Great points. I have several people close to me who are firemen. They see shit you’re not really intended to see, and often don’t have a way to work through it. My mom was a nurse, mostly in CCU and ICU. She was an incredible advocate for her patients and profession, but she witnessed a lot of death and her way of intellectually processing that made her seem harsh about certain things, but it’s really perspective — most of us see death as a concept not reality.
It’s part of the reason why an observant person can usually spot a cop or firefighter in plain clothes. They put on a facade as a coping mechanism that leaks into life.
Most problems at their root are a result of people not treating people like people. Many “advocates” for police are really just attracted to the perception of power, and see failures of accountability as a sign of strength. It’s the opposite.
It’s part of the reason why an observant person can usually spot a cop or firefighter in plain clothes. They put on a facade as a coping mechanism that leaks into life.
Most problems at their root are a result of people not treating people like people. Many “advocates” for police are really just attracted to the perception of power, and see failures of accountability as a sign of strength. It’s the opposite.