An Alaskan woman pulled out a White Privilege card at a traffic stop, and got off without a ticket. The cops found it funny, and let her go.
I want to be mad about this story, I really do. First off all, the fact that she got it at a rally for the ex-president makes my stomach churn. Oh haha, White Privilege is hilarious, let’s have a joke about it.
Second, no one in the situation seemingly getting the irony of laughing at the card and yet letting her off the hook makes me wonder about some cops’ critical thinking skills. They are under so much scrutiny, and yet still fail to consider the optics of some of their choices.
But, having said all that…who among us hasn’t tried almost anything to get out of a ticket? It is a time-honored sport and craft. If you can come up with an original excuse, make the cops laugh and break up a dull day, then you can sometimes get away without paying a fine. Presuming she wasn’t in a stolen car or running over babies, what harm is there in getting out of a ticket with a unique angle?
Now, if anyone I know pulls one of those cards out, I am going to be having a discussion with them.
However, there are so many other much more egregious things going on in the world, I don’t think anyone should get too up in arms about a (tasteless and thoughtless) joke.