’t really said anything about it because I’m not sure how I feel.

As you may or may not have noticed, I have a wide anti-authoritarian streak. I don’t like cops, as a rule (and that's just the beginning of a very long list of authority figures I don't like). I do, however, like my brother. And I don’t particularly care for the idea of him having a job where people might shoot at him. I worry that he’s not particularly suited, personality-wise, to be a cop. He’s a bit of a lone wolf, and tends to take his own path in life. Cops, in my opinion, tend to be very conformist. Plus he tends to interpret the world in a very black and white fashion, and I think cops have to deal with a lot of grey areas.

He says it is important to him to find a way to give back to the community, and that he just doesn’t want to be stuck behind a desk somewhere. I maintain that it is possible for him to do that in a job that doesn’t involve guns and Kevlar vests. Am I pleased that he wants to have a job where he is helping other people? Of course I am. I liked it better when he was a volunteer fireman though. When I really think about it, I suppose I should be glad that someone like my brother wants to be a cop. He’d never engage in the cop behavior that I find most objectionable – the bullying and petty abuse of power, the casual racism, the profiling, beating of suspects and manufacturing of evidence that happens all too frequently in America today.

I guess it’s just that I’ve grown cynical. I don’t think he can change a thing. But in the end, he has to live the life that works for him, so I’ll just have to respect his choices – and his authoritay. And hope he can help with speeding tickets.