fast
Contributor
I’m trying to think something through, but I’m afraid I’m equivocating back and forth between different conceptions of what I’m calling “force.”
Years ago, I watched a television show (maybe “cops” or something similar) where in real life an officer pulled over a driver and issued him a citation (maybe a ticket for speeding). Nothing special there, but what grabbed my attention is the argument that ensued. The officer asked the driver to sign the ticket, but the driver didn’t want to. It must be a state specific way of handling things, as I’ve never been asked, let alone been ordered to sign a ticket.
The officer threatened incarceration over the issue after the driver continued to refuse. The officer wasn’t hot-headed over it and was apparently just trying to follow protocol. He even explained that it wasn’t an admission of guilt but rather a mere acknowledgement that he has received the ticket. I’m not saying it cannot be viewed as reasonable, but I couldn’t help but think reasonableness aside,: one should not be forced to sign his name.
For whatever reason, I felt that it’s very wrong to force someone to sign his name, and I still feel that way so long as I don’t misconstrue the sense of “force” I have in mind with another sense of “force” that I learned later. As to reason, it has to do with the idea that a persons word is his bond and that signing one’s name represents the giving of one’s word, so it seems to me that the signing of one’s name should be done of one’s own volition; therefore, although it may appear reasonable at first glance to have a protocol in effect that requires a signature, the threat of imprisonment changes things such that it ought to be an exception, reasonableness be damned.
There is another sense (that needs to be viewed independently) that acknowledges that forcing people to sign their names is completely acceptable, but not such that it conflicts with how I’ve been speaking. From many discussions of free will, I’ve come to accept that if I don’t want to do something yet am pressured into doing it (and keep in mind that we can sometimes overcome the pressure, so being able to overcome it doesn’t negate its presence), I’m being forced.
Let’s look at some examples. Let’s say you want to permisibly drive but don’t want to take a drivers test. You are not forced to take the drivers test per se, as you are free to walk, but you are forced to take the test if you want to legally drive. I’m okay with that force. If you want a job but cannot have it unless you sign an application, you’re gonna look pretty silly arguing that the employer is forcing you to sign an employment application, especially if he’s perfectly content with you taking a hike. This is vastly different than (oh say) having to sign up for selective service or acknowledging your identity as a potential juror.
I don’t think it’s even possible to go through life with any sense of normalcy without signing your name, but what I was against is being forced to sign one’s name when one doesn’t want to (on the one hand) and the very same worded damn thing (on the other hand). It’s like “force” is ambiguous in some way. Maybe I’m highly selective such that I’m perfectly okay with whatever negative consequences might come my way so long as it’s not legal mandate. In other words, our freedom shouldn’t hang in the balance. Sure, I might can’t use an apple product if I elect to not sign that I’ve agreed to something, and sure, I might can’t get the light company to provide power to my home if I don’t sign agreeing to something, but all these “forces” to sign or else never lead to my freedom being taken.
By the way, while I accept that it’s a way of life to often agree or else, it’s sometimes unconscionable that we must either agree to some of the things we do or else. There was another thread where someone refused to sign and lost her job. It’s only acceptable to the extent that it wasn’t a consequence of incarceration. Some might say she was forced to sign yet overcame the force. Others might say she wasn’t forced and that she didn’t sign shows that, but she was forced, just as forced as we enter into agreements all the time.
I guess. Maybe I’m reading into it too much.
Years ago, I watched a television show (maybe “cops” or something similar) where in real life an officer pulled over a driver and issued him a citation (maybe a ticket for speeding). Nothing special there, but what grabbed my attention is the argument that ensued. The officer asked the driver to sign the ticket, but the driver didn’t want to. It must be a state specific way of handling things, as I’ve never been asked, let alone been ordered to sign a ticket.
The officer threatened incarceration over the issue after the driver continued to refuse. The officer wasn’t hot-headed over it and was apparently just trying to follow protocol. He even explained that it wasn’t an admission of guilt but rather a mere acknowledgement that he has received the ticket. I’m not saying it cannot be viewed as reasonable, but I couldn’t help but think reasonableness aside,: one should not be forced to sign his name.
For whatever reason, I felt that it’s very wrong to force someone to sign his name, and I still feel that way so long as I don’t misconstrue the sense of “force” I have in mind with another sense of “force” that I learned later. As to reason, it has to do with the idea that a persons word is his bond and that signing one’s name represents the giving of one’s word, so it seems to me that the signing of one’s name should be done of one’s own volition; therefore, although it may appear reasonable at first glance to have a protocol in effect that requires a signature, the threat of imprisonment changes things such that it ought to be an exception, reasonableness be damned.
There is another sense (that needs to be viewed independently) that acknowledges that forcing people to sign their names is completely acceptable, but not such that it conflicts with how I’ve been speaking. From many discussions of free will, I’ve come to accept that if I don’t want to do something yet am pressured into doing it (and keep in mind that we can sometimes overcome the pressure, so being able to overcome it doesn’t negate its presence), I’m being forced.
Let’s look at some examples. Let’s say you want to permisibly drive but don’t want to take a drivers test. You are not forced to take the drivers test per se, as you are free to walk, but you are forced to take the test if you want to legally drive. I’m okay with that force. If you want a job but cannot have it unless you sign an application, you’re gonna look pretty silly arguing that the employer is forcing you to sign an employment application, especially if he’s perfectly content with you taking a hike. This is vastly different than (oh say) having to sign up for selective service or acknowledging your identity as a potential juror.
I don’t think it’s even possible to go through life with any sense of normalcy without signing your name, but what I was against is being forced to sign one’s name when one doesn’t want to (on the one hand) and the very same worded damn thing (on the other hand). It’s like “force” is ambiguous in some way. Maybe I’m highly selective such that I’m perfectly okay with whatever negative consequences might come my way so long as it’s not legal mandate. In other words, our freedom shouldn’t hang in the balance. Sure, I might can’t use an apple product if I elect to not sign that I’ve agreed to something, and sure, I might can’t get the light company to provide power to my home if I don’t sign agreeing to something, but all these “forces” to sign or else never lead to my freedom being taken.
By the way, while I accept that it’s a way of life to often agree or else, it’s sometimes unconscionable that we must either agree to some of the things we do or else. There was another thread where someone refused to sign and lost her job. It’s only acceptable to the extent that it wasn’t a consequence of incarceration. Some might say she was forced to sign yet overcame the force. Others might say she wasn’t forced and that she didn’t sign shows that, but she was forced, just as forced as we enter into agreements all the time.
I guess. Maybe I’m reading into it too much.
