Tastemakers, trendoids, and teenagers tend to value one thing above all others: rebelliousness. The coolest people, we are made to understand, buck authority at every opportunity; it’s why you seldom read news reports about rock stars reusing their hotel towels and leaving their chambermaids generous tips.
But as we get a little older, we can come to appreciate the limits society places on us — and the personnel whose job it is to enforce those limits. Maybe when you’re a high-school junior loitering around outside a convenience store, you resent the cop who orders you to move it along. But when some jagoff side-swipes your car, who’re you going to call to get redress — Pete Doherty? No, you’re going to call the local constabulary. And when a cop does show up — rocking whatever headgear a cop wears in your part of the world, probably also sporting a moustache, maybe waving a billy club, and (with luck) braying, “Wot’s all this then?,” you will appreciate how valuable authority figures can be.
While we’re on the subject: how come all cops don’t wear bobby hats? They’re cool and unique and they sure give a dude (or lady) a distinctively awesome silhouette.
