[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: The Static Analysis of Henry Louis Gates

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
The Static Analysis of Henry Louis Gates
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1248996914.shtml


   The facts seem pretty clear now regarding the Henry Louis Gates issue.
   Gates acted stupidly from the start, not first contacting the police
   in advance of his forced entry. He could afford a hotel room. He could
   have hired a locksmith in the morning. But no, he flew into an
   unprovoked tirade, counting on and getting the usual support from
   other prominent members of his race, including the President of the
   United States, who also acted stupidly.
   One error in the analysis I see is the public consensus that police
   Sergeant Crowley should have let it go, not arresting Gates for
   disorderly conduct. They assume this would have avoided much if not
   all of this embarrassment. I disagree. This is static analysis, which
   doesn't apply to playground bullies like Gates.
   My reading is that even if Crowley walks away, Gates would have filed
   charges of police profiling and brutality anyway, possibly with a
   press conference chaser. His ego is clearly large enough for that.
   Bullies who want to fight will always find a reason. And Crowley would
   have faced almost as much criticism regardless.
   You can't take a incident started by an irrational man and then apply
   logic as to its conclusion.