Police Differences

Yesterday I took a trip with some of my friends up to Laredo, Texas. While we were driving the two hours up there we had some interesting talks. One of the most interesting to me was the talk about police. There's a fundamental difference in the way we are taught about our police. In the USA, when we are small, we are taught that if we are ever in danger or trouble, look for a police officer. If we are stopped by the police, we are taught to respect them and to do what they say.

In Mexico, they are taught since they are small that the police are NOT their friends. They don't trust officers and they look upon them with contempt. The police officers have a lot of power here, but are puppets on a string, with thousands of people affecting the puppet master through bribes, corruption, and threats.

I told my friends that we Americans hear about these things and are suspicious when traveling through Latin America. They laughed, but at the same time felt embarrassed that we feel that way when in their country. If THEY feel that way, however, how would they expect us to feel any differently?