One of my new friends is/was a cop. Just found out about it. I genuinely believe ACAB, and this news has me conflicted because my new friend seems really cool and super nice. I don’t know him super well yet, though. He’s a big part of this new friend group and I don’t know how to process this and how to deal with the fact he’s a cop.
I don’t want to look past the fact he’s a cop, but I want to stay his friend and stay in this friend group.
Any advice for dealing with this shit?
I can’t talk to my therapist about it until Thursday.
I think you deal with it the same way you deal with someone of other political party. If you can have a reasonable argument with them and each explain your values and how you process some issues, it’s OK if they come to a different place than you.
E.g. People can feel for the homeless and come to a different % of assistance vs. job training.
But, If it seems like they have an utter lack of empathy for a certain type of person, you call that out and see what happens. If they can’t acknowledge human rights and dignity, you cut them off.