Authority as a Conundrum Authority is one of the things that parents ingrained in their children since birth. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines authority as “the power to give orders or make decisions: the power or right to direct or control someone or something.” It is a responsibility of someone in authority to influence people on how to act or conduct themselves in an orderly manner. Authority is also defined as “the confident quality of someone who knows a lot about something or who is respected or obeyed by other people.” Experts who are authorities in their specific fields such as science, law, and medicine among other things are often followed or adhered to by society. There has always been contradicting thoughts regarding authority
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It is instilled in them at a young age that authority is a positive force in their lives. Having authority figures in children’s lives is continued in schools as well in recent years due to the presence of police officers also known as School Resource Officers or “SROs”. They act as law enforcers, mediators, and educators. According to the CNN article “Police in Schools: Why Are They There?” written by Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “some 43% of all U.S. Public School – had such officers on their grounds since 2013-2014 school year.” This is a major police presence in our schools that assist teachers in maintaining order and student discipline in schools. It further cements the notion that authority can be a positive influence in children’s lives since the article states that these officers “become confidants to teens who might have never thought they’d befriend a police officer.” These “SRO’s” are a presence at a crucial stage of these children’s lives. However, there is also a drawback in having these officers in schools. School administrators tend to rely on them to maintain order even in such mundane circumstances such as class disturbances. Such as in the case in South Carolina, where a video shows a police officer wrestling a 16-year-old student to the ground for allegedly refusing to leave her desk after a teacher called the officer due to the fact that the student did not turn off her …show more content…
It has been aided by widespread events of abuse of power against minorities. It has been a dividing force in today’s society due to these abuses of authoritative figures. In the Journalists Resource article, “Excessive or Reasonable Force by Police? Research on law Enforcement and Racial Conflict” by John Wihbey and Leighton Walter Kille, the noticeable increase in police brutality against minorities is highlighted by the specific incidents that crosses the boundary of responsibility by people with authority. It notes the resurgence of police brutality being reported by the media. In the same breath, it is impossible to discern how high police brutality is against minorities in comparison to brutality aimed at whites without that much data being gathered by police departments. This article will shed some light on how disdain for authority increased over the years due to how the media decides to report on these incidents as well as the emergence of social media in today’s
It is instilled in them at a young age that authority is a positive force in their lives. Having authority figures in children’s lives is continued in schools as well in recent years due to the presence of police officers also known as School Resource Officers or “SROs”. They act as law enforcers, mediators, and educators. According to the CNN article “Police in Schools: Why Are They There?” written by Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “some 43% of all U.S. Public School – had such officers on their grounds since 2013-2014 school year.” This is a major police presence in our schools that assist teachers in maintaining order and student discipline in schools. It further cements the notion that authority can be a positive influence in children’s lives since the article states that these officers “become confidants to teens who might have never thought they’d befriend a police officer.” These “SRO’s” are a presence at a crucial stage of these children’s lives. However, there is also a drawback in having these officers in schools. School administrators tend to rely on them to maintain order even in such mundane circumstances such as class disturbances. Such as in the case in South Carolina, where a video shows a police officer wrestling a 16-year-old student to the ground for allegedly refusing to leave her desk after a teacher called the officer due to the fact that the student did not turn off her …show more content…
It has been aided by widespread events of abuse of power against minorities. It has been a dividing force in today’s society due to these abuses of authoritative figures. In the Journalists Resource article, “Excessive or Reasonable Force by Police? Research on law Enforcement and Racial Conflict” by John Wihbey and Leighton Walter Kille, the noticeable increase in police brutality against minorities is highlighted by the specific incidents that crosses the boundary of responsibility by people with authority. It notes the resurgence of police brutality being reported by the media. In the same breath, it is impossible to discern how high police brutality is against minorities in comparison to brutality aimed at whites without that much data being gathered by police departments. This article will shed some light on how disdain for authority increased over the years due to how the media decides to report on these incidents as well as the emergence of social media in today’s