I'm Not a Cop, So I Don't Believe That Obnoxious Behavior Gives Me the Right to Kill People: A Response to Sunil Dutta

Police brutality is kind of a problem, and most people have begun to realize this, thanks to events in Ferguson and elsewhere in the country. But in response to criticism, authoritarian personalities tend to clamp down even harder than before, desperately searching for any explanation -- no matter how ridiculous -- for the savage, brutal behavior of some police officers.

Others have addressed the problem of police brutality far better than I ever could. The death penalty is not an appropriate penalty for shoplifting. Being maced or beaten is not an appropriate penalty for "talking back" or asserting your Constitutional rights. Black people are not inherently criminal and prone to rioting; people riot for a reason. I know this. You know this. All intelligent, decent people know this. So I'm not going to waste my time arguing that it's not ok for police officers to openly assault people. Instead, I think it's more important to address the problematic reasoning behind police violence.

The bullshit spewed forth by people who want to defend the trampling of basic Constitutional rights, though, is absolutely ceaseless. Enter Sunil Dutta, whose recent op-ed for the Washington Post endeavors, like so many other fluff pieces full of unsupported assertions, to defend the brutality of police officers. So let's slay some bullshit and attack each of Dutta's claims, point by point.

All Aboard the Misery Train: Here's What It's Really Like to Quit Smoking

I quit smoking earlier this year. Just saying that feels a little strange, since my long love affair with nicotine was largely a secret to the people who love me most. I had a lot of shame about smoking because smoking killed so many people I loved, and because I'm otherwise really committed to my health. I also spent the first 20ish years of my life as a rabid anti-smoker, so turning into a smoker made me feel like a horrible person.

On Suicide, Communal Responsibility, and Why Suicide Hotlines Aren't Enough

Robin Williams killed himself yesterday. Predictably, Facebook is aflutter with tributes, photos, and proclamations that suicide is never the answer. I think it's really great that Robin Williams touched so many lives, and this outpouring of grief is indisputable evidence of the bottomless emptiness suicide leaves in its wake. In a few days, though, the commotion will die down, and the shocking number of people who feel suicidal will yet again be left to deal with their ceaseless agony all alone. I am tired of living in a culture that pretends suicide is tragic while doing little to stop it.