I just got back from a vacation in Beijing, China. I didn't know much about China before, and I feel like I was constantly re-evaluating what I thought I would see there. One thing that really stood out though was the police in Beijing. They didn't carry guns (I didn't see a gun the entire time I was there), I didn't see them pull over anybody despite rampant bending of traffic laws, I didn't see anybody being detained, I didn't see anybody's ID being checked, I didn't see anything that open carriers regularly worry about when it comes to encounters with California police officers.
I did see a lady push past the clutches of a police officer who was telling her that she couldn't come through an entrance in Tiananmen Square. She wasn't arrested for assault on a police officer, she wasn't cited for resisting arrest, she wasn't even chased after and given a stern talking to. The police officer just let her go. It wasn't that big of a deal, so why make it a big deal? I doubt that would ever happen in California. Even disobeying a police officer will give you special attention for "having a bad attitude." Police in Beijing just seemed like they were there for the public good. Not to ruin somebody's day, not to show people who is boss, not to trample Chinese national's rights which aren't acknowledged to exist by their government (they're inalienable after all).
After seeing all of this, the question that obviously came to mind is, are police officers in California worse than in China? It really pains me to say this, but yeah, they are.
The thing that really stands out about America from other countries is the Bill of Rights. In California our rights are regularly ignored. The fourth amendment, the fifth, the first, the second. We are routinely denied our inalienable rights, we are harassed for not breaking the law, we are coerced to supply information to agents of the state which have no reason to ask for it.
Even the customs officials in China were more friendly. There they stamped my passport and that was it. I walked through the "nothing to declare" line and into China. Here I was asked questions that I had already answered on my customs form. Then I was asked why I didn't have any suitcases, how long was I in China, what was in my messenger bag. Seriously America? China is less of a police state than us?
Having lived my entire life in California, I'm not sure whether it's just "authority figures" in California who are total douches, or if it has spread outside of our borders. I think the police elsewhere are generally better, who knows about the Customs guys. Makes me really think our country is totally screwed.
I did see a lady push past the clutches of a police officer who was telling her that she couldn't come through an entrance in Tiananmen Square. She wasn't arrested for assault on a police officer, she wasn't cited for resisting arrest, she wasn't even chased after and given a stern talking to. The police officer just let her go. It wasn't that big of a deal, so why make it a big deal? I doubt that would ever happen in California. Even disobeying a police officer will give you special attention for "having a bad attitude." Police in Beijing just seemed like they were there for the public good. Not to ruin somebody's day, not to show people who is boss, not to trample Chinese national's rights which aren't acknowledged to exist by their government (they're inalienable after all).
After seeing all of this, the question that obviously came to mind is, are police officers in California worse than in China? It really pains me to say this, but yeah, they are.
The thing that really stands out about America from other countries is the Bill of Rights. In California our rights are regularly ignored. The fourth amendment, the fifth, the first, the second. We are routinely denied our inalienable rights, we are harassed for not breaking the law, we are coerced to supply information to agents of the state which have no reason to ask for it.
Even the customs officials in China were more friendly. There they stamped my passport and that was it. I walked through the "nothing to declare" line and into China. Here I was asked questions that I had already answered on my customs form. Then I was asked why I didn't have any suitcases, how long was I in China, what was in my messenger bag. Seriously America? China is less of a police state than us?
Having lived my entire life in California, I'm not sure whether it's just "authority figures" in California who are total douches, or if it has spread outside of our borders. I think the police elsewhere are generally better, who knows about the Customs guys. Makes me really think our country is totally screwed.