Len's News, Notes, and Stuff

Words Define Perspectives: The Security World’s Black & White View

Many movies, particularly blockbuster action movies, are very simplistic in their portrayals and characterizations. Good guys vs bad guys – that’s it, that’s all you need to know, that’s all they’re telling you. That’s fine when it’s for entertainment, although even then my opinion is that more nuanced and complex characters make for more interesting movies.

It is, however, somewhat disturbing to hear the world of security & policing to make such simple distinctions. “Good guys go here, bad guys go there.” I can concede that such simplifications make things easier, and in that regard, they are necessary. However, the choice of words changes the way people behave and think from that moment onwards once the labels have been slapped on.

I was attending an exercise about two weeks ago that involved the physical separation of casualties for medical treatment. It really was presented in words very much like “Good guys go over there, bad guys go over here, and we’ll make sure the two don’t mix.”

The “bad guys”, by the way, are arrested and detained protestors. We’re not talking about rioters & looters, we’re not talking about murderous hooligans or captured prisoners of war against a fascist nation. No, we’re talking protestors in a democratic society who have, in some way, disobeyed police orders.

Some protestors get way out of hand, that is true. However, to actually use the words “bad guys vs good guys” really skews peoples’ thinking. Words have power. By saying the security forces the good guys & the protestors are the bad guys, you are already prejudicing the audience into thinking that there must be conflict, and that the protestors do not deserve your cooperation and respect. It also prejudices the audience to think that everything the security forces do will be justified, even though it appears quite widely acknowledged by those on the other side of the line that some police officers truly are bullies.

Words have power because they encapsulate meaning, values, beliefs and correlations. Most words are not neutral, and even those that are neutral in some respects carry other meanings and values with them. They key as a speaker or writer is to choose words and labels carefully, consciously taking into account those meanings and values that come along with them  As members of an audience, it’s important to note what words and labels are being used, and to be consciously aware of the meanings and values that go along with them as part of the message.

If the presenter in question had said “Our guys go over here, detainees go over there,” his message would have a completely different feel and meaning.

Unfortunately, that’s not what he said. As a matter of fact, many of those in the audience seemed to accept the “good guys vs bad guys” labels without issue. I met once with an individual who, while not a police officer, was certainly on the security side of the fence and he was very obviously dismissive of protestors in general.

I cannot and will not say that this simplistic, disturbing worldview is shared deeply by all individuals in the security & policing world. I know, for example, that some have been working to actively engage protest organizers in order to head off problems and make sure that both the protestors and the security forces meet their objectives.  However, there are enough individuals in the security & policing community who see the world as purely black & white that one cannot dismiss the notion that the “good guys” may be gradually moving themselves into something less-than-good.

Words and labels have power. When police agencies start defining a situation as “good guys vs bad guys”, I think it indicates that something is amiss.