O.T. What's Annoying you Lately?

Several things. I fear I'm losing my attachment to my community. 

My university is also on strike, by which I mean the union that represents 3000+ faculty is striking. It's been almost a month and a half of waiting in suspended animation, although one course of mine was resumed by a professor who I suspect crossed the picket line. Now that it's over, I'm back to waiting for the strike to be over and for my other classes to resume, although I've no idea what this process looks like.

I'm dissatisfied with many things I've seen lately. I'm displeased about the coverage of pro-Palestinian protests in my city. Whether it is by accident or on purpose, the theme of the media coverage is these protests are a threat to law and order. The protests themselves are also held up as an example of police overtime costs coming at tax-payer expense, thereby (in my opinion) vilifying protesters for exercising their constitutional rights. These are regular protests occurring in a society with constitutional protections for the right to assemble peacefully, but I feel the police are starting to create more problems than they solve at these protests by being aggressive. This is in tandem with a minimal to no police presence at pro-Israel rallies, and while my preference is for a minimal police presence at both, the message is only one group of protesters are considered a threat by police. I would argue the police presence isn't necessary as they make it out to be, but it's being played up as necessary in the face of hostile protesters despite video evidence of protesters being antagonized by police and apprehended for taking the bait.

Speaking of which, I'm also concerned about a case in my city where a plain-clothed police officer was run over in an underground parking lot by a man who thought he and his wife were being attacked. Context is everything. This happened a couple of years ago amidst and unprecedented wave of violent carjackings and violence against the Muslim community. So, a Muslim man, his pregnant wife, and young toddler were visiting friends and family, and on their way home, they were accosted by two people, a man and a woman, in an underground parking lot. In a panic, the man tried to escape the situation and ran over one of the people. Moments later he was arrested and assaulted while handcuffs as it became clear the people accosting him and his family were plain clothed police officers. The charge against the defendant is first degree murder. This bothers me because it seems the charge is automatic, but whether or not it is, it is the charge. Despite the death of a police officer in the line of duty, the defense is arguing this was a tragic accident and the defendant's case depends on how effectively the plain clothed police officers identified themselves as police officers. What bothers is it seems the police are determined to ignore their own culpability in the incident by trying to accost somebody while not in uniform, and I would argue that without a uniform or a badge, people with whom you're interacting can't know you're a cop. Other witnesses in the parking lot have testified they couldn't tell they were cops either, and the testimony of police officers at the scene who claims the deceased clearly identified himself as a cop is unraveling. It is unraveling, but I have an uncomfortable suspicion the police will do whatever they can to drag the defendant down with them because they unskillfully accosted a man and his family in an underground parking garage at a time when violent carjackings in parking lots just like it were all over the news. They still are.

So, that's annoying me lately.

The Vatican's anti-trans message yesterday annoys me too because what is it if not a preference for their own illiberal gender ideology. The Vatican is making the argument that pro-transgender values and messaging is a Western construct unduly forced unto the rest of the world. It's like they've never heard of Christianity, but that's the kicker here. The Vatican is just as guilty of evangelizing their beliefs all over the world. They've been salt and peppering their beliefs across the world for centuries. I would also argue their opposition is staked in Christian ideology over human rights, and that such beliefs can only come out of what they're accusing transgender activists of doing, which is proceeding from a point of view that their position is neutral and therefore correct. It's disappointing that the current pope allegedly signed off on it. I like this pope, but statements like this from the Vatican remind me that, as valued as they are to their followers, they're really just a giant church. They should have no jurisdiction over the lives of others, least of all those who aren't married to their followings, but given their position on reproductive rights it's hardly surprising. Once the initial surprise wears off, the true lack of surprise sets in. It's too bad, but it's on brand for the Catholic church.

That's a few things irritating me lately.