dlmCommentary
Another place for talk about culture, religion and politics.October 02, 2004
Regarding David Brame
Background:
January 17, 2002 News Item: David Brame Becomes Tacoma’s New Police Chief
April 27, 2004: David Brame Fatally Shoots His Wife and Himself, in a Public Parking Lot; the Investigation Begins
***
Long after the tragedy, do you ever catch yourself thinking again about David Brame? Back in September, a local opinion writer wrote, “...there must never be another police chief like David Brame.” Pretty obvious, but one question should not go away: why do conspicuous red flags like those in the Brame case go unrecognized or ignored?
The aforementioned writer responded with reference to Brame’s “various masks.” True again, but the haunting realization is this: everyone wears various masks. Every person you come in contact with today will keep uncomfortable aspects about him- or herself hidden from you. The fact should not produce paranoia, but neither should it be taken lightly.
Masks are unavoidable; a functioning society depends on citizens who do not act out their darkest impulses. The problem is that, in some ways, we are more dependent on falsehood than we care to admit. A police chief kills his wife and himself in a public parking lot, happy marriages suddenly end in divorce, well-adjusted teens suddenly commit crimes, the neighbor down the street suddenly commits suicide, riots break out in peace-loving Seattle.
Why do such events shock us? Because the unspoken agreement of virtually all our social interactions is: at all costs, avoid uncomfortable conversations. “I didn’t want to hurt their feelings... It’s none of my business... Don’t rock the boat... Who am I to judge?” Our everyday language is filled with the habitual slogans of willful ignorance.
Thus, those who are truly evil - “The People of the Lie,” in Scott Peck’s insightful phrase - do their deeds under the radar until some shocking event forces the blindfold from our faces.
Why does the Brame tragedy still haunt the most thoughtful among us? The same question can be asked about Sept. 11, O.J. Simpson, or dozens of other events that “shocked” us, then quickly became yesterday’s news. We know that it is only a matter of time before the next surprise eruption of violence. If we have the courage to look into our own habits, we know something else: we know that we avoid speaking up or acting against smaller evils when we notice them, when they can still be corrected with relatively conventional resources. Therefore, to one degree or another, we are complicit in the next shocking headline. That is an extremely uncomfortable idea. Who among us has the courage to chew on it for a while?
Copyright © 2004 Donald L. McIntyre All Rights Reserved
January 17, 2002 News Item: David Brame Becomes Tacoma’s New Police Chief
April 27, 2004: David Brame Fatally Shoots His Wife and Himself, in a Public Parking Lot; the Investigation Begins
***
Long after the tragedy, do you ever catch yourself thinking again about David Brame? Back in September, a local opinion writer wrote, “...there must never be another police chief like David Brame.” Pretty obvious, but one question should not go away: why do conspicuous red flags like those in the Brame case go unrecognized or ignored?
The aforementioned writer responded with reference to Brame’s “various masks.” True again, but the haunting realization is this: everyone wears various masks. Every person you come in contact with today will keep uncomfortable aspects about him- or herself hidden from you. The fact should not produce paranoia, but neither should it be taken lightly.
Masks are unavoidable; a functioning society depends on citizens who do not act out their darkest impulses. The problem is that, in some ways, we are more dependent on falsehood than we care to admit. A police chief kills his wife and himself in a public parking lot, happy marriages suddenly end in divorce, well-adjusted teens suddenly commit crimes, the neighbor down the street suddenly commits suicide, riots break out in peace-loving Seattle.
Why do such events shock us? Because the unspoken agreement of virtually all our social interactions is: at all costs, avoid uncomfortable conversations. “I didn’t want to hurt their feelings... It’s none of my business... Don’t rock the boat... Who am I to judge?” Our everyday language is filled with the habitual slogans of willful ignorance.
Thus, those who are truly evil - “The People of the Lie,” in Scott Peck’s insightful phrase - do their deeds under the radar until some shocking event forces the blindfold from our faces.
Why does the Brame tragedy still haunt the most thoughtful among us? The same question can be asked about Sept. 11, O.J. Simpson, or dozens of other events that “shocked” us, then quickly became yesterday’s news. We know that it is only a matter of time before the next surprise eruption of violence. If we have the courage to look into our own habits, we know something else: we know that we avoid speaking up or acting against smaller evils when we notice them, when they can still be corrected with relatively conventional resources. Therefore, to one degree or another, we are complicit in the next shocking headline. That is an extremely uncomfortable idea. Who among us has the courage to chew on it for a while?
Copyright © 2004 Donald L. McIntyre All Rights Reserved
posted by dlm # 1:22 PM 
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