Body camera shows as deputies were attempting to escort 82-year-old Anthony Goulding’s wife out of the home, Goulding began pouring gasoline on the carpet outside of a back bedroom.
Goulding’s right arm catches fire and then he throws a gas canister at the deputy. The flames grow larger.
Goulding passed away in the house fire, along with a dog.
Those show varying levels of bad. A better example would be the difference between someone who tortures monkeys for fun and someone who tortures monkeys because it's his job and he gets paid to do it.
Sure the difference is there but it isn't big. I would say both are bad people. Being paid to do something doesn't exempt you from fault imo.
I guess it depends on your varying levels of bad right? In your example you are saying cops are bad because they are doing the same thing as the bad people but getting paid for it so they are the same. In my mind 1% of what they do is shit sure. Having to evict elderly people. Arresting homless people for being homeless. Using unnecessary force on mentally unwell people. For just a very short list. What about the good they do? Crime deterence, taking drunk people of the road, responding to domestic disturbances, helping people figure out what is actually legal or not, serving and enforcing restraining orders.
Regardless of what i say i think we are just on opposing sides of this with differing opinions and that's fine, i wish you the best
Using your most extreme example, would a monkey torturer still be a bad person if he helped fight crime and enforce restraining orders? Not to mention cops are paid to do both the good and the bad things, it isn't like they are saints doing charity work.
That being said, life isn't black and white, and pure bad people don't exist much. The truth probably lies somewhere around them not being a bad person, but also not being a good person either. And I'm sure a few apples do the bad things with gritted teeth, thinking it's the only way they can continue doing the good things.
I do wish more would take a stand. I can't help but seeing this as enabling a broken system.
In reality the majority of what cops engage in day to day is bad, but let's say that the majority of what they do is good for the sake of argument. Let's even use your examples of 99% good vs 1% bad.
You don't get a permissive license to do bad things based on your good doings. You can't donate to charity and then rob a person and say "yeah that's even, so all is good". You aren't allowed to do bad things even if you're ordered to. There is a difference between being ordered and being forced, e.g if you're kidnapped, bomb strapped to chest and told you're going to explode if you don't rob a bank. That's different than actively choosing to go into a profession where you know you'll have to evict people, protect capital interests, harass and disproportionately jail minorities, etc. and "not liking it" but being ordered to do it on the job.
So even in this made-up fantasy world where 99% of what cops do is good, they're still bastards and shouldn't be doing the evil shit they do.