2015-04-09 – You read about cops shooting innocent people. Not all cops do this. Not many cops do this. So what’s with cops defending this kind of behavior?

You read about teachers bullying kids or ignoring kids who are having a hard time. Not all teachers do this. Not many teachers do this. So what’s with teachers defending this kind of behavior?

You read about business people who cheat their customers or pollute their communities. Not all business people do this. Not many business people do this. So what’s with business leaders resisting any efforts to stop this?

You read about one ethnic or racial or religious group or another doing vile things against other ethnic or racial or religious groups. It’s not the entire group. It’s not even many members of the group. So what’s with the good members of the group defending the bad?

So many groups have this tendency to excuse vile behavior on the part of their members. Yeah, I get it. Complaints land a little too close to home and it’s time to circle the wagons. The attacks are seen as attacks on the group and it doesn’t matter if your guy is the bad guy.

Or does it?

When cops close their eyes to bad behavior in their ranks, they become corrupt. When denials become disbelieved or partisan, it becomes really hard to restore trust. Their value to communities and their safety depends on trust.

When teachers defend their bad apples, children’s lives a hurt. Teachers do a great thing for society, if they stay on track. How can they make demands on the kids and demand nothing of their colleagues?

And yadda yadda.

I’ve written about this before. I am not suggesting that bad cops and bad teachers and bad business people and bigots and terrorist are in any way equivalent. I’m suggesting the good folks are, in their habit of looking the other way.

The good people need to join together and stop defending the rats who sully the reputations of their own groups. Good cops and good teachers, good business people and good ethnics of every type need to form alliances with each other—not with their rats.

Please uncircle the wagons.