Sunday, July 30, 2023

 Well, there it is … the authoritarian speaks. 

You seemingly suggest that it's appropriate for government employees (many who got their government job because of nepotism, favoritism, cronyism, and racism) to menace "grown people" with looks of contempt, anger, or disgust because “it’s sad that grown people need to be told the obvious.”  Do you have that much contempt for all Americans or is it just Mississippians?

You also declare that "people break the law everyday, everywhere" so much so that they need mean-spirited authoritarian cartoon characters to correct them.  Who in the world told you that mean-looking memes work on traffic lawbreakers? 

It’s obnoxious because it tries to intimidate people (usually the poorest and weakest) who haven’t done anything wrong. 

It's toxic because it conditions too many Americans to think that it's okay for government employees to give them dirty looks before they break the rules like a 17th century school headmaster.

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It's toxic because it's contemptuous and an easy slippery slope to authoritarianism. Too many government employees may assume that it's appropriate for them to try to intimidate citizens before they've committed any infraction. How would you like it if cops stand at bus stops screaming at you to slow down before you were even speeding? 

No government employee has the right to speak to any human being rudely. Every seventh word out of their mouths should be yes sir, no sir. If Americans let government employees act or speak discourteously, even in a cartoon, sooner or later they will bring out the canes and whips ala India. 

This meme appeals to frighten people. It would not sit well with intelligent Americans who haven't done anything wrong. Go after the people breaking the law. 

The message is important. Find a better way to express it.

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