My initial reaction was horrification at such an aggressive act, and sympathy for the physical pain the students experienced. Then, this morning, Zed showed me what the web community is doing with the images of this scene. http://peppersprayingcop.tumblr.com/ People are abuzz! Here is my favorite meme:
So, all the negative attention this one cop is getting has stirred empathetic thoughts and feelings for him within me. Certainly, I think what he chose to do was very wrong and deserving of consequences, but it was one mistake, one lapse of good judgement (that we're analyzing). So is it right to persecute this man's character globally, eternally seared on the archive of the web? Maybe it's necessary to do so in order to send the message that most of us humans prefer peace over violence. Still, this cop is one man, who made a mistake, but now carries the weight of mistakes made by many.
My final message is, as we try to create change, let us have empathy and not loose sight of the global picture.
peace.
