Talking about police officers a lot here.

[Queen of Interesting Nuts]

I have never been arrested but I always get the willies when I see the handcuffs, it's like I would be all mental, well more than I usually am and can see why some people go crazy. Then I read about the man who died on the floor and that is terrifying. I know you should stay calm but being handcuffed and not being free would just put me over the edge, and that is just being handcuffed.

Are any of you here claustrophobic, though I don't think that is the right word for being restrained.

[NancysSummerSip]

Merinthophobia is the fear of being bound, tied or restrained physically. Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces. You could get both at the same time in a single situation. Anyone who's ever had an MRI understands the feeling.

[Chocolate Lover]

May 31, 2013 14:19:52 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Merinthophobia is the fear of being bound, tied or restrained physically. Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces. You could get both at the same time in a single situation. Anyone who's ever had an MRI understands the feeling.

After reading the descriptions of an MRI on that one thread a while back, I'll never get one in a traditional machine. 

[NancysSummerSip]

I've had both, and neither is much fun. It's not so much the enclosure; it's the incredible noise.

I've also had the nuclear stress test, which does allow the head to be exposed from the machine, but everything else is inside. Oh, gawd, never again. I was fine until they gave me the medicine to make my heart speed up.

[Peace Of Mind]

Is Naggie getting kinky on us and buying her first pair of real handcuffs?    Psst.  I highly recommend ones with pink boa feathers. 

[Chocolate Lover]

May 31, 2013 14:35:15 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

I've had both, and neither is much fun. It's not so much the enclosure; it's the incredible noise.

I've also had the nuclear stress test, which does allow the head to be exposed from the machine, but everything else is inside. Oh, gawd, never again. I was fine until they gave me the medicine to make my heart speed up.

I have kids, noise won't make me insane  Being closed up like that with something close enough to bounce my breath back at me.............  <<shudder>>

[NancysSummerSip]

May 31, 2013 14:39:44 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

May 31, 2013 14:35:15 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

I've had both, and neither is much fun. It's not so much the enclosure; it's the incredible noise.

I've also had the nuclear stress test, which does allow the head to be exposed from the machine, but everything else is inside. Oh, gawd, never again. I was fine until they gave me the medicine to make my heart speed up.

I have kids, noise won't make me insane  Being closed up like that with something close enough to bounce my breath back at me.............  <<shudder>>

They will give you an eye mask, if you ask. Or headphones. I guess the idea is to distract you. Never worked for me. I have to have the MRI once every five years, so I can live with that. I hope I never have the stress test again. The heart tech told me I looked like I was ready to rocket right out of the machine.

[Chocolate Lover]

That sounds like it would be even worse Nancy.  (I don't see a smiley for running away screaming so insert your own here)

[NancysSummerSip]

May 31, 2013 14:49:31 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

That sounds like it would be even worse Nancy.  (I don't see a smiley for running away screaming so insert your own here)

Yes, it really isn't much of a help. And it's not like they can offer you a sedative; you have to be fully functional for an MRI. I think the scientist who comes up with a panic-free MRI deserves a Nobel Prize, at the very least.

[Chocolate Lover]

May 31, 2013 15:16:39 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

May 31, 2013 14:49:31 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

That sounds like it would be even worse Nancy.  (I don't see a smiley for running away screaming so insert your own here)

Yes, it really isn't much of a help. And it's not like they can offer you a sedative; you have to be fully functional for an MRI. I think the scientist who comes up with a panic-free MRI deserves a Nobel Prize, at the very least.

Amen!

[Deleted]

It seems that there a lot of bad police officers in the part of the country I live in. Between the reports I see on the news, interactions people I know personally have had with police officers and the things that police officers I know personally have told me, I don't automatically assume every officer I encounter is one of the good guys. When handcuffed suspects in squad cars "commit suicide" and the police are the ones doing the killing, robbing, raping, and harrassing, it damages the trust we should have in the people that have sworn to protect us. The bad guys have definitely made it more difficult for the good ones. I do respect and appreciate the officers that take their jobs seriously.

ETA: I didn't realize we were talking about MRI's instead of police. LOL

[Deleted]

I've had 2 MRI's. I know a lot of people have a hard time with them, so I'm glad they didn't bother me much.

[NancysSummerSip]

Hey, given the characters here, you know how these threads go. No such thing as an organized thought or a straight line. It's all about the tangents.

Having worked on a local police force, I can say that the psychological testing does do a decent job weeding out the unsuitables. Why does testing not catch all of them? People who are truly sociopathic can and will fool even the best testing. And sometimes, officers who are hired really do start out just fine, only to go haywire somewhere along the line. What causes it? Temptations exist: money, drugs, sex. Promotions are difficult to come by; the higher you go in a department, the tougher it gets, and some officers will sell themselves to get those stars and bars. It's not about the money, it's more about the power and prestige. And the stress is enormous. Days off and vacations can be cancelled at a moment's notice, fellow officers get injured and killed in front of you, and split-second decisions can result in the death of a suspect, an innocent bystander or both, and the repercussions can be severe, even when the investigation results in exoneration on the officer's part.

And speaking of power, that is also another temptation. A badge, uniform and gun is quite the trip, if your personal life is on the edge and you're not strong enough to separate yourself from your work. I have found that the best officers I've known are those who have strong and balanced lives outside the department. They are dedicated and willing to work hard, of course. But when the uniform comes off, the police persona does, too.

[midjd]

Between the reports I see on the news, interactions people I know personally have had with police officers and the things that police officers I know personally have told me, I don't automatically assume every officer I encounter is one of the good guys.

The problem with that - and I don't doubt you - but the media is generally focused on ratings. A story about a cop who drunkenly mows down some motorcyclists (happened here a few years ago) is going to get way more press than a story about a cop who saved a kitten from a tree.

There's also some stat for business owners about how a happy customer might tell 5 people, but an unhappy customer will tell 20 (pulling those numbers out of my ass, but I know the unhappy customer # was higher). I think the same principle holds true for many public-facing professionals.

I don't doubt for a moment that there are bad cops out there - there are bad apples in every profession. But I don't think the percentage of bad cops is significantly higher or lower than the percentage of bad lawyers, doctors, construction workers, truck drivers, fast food employees, etc. etc.

I'm probably overly sensitive on the subject because lawyers go through the same thing. One bad experience and we all become money-grubbing shysters.

[Deleted]

May 31, 2013 15:50:59 GMT -5 midjd said:

Between the reports I see on the news, interactions people I know personally have had with police officers and the things that police officers I know personally have told me, I don't automatically assume every officer I encounter is one of the good guys.

The problem with that - and I don't doubt you - but the media is generally focused on ratings. A story about a cop who drunkenly mows down some motorcyclists (happened here a few years ago) is going to get way more press than a story about a cop who saved a kitten from a tree.

There's also some stat for business owners about how a happy customer might tell 5 people, but an unhappy customer will tell 20 (pulling those numbers out of my ass, but I know the unhappy customer # was higher). I think the same principle holds true for many public-facing professionals.

I don't doubt for a moment that there are bad cops out there - there are bad apples in every profession. But I don't think the percentage of bad cops is significantly higher or lower than the percentage of bad lawyers, doctors, construction workers, truck drivers, fast food employees, etc. etc.

I'm probably overly sensitive on the subject because lawyers go through the same thing. One bad experience and we all become money-grubbing shysters.

[Deleted]

I don't know what happened with my post. The short story is, I don't want to give the impression that I think all police officers are the devil. I don't.

[Queen of Interesting Nuts]

I am getting a matching set, blue AND pink.

[beergut]

The media here do an amazingly shitty job covering the police.

There are rarely any positive stories about the officers, and if they fuck up their coverage, don't hope for a retraction where they apologize for trashing someone's reputation.