Holidays always come with different types of traditions, food, expectations, and other various celebrations and customs. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and that means a lot of different things for people across America. Some will simply work, go about their weekend as usual, and see the holiday calmly pass by- others have big plans. The celebrations can range from your typical family barbecues to a wild weekend camping out at the beach. No matter which category you may fall in, it seems that both groups have the same worries for this busy weekend. The roads will be bustling with excited travelers, which in turn leads to the increase in cops patrolling the towns and roads. With this big weekend coming up all I could think about was the anxiety of driving around with so many cops out.
I have always been wary of the cops without any true reason for the feeling. I have never been in any sort of serious trouble or broken any laws (Unless of course you count my history with dress code violations in high school… but hey, I was under 18 that should be expunged). Yet, no matter what I’m doing, if a cop pulls up next to me I can’t help but feel extremely nervous. Sadly, this sense of police induced anxiety is felt by a majority of today’s youth.
Whether I’m at home in Pennsylvania or at school in Boston, the kids around me never seem to feel much comfort by a police presence. Even outside the spectrum of recent events and concerns over police brutality, cops have never brought a sense of serenity to others or myself. The adults and older generations typically see younger generations as wild, rebellious, and lacking respect. However, these labels are slapped on to cover up differences between the generations. Matters of opinion are relabeled to these negative attributes and this negation makes us the “troubled youth” we’re seen as.
Once kids feel this negativity pushed upon them it leads to a feeling of isolation. If our generation is thought to be troubled and different, we can never feel a sense of safety from the police force representing those looking down upon us. It turns the situation from citizens and protectors to an us versus them. I shouldn’t feel this way though. My generation shouldn’t feel this way. We deserve a sense of safety around Police. We should be able to go up to a cop and ask for help rather than fear things may get worse.
While this is the norm, a sense of uneasiness around police, it is not the complete picture. There are many officers who serve faithfully and protect citizens to their fullest extent. There are officers that never make anyone feel mistreated or uneasy regardless of the situations. I respect how much they do for our country and thank them for their service.
Even with those doing their job perfectly, there needs to be a change. No one should feel as though every little move they make is being scrutinized. We shouldn’t fear for our futures or being fined for no reason (if there is a Law being broken that’s obviously a different situation). However, I don’t want to worry just because a cop pulls up next to me and I’m playing Taylor Swift a bit loud. I already have two big brothers watching over me, George Orwell’s can stay in the book. I like 1984, but I would rather not live it out.
