&gt;You have the privilege of being a dick to a cop when you&#x27;re white.<p>Not really. Cops escalate against whites too and are often on a hair trigger. We just have to accept that the type of people our police forces attract as officers, with present combination of required qualifications and incentives, are most likely not going to be the most even-headed or rational members of society. If we really care about improving policing, we want to increase the incentives so that the job attracts the best and brightest instead of the washed-up football players that can&#x27;t hack it at junior college.<p>I&#x27;m white and probably 40% of my interactions with police have been unpleasant just because those policemen felt like feeling important that day. You just have to grin and bear it, because doing otherwise risks escalation. Submission is the component most victims of escalation neglect.<p>The &quot;racial divide&quot; is less of a thing than it&#x27;s made out to be; race is just one signal among many. One thing is for sure though, and that&#x27;s that the media is <i>very</i> interested in provoking racial tension, rioting, and other &quot;exciting&quot; news events.