So I'm sitting there, bored out of my mind, having taken my mum to hospital for a regular eye check-up.
I know, I should be reading a book or something but previous visits have been very quick so I didn't bother to take one.
Anyway, it felt like the lights were going out, as two burly prison warders escorted a manacled prisoner. It was the first time I'd ever seen anyone handcuffed let alone handcuffed to a prison guard at the same time. Whilst it all appeared to be in the line of duty for the two guards the prisoner, a young Asian man in his twenties, looked disoriented and slightly frightened. I felt sorry for him.
This then made me wonder what I'd do if he tried to escape and my knee-jerk feeling was that I'd help him. Given that I had no idea what he'd done or how serious his crime was I started to berate myself (quietly, because I don't go in for self flagellation) for being such an idiot.
Strange.
I think we humans tend to be on the side of the underdog.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, he might have done something vile and actually deserves to be thrown to the lions but until you know that, compassion isn't a bad thing, and maybe a slight anarchic resentment of authority, rears its little head? Well it does in me. :)
Oh too deep for a Friday morning. *slopes off*
I think if you delve into the subconscious Alex, you'll find that it was your stomach talking. You somehow correlated this young man with tasty, exotic food (as in your local take away)and you feared that his incarceration would deprive you of your tasty treats...
ReplyDeleteOddly enough when I took Mum to the hospital last week I witnessed 2 police gaurds escorting a cuffed young man through the waiting area too! How strange is that!
Spooky Craig, spooky.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I would feel if I saw the same young man in handcuffs. Because at work I sometimes have to deal with little old ladies who are the victims of crime, I would probably assume he deserved it.
ReplyDeleteAt our local Morrison's supermarket, on average one old lady a week has her bag or purse stolen whilst in the store. Usually by a pair of young adults - one distracts the victim by engaging her in polite conversation while the other steals her purse.
"Usually by a pair of young adults - one distracts the victim by engaging her in polite conversation while the other steals her purse."
ReplyDeleteApart from the 'young' it sounds like a pair of bored retiree's I know - usually in Booth's supermarket.