I Only Have Eyes For You
Police officers are assigned the difficult task of patrolling the roads, looking for speeders and issuing tickets to the offenders. Like most jobs, the majority of their time is probably routine, tedium, and paperwork. However, unlike most other jobs, it comes with a good deal more risk than most other jobs. (Depending on where they're working, it might be a lot more risk.)
In the course of their work, police officers learn how to spot a motorist who isn't following the rules. They develop an ability to spot someone who is driving faster than the posted speed limit or someone who might be swerving around erratically. They're out on patrol in search of this sort of thing, so that when they spot it, they can respond by pulling the person over and possibly issuing them a citation. That's what the eyes of police officers are trained to do: scan for traffic offenders and respond as needed. (I know they do several other things, but I'm keeping this simple.)
There's a certain type of person I encounter on the Internet all the time. They post anonymous comments on YouTube videos and blogs. They leave reviews for books on e-commerce sites that level unfair criticism against the author or subject matter. They do it an untactful, pithy way that conveys a flippant disregard for anyone who might hold an opinion differing from their own.
Pick a controversial issue: global warming, immigration, assisted suicide, and so on. When they come up, these people immediately feel the urge to speak their mind. It almost seems as if they're brimming with their own opinions and just looking for an opportunity to speak up and start an argument...kind of like someone who needs to vomit really badly cupping their hand over their mouth and running around looking for somewhere they can do it. Once they've found a place to spew, watch out.
People are on patrol. They've got their mind on an issue, and their eyes are sweeping the online landscape, looking for disagreement and ignoring everything else, always ready to react to it when they find it.
The key thing to note, however, is that police officers are not reacting...they're responding (rare events like Rodney King being the exception.) And this is an important distinction, particularly for those who want to exert a positive influence over others. An emotional reaction is much less likely to win favor than a thoughtful response.
In the course of their work, police officers learn how to spot a motorist who isn't following the rules. They develop an ability to spot someone who is driving faster than the posted speed limit or someone who might be swerving around erratically. They're out on patrol in search of this sort of thing, so that when they spot it, they can respond by pulling the person over and possibly issuing them a citation. That's what the eyes of police officers are trained to do: scan for traffic offenders and respond as needed. (I know they do several other things, but I'm keeping this simple.)
There's a certain type of person I encounter on the Internet all the time. They post anonymous comments on YouTube videos and blogs. They leave reviews for books on e-commerce sites that level unfair criticism against the author or subject matter. They do it an untactful, pithy way that conveys a flippant disregard for anyone who might hold an opinion differing from their own.
Pick a controversial issue: global warming, immigration, assisted suicide, and so on. When they come up, these people immediately feel the urge to speak their mind. It almost seems as if they're brimming with their own opinions and just looking for an opportunity to speak up and start an argument...kind of like someone who needs to vomit really badly cupping their hand over their mouth and running around looking for somewhere they can do it. Once they've found a place to spew, watch out.
People are on patrol. They've got their mind on an issue, and their eyes are sweeping the online landscape, looking for disagreement and ignoring everything else, always ready to react to it when they find it.
The key thing to note, however, is that police officers are not reacting...they're responding (rare events like Rodney King being the exception.) And this is an important distinction, particularly for those who want to exert a positive influence over others. An emotional reaction is much less likely to win favor than a thoughtful response.