It's still okay to respect authority

I don't know if it's a generational issue or a cultural shift in attitudes but I sense a mounting erosion in respecting authority. With regards to today's policies involving police commands versus public compliance, there appears to be a vast chasm. Is the respect of authority no longer being taught by parents? When I was growing up in '50s and '60s, you were told to respect authority whether it came from your parents, other adults and especially the police.

Not anymore, especially when the men and women we pay to protect us are disrespected and ignored at alarming rates. It now appears that police orders to stop, pull-over, show me your hands and other commands are never for those who are in the process of being detained or arrested. Talking back, physically confronting an officer or running / driving away always raises the level of a police situation and it is always the subject who is initiating this action.

Whatever happened to the rudiments of simply complying with authority; to answering questions without lying and refraining from being combative?

I learned to respect authority first while growing up, then while serving in the military. I learned even more when fighting in Vietnam and we had to round up and question suspected enemy soldiers. Those who complied and answered questions to our satisfaction were always released. Those who became combative or took off running, well you can guess what happened to them. I truly feel for today's police officers.

This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 11:24 AM with the headline "It's still okay to respect authority."