I got pounded pretty hard on FR for defending Gates for that incident, but hey, you gotta stand up for your experiences. Gates was one of the first Black professor to force Harvard to roll the African-American Studies department back into the History School where it belonged. He also demanded that scholars produce true scholarly work rather (in the vein of Carter G. Woodson) rather than short 50 page books based on feelings.
I kinda know where Gates is coming from. It’s hard to get some Freepers who aren’t black and over 40 to understand.
And I will totally agree with Gates...when he's right. But he was wrong...during that incident....IMO.
I don't think you have to be black and over 40 to understand that we all "lose it" (i.e. our patience or composure) once in awhile. He just happened to be a well-known Harvard professor, and when he lost it, the whole world heard about it.
When the rest of us lose it, no one cares.
When the story broke, I could see his point of view, being questioned when he's in his own house. He was probably in a bad mood, to begin with, after he had trouble getting in his front door. Being led out in handcuffs must've been the final straw for him.
But, I could understand the police officer's point of view, too. He was just answering a call and trying to do his job.
The person who behaved the worst, imho, was the president. I didn't know all that about Gates, btw. Thanks for the info.