Academic Snobbery

I had an interesting thought in class today. This is news for many reasons: First, because I was actually thinking during class; Second, because something in class was interesting.

Today we discussed the famous Terry case. This is the case that made it legal for police officers to stop random citizens as long as they have an articulable, reasonable suspicion that something is up. Unfortunately, I can look at 90% of the population and find a way to articulate my reasonable suspicions about them. Oh well… At least it’s not “papers please.”

Anyway… One of the interesting bits of trivia the professor chose to share with us while introducing the case was the employment history of the arresting officer (McFadden). Our professor explained that McFadden had been a “beat cop” for 30 years. The state used this information to show the reliability of Officer McFadden’s instincts and testimony. My professor took another road.

Apparently one of the many rock solid truths we can all learn from television is that every cop in America dreams of being a detective, every detective a chief, and so on. My professor implied that since Officer McFadden had been a lowly beat cop for 30 years there must be something strange about him. Why was he not a detective? Perhaps he was a “bad cop” who couldn’t be promoted? Maybe there were disciplinary problems? Why would anybody ever want to keep the same job for 30 years?

Well here’s the thing…

My professor is wrong on multiple levels. First off… McFadden was a detective. Not that it really matters, but it is good to get that little inaccuracy out of the way before we start.

Second. What kind of snob assumes that anyone who is not constantly in pursuit of some advancement in the workplace is somehow flawed? Just because you feel the need to compete and constantly climb in order to feel good about yourself doesn’t mean the rest of the world is that way. The notion that a person must perpetually attempt to advance in his or her profession is not a universally held value. There can be any number of reasons why an honorable and capable person would be content in their position. I have ancestors who are excellent examples of this.

In my opinion, this is just another example of the complete disconnect between academia and the real world. Guys like McFadden are what keep the world going round. It may be a totally foreign concept for some but there are people who wake up every morning, go to work, and then come home in the evening without spending several hours pondering the countless ways in which they could advance themselves in society. Some people might actually like their jobs. Some might only work as a means to provide for some other more important pursuit. Maybe McFadden loved model trains, or had a family, or was actively involved in a youth volunteer program.

This paternalistic concept of knowing what someone else “should” be doing with his or her life is a joke. This is the same thinking that causes people to shy away from noble professions because they fear others might think they have sold themselves short. What if I want to be a public defender for the rest of my life? Will I be a bad person if I never make partner in a big firm or become a professor at a law school? What if my wife with her two masters degrees decides she wants to be a stay at home mom?

The idea that McFadden’s apparent lack of ambition should somehow be a part of the analysis of this case is absurd. Get over yourself.