Words Matter - a Possible Shift

"Precision, accuracy, and clarity matter, as gestures of respect to those to whom you speak; toward the subject, whether it's an individual or the earth itself; toward the historical record. It's also a kind of self-respect; there are many old cultures in which you are, as the saying goes, as good as your word." 

 Rebecca Solnit, Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays,) 2018, Haymarket Press.

I have been wondering for quite a while what would happen to our society if we changed the words that we use to describe law enforcement. Just as we have increasingly militarized our community police forces with products of the military-industrial complex, we have perhaps unwittingly weaponized their orientation to managing conflict. Note the distinctions in the definitions of these words from the American Heritage Dictionary:  

Police - "the governmental  department charged with the regulation and control of the affairs of a community, now chiefly the department established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime." American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition, 2002 (p.1077)

Peace Officer - "a law enforcement officer, such as a sheriff, who is responsible for maintaining civil peace." AHD (p. 1024)

In our current society, pundits, elected officials and citizens rarely use the word "peace" whether applied within communities or between nations. The bombardment of violence on television and in movies depicts, as commonplace, murder, war and terrorism, with courageous armed defenders who save the day. We are saturated with these visions, day in and day out. It may well be that the gun-carrying vigilantes in our midst feast at this trough of fear and macho heroism.

We have a President who believes that bullying is the best way to manage people and affairs.  Tracey Meares and Tom Tyler, directors of Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory, perhaps asked the right question recently in The Atlantic – “The First Step is Figuring Out What Police Are For.” Following the 50-year-old Kerner Commission and Obama’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing, as they suggest, may help us begin to answer that with real policy changes. But as Solnit and other great writers tell us, words matter. Imagine official vehicles in the community emblazoned not with POLICE but instead with PEACE OFFICER. How might that new moniker affect not only how police see themselves but also how their community sees them if their work is redefined to align with the word “peace”?

The emblems of force that pervade typical policing – guns, sticks, pepper spray, handcuffs and, more recently, armored vehicles, drones, acoustic grenades and other military hardware-- create their own fear and power of control. In the hands of a bully, these are weapons used to dominate the other. Distinguish that from individuals dressed in vests that exclaim ”PEACE” who are inserting themselves between potential adversaries and using conflict resolution techniques to tone down potentially escalating conflicts. These “peace officers’” first dictum is to prevent harm and then to resolve conflicts peacefully. In a recent discussion with strong supporters of gun ownership, one of the fallback arguments shared was their belief that government shouldn’t be the only faction with weapons. If we demilitarize the police, could we then deny open-carry adherents their rationale for publicly brandishing weapons?

We have tried increasing the availability of weapons as a way to reduce violence (fight fire with fire) and it hasn’t worked, certainly not in the long run. Nonviolence has better and longer lasting peace effects. That we don’t hear the word “peace” uttered much in the public sphere anymore is perhaps the fallout of the militarization of our society. Peace is not simply the absence of war. A sustainable peace, as noted by leading development economist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, would offer all a sense of personal security, not just protection from violent actions but also access to the necessities of life – food, shelter, energy, access to health care and education, and the opportunity to develop the possibilities of a fulfilled life in a prospering and ecologically healthy society. As the late peace leader A.J. Muste noted, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”