Whenever one relates personal experience in a public fora, esp. one with pretentions of logical thinking, the default reaction's to relegate it to an anecdote. The self reported intellectuals cry: "It's an anecdote so it doesn't count!"

Ok.

But I'm not writing a paper. I'm merely relating my experiences and subsequent thoughts. Surely many black people went through the same experience when talking about their "anomalous" and "anecdotal" interactions.

Having a cop threaten me with a gun because I had the effrontery to claim a headache is an anecdote. But, it's one that indubitably influences how I approach subsequent interactions and -- moreover -- my whole stance on exactly how the power-balance in any citizen-to-cop interaction works.

Yeah, plural of anecdote isn't data, but I'm not waiting for a scientific paper before I start forming my own opinions of the world.

However, due to the lack of consistent repercussions, it's much better for a cop to shoot first and ask questions later.

Ergo, if you aren't a cop and support this situation, maybe you need to think again.

In one sentence you criticize mildbow for using an anecdote. In the next sentence you counter with pure speculation.

> In general, our focus should be drawn to cases at the margin and not those in which decisionmaking is straightforward (e.g. armed and unstable people).

It's clearly not straightforward, because both a police officer and a large number of people on this thread disagree with you. Simply stating that your opinion is straightforwardly correct is not an argument.