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Thread: Judgement

  1. #1
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    Default Judgement

    May 2012 Newsetter by Joy Brisbane.

    Hi Folks,
    Recently I had reason to visit the local police station to have documents signed. When the process was completed I looked at the officer, a man in his mid to late fifties, and said, “You blokes must get sick of having to do this all the time. How many of your signatures have you put onto pieces of paper throughout your time in the police force?” He broke out into a big and delightful smile and blushed.

    They were simple words but they had a powerful impact. His response was not what I had expected from someone who has been trained in how to be tough. I walked to my car and sat for a few moments pondering on what just took place. I realised that day after day these people perform these tasks and probably rarely get acknowledged for what they do. He was not expecting someone to thank him and to acknowledge what he does. It caught him off guard.

    Coming home from Melbourne last night, I shared a taxi with a man taking the same route as me. The conversation between the taxi driver and the male passenger was the kind I often hear. “Any cops about mate? They’re all bastards. You’d think they’d have enough to do without collecting revenue for the state. I got caught the other night. Jezz, I was only doing 5 over the 60. I asked him why he wasn’t out chasing bloody criminals. I’m glad he didn’t ask me to breathe into his breatherliser though. I’m not sure if I would have been over the limit or not.”

    These two simple incidents got me thinking about how easily we can judge a group of dedicated and caring people by the antics of a few. It is something our society is very good at doing. Police, doctors and nurses, politicians, teachers…we judge without thought for the human factor in these people; without thought for the training they have been through and the long and often arduous work they do. We label entire groups according to how we have been affected by one or two from that group. To say that all cops are bastards is actually not true. Neither is it true to say all doctors are unfeeling or incompetent. As a society we have taken away from these people their right to be a human being; the right to tiredness, to stress, to be affected by the people they are dealing with every day of their working life; their right to feel pain and anger and love.

    When I got home I decided to sit in my lounge chair for a moment, close my eyes and put myself into a police uniform, step into their shoes and imagine what it must be like for them. I imagined myself facing drivers who have broken the law, their sullenness, their anger and their fear. I imagined myself with a gun in my hand facing a man who has lost all reason and only wants to knife or shoot me. I imagined myself having to walk into violent domestic situations, walking down dark lanes and pulling up to car accidents not knowing what to expect.

    It was an interesting experiment…. feeling the tension in my body and the deep gut feeling of apprehension that penetrated to my mind and heart. It is not a job I would want to do and it brought me into a place of gratitude for all the wonderful things that the different groups within our society do for us.

    After doing this little exercise I then went on to explore in my mind what the word judgement is all about and the difference between assessment and judgement. Judgement also has a positive side, such as I judge you to be a very responsible and good worker…or is that assessment?

    I think perhaps what works for me is this….judgement is about making something or someone right or wrong and assessment is more about an evaluation of a situation or person.

    We all have the right to make a decision about remaining in contact with certain people or staying involved in a particular situation. It is not always beneficial for us, for our ongoing happiness and health, to stay in contact with another or to remain a participant in a group and given situation. To come to any conclusion an assessment needs to be made. But to judge that person or that situation or that group of people to be wrong is not beneficial to anyone.

    In truth, when we judge another in a negative way we are placing ourselves on a pedestal….I am better than you. It actually comes from a vulnerable place within us of needing to feel better than the other so that we feel okay as a person….if I put you down I can build me up. We are all capable of judging others. The time has come for our society to learn to be more appreciative of the services given to us, to be less judgemental of those who provide those services, and for us to develop a greater understanding of the pressures and tensions with which these people are living.

    The man in the taxi was a great example of that which you believe you create. He believes that all members of the police force are bastards…and that is what comes back to him. A few simple words spoken with care and understanding brought to a policeman’s face a smile and a blush. That which you put out comes back to you. That which you believe you create.

    To change society’s way of thinking towards these groups of people begins with the individual. As each individual develops understanding and compassion towards others then that is what will come back to the individual. Once that understanding grows then, like a joy germ, it will spread throughout our society.

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  2. #2
    Senior Member Bluey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    Good post Admin. There was a time when the boys in blue were respected throughout society and looked up to. Unfortunately our society has changed with the intrusion of organised crime, drugs and dole bludgers. There seems a under current of disrespect in the community in general and particularly the younger people, for the Police and other enforcement and emergency service people. I read recently that many of our ambos are getting assaulted by the very people they are trying to help. This happens to nurses and doctors regularly to. Yet these very same people scream blue murder if something is happening to them and they need the Police to attend.

    In my past life I was a Fisheries Officer up in Far North Queensland and let me tell you I have witnessed first hand the best and the worst of people. I have lived in places like Karumba and Thursday Island that are fishing towns where my only real friends were the Police and vice versa. We even had fishermen ringing up our wives when we were away on patrol threatening them. Yet on the other hand I have had fishermen come to my aid when in tight spots so it is not all doom and gloom.


    Your absolutely right about what you say. Those Police officers are human like the rest of us and they go home each night to their families just like you and me. Trouble is they cant talk too much about their work like we do. I take my hat off to any person serving as a police officer. It is a tough job and not one I would like to do. Many police officer end up alcholics and they have a lot of marriage break ups due to these type of pressures placed on them by unthinking people.

    When I left Fisheries I came to SA and I ran a Compliance team for a local Council. Under my charge were all the rangers and parking officers. If you think the Police have it tough you should see the level of sheer aggression and vitriol levelled at those guys. It is appalling the way normally sane people carry on over a parking ticket. I have given out fines over $1000 as a fisheries officer and not had as much abuse as a parking officer who issues a $20 parking ticket.

    It is all to easy to jump on the band wagon and heap crap on the copper, the parking inspector or any other group or individual. People often do it without thinking and I bet if the shoe was on the other foot they would not like it at all. I put it all down to a break down of our core values as a society and as individuals. Unfortunately we are going the way of America and I don't see much being done to stop it. Our lilly livered approach to people who break the law and the political correct crap we are forced to endure has resulted in this. It is of our own making I am afraid.
    Cheers

    Bluey
    Adelaide Home & Garden Solutions
    http://www.ahgs.com.au


    "Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."

  3. #3
    Member GAMS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    Excellent post - I am an ex copper ( from a previous lifetime ago ) and I am married to an ambo. Yes she gets assaulted on average of once every three months and at present is of work because she picked up a "superbug" in a scratch on the bridge of her nose. absolutely demoralising when it is not covered by workcover because they want to know who and where she contracted the bug. Make you wonder - is the job worth doing? I gave the Police Service away after ten years because it messed with my head so much and needed "time out". After various ventures, I got back into the Security Industry as I was told by employment specialists - "that is where you fit". Had enough of employing staff
    ( x15) and carrying other peoples money ( cash in transit services ) for pennies. Hung up my gun last year and decided I wanted to go back to where there were genuine people
    and a lifestyle I had experienced in a previous foray into the mowing industry.

    Best move I ever made, and as for my partner - she says it is her calling and will continue - who can argue with that?

    What you say about Police Officers being human is so true. When I was in that vocation, it had the second highest rate of alcoholism and the highest suicide rate of all professions. Guess things may have changed since, but the pressures are there, and what you see effects your mind for ever. Of the one hundred and twenty who went through the Police College with me, I guess there are only a handful left in the job - that is a high attrition rate.

    On the plus side, I was lucky to be in "the job" when political correctness was not so evident. If a villan raised a hand during apprehesion, they got a smack. There was still respect there, even in the criminal faternity. Oh those days are long gone and we have only ourselves to blame.

    Never to mind - worth reflecting upon if only to prove to ones self it was a good move to get back to mowing. Cheers. BP

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    Default Re: Judgement

    i agree the police do a thankless job a lot of the time , but theres 2 sides to each coin and as most of them are down to earth people doing a job , theres also some arse holes out there as well ,, as former employment was as a truck driver , which i still do to supliment the gardening income , the attitude of some of the R_T_A , VIC ROADS , T_O_G can leave a lot to be desired .......the same said for many drivers , but just as joe average needs to change his attitude and not tar all with the same brush , so do some of the above .........

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    Default Re: Judgement

    I agree Geoff. I had issues with traffic section and their attitude un-did all the good pr we had.

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    Default Re: Judgement

    Quote Originally Posted by GAMS View Post
    I agree Geoff. I had issues with traffic section and their attitude un-did all the good pr we had.
    i think as has been basicaly said its about attitude ..... and there operating mostly with people who are fired up and negative = its gunna wear off on them but some times as adults we all need to stand back look at how we aproach things .....

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    Default Re: Judgement

    yes we can all blame ourselves for not putting pressure on the people in power .All services are short staffed ambos cops teachers its because we sit on our arse and say shell be right or im allright Jack .

    But it aint all right .

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    Senior Member Blaktop's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    About 15 years ago I did a training course to be a tour guide taking foreign backpackers on camping tour to Uluru from Alice Springs. The first thing the trainer told us on day 1 of the course......suspend judgement......and he was so right. It was so easy to fall into generalizations of all the different nationalities. I saw tour guides come unstuck regularly because they judged particular nationalities based a previous experience. Sitting around the campfire at night one question that came up all the time...."who are the worst passengers?" My answer was always the same......"all the nationalities have their own idiosyncracies......but bad passengers are always personality types, it has nothing to do with nationalities. I've had good and bad passengers from all countries" (actually my worst passengers were a middle aged couple from Brisbane but that's another story).

    My next career change was working as a "screw" at the Alice Springs Prison. I saw some of the atypical "screws" there, but mostly they were just normal regular people doing a **** of a job......and mostly doing it well. Once again our trainer gave the same advice.....plus this gem. You are not the punishment, the punishment is restriction of liberty......your job is to ensure their liberty is restricted until their sentence is up......you don't have to be an a**hole to do that. Some were but most weren't.

    I always judge people by how they relate to me no matter what uniform they wear or what colour, race or religion they are.....it's always worked for me. Great topic Admin.

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    Member Redeye's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    [QUOTE I always judge people by how they relate to me no matter what uniform they wear or what colour, race or religion they are.....it's always worked for me. Great topic Admin.[/QUOTE]

    well said, far too much mindless discrimination STILL in our country




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  10. #10
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    Default Re: Judgement

    Quote Originally Posted by Redeye View Post
    [QUOTE I always judge people by how they relate to me no matter what uniform they wear or what colour, race or religion they are.....it's always worked for me. Great topic Admin.
    well said, far too much mindless discrimination STILL in our country[/QUOTE]

    Yes there is too much mindless discrimination STILL but blowed if i know why .Great country fantastic history ,been in wars and show valour honour courage and look at what has changed the last 20 years ,Surely we are leaders not followers .

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    Senior Member Kathryn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    After living in a very multicultural town in the nt and being an immigrant myself, my motto is different doesnt have to mean wrong

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    Member Redeye's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    A lot to do with commercial t.v./radio which unfortunately is driven by the far far right wing of politics i.e Murdock/Fox, Jones/Hadley who are extremists, no matter how you look at them. Unfortunately most of their audience don't have the ability/facility to think for themselves and actually consider an alternative point of view




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    "All sin is washed away in the Holy goodness of Beer"
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  13. #13
    Senior Member Bluey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Judgement

    I really do put it down to a breakdown in core value like respect and giving people a fair go. You go to any party or gathering of people and listen to how groups like the police are denigrated. Unfortunately this is really widespread in our younger society yet it is these very same people who scream about not being respected themselves. Our culture is changing rapidly and not for the better either.
    Cheers

    Bluey
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    "Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."

  14. #14
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    Default Re: Judgement

    Sad isnt it i see the Navy has gone that way 2 .

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  15. #15
    Senior Member Bluey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by administrator View Post
    Sad isnt it I see the Navy has gone that way 2 .
    Yes hasn't it. I have a couple mates still in the service. On our Gunnery FB page the other day one posted about a LSBM who decided he wanted to lay a burnout on the sacred acre Cerberus. He stated that he wished it was like the old days and he could take the idiot around the back of Gunnery School and sort him out. Many of us made posts saying something similar and supporting that notion. Well Facebook being what it is word got back to the powers that be about this and guess who got charged for his comments for bringing the Navy into disrepute.
    Cheers

    Bluey
    Adelaide Home & Garden Solutions
    http://www.ahgs.com.au


    "Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."

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