Stunted, Thus Doomed, They Prank

[Vung Tau, 12/22/24]

Before 1975 in South Vietnam, the term for police was cảnh sát. Derived from 警察, it emphasizes vigilance. Cops must watch out for trouble. There’s anticipation, recognition of patterns and profiling. This makes perfect sense during a war. After 1975, police became công an, meaning “public peace.” Despite this name change, the công an was, if anything, more vigilant, intrusive and paranoid than the cảnh sát. Totalitarianism is just the state waging war against its citizens.

“What does any of this have to do with me?!” you may smirk. “I live at the end of a suburban cul-de-sac. There are security cameras at my front door, back door, and inside my foyer, garage, hallways, living room, recreation room, baby’s room, master bedroom, guest room, bathrooms and every closet. I have six installed on my fences. Each day, I commute three hours to and from the city. Its mayor and police chief are outstanding persons of color, and the public prosecutor is an upstanding Jew, despite unjust calls for his recall. Haters will always hate. On the freeway, I fear nothing inside my SUV. My tinted windows are never rolled down. Once downtown, I’m safe inside the underground garage and my office cubicle. For lunch, I’m exposed, I must admit, while dashing twelve yards to the Chipotle. In beast mode, I barrel, stiff armed, towards its door. I don’t care if Fred Warner or Roquan Smith is blocking my way. The iPhone, I leave at my desk. I don’t wear a watch and never carry more than $15 in my wallet. There are no crimes or crime trends in my life, so fuck off.”

In NYC, a 17-year-old girl was just slashed in the face by a stranger on a subway platform. Since we don’t know what triggered her assailant, we can’t say it was unprovoked. Color, sex, beauty, clothing, overheard accent, tone of voice or just an innocent look could have done it.