Robin Wilton's esoterica

       
 
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26 Apr · Thu 2007

Voluntarily discarding your credentials


This is something I blogged about way back in December 2005; the extent to which, in real-world trust decisions (particularly those involving strangers), uniforms can play a very significant role in influencing our opinion.

A 24-year-old student has been charged with 'wearing police uniform and equipment in the street'. He was on his way into a bar in Aberdeen in order to give a performance of his specialist profession: removing the said uniform. The police concern was nothing to do with male public nudity, which is clearly perceived as a lesser threat than the apparent abuse of an implied credential ("looking like a copper in a public place").

Posted by racingsnake @ 12:50 PM GMT+00:00 [ Comments [3] ]
 
 
 
 
Comments:

Stateside you can wear any uniform you want except for those of officers in agencies with jurisdiction over your location (unless you are one). So in Hollywood when they film movies on city streets they use uniforms that don't have badges identifying the actor as an officer of the local police.

Posted by Nico on April 26, 2007 at 02:47 PM GMT+00:00 #

if the man in question had a physique that made his chosen profession economically viable, would that not immediately distinguish him from the profession he was purportedly claiming?

Posted by Paul Madsen on April 27, 2007 at 05:51 AM GMT+00:00 #

I don't know, Paul... I'm going to have to bow to your expertise in the question of The Law Enforcement Physique... ;^)

Posted by Robin Wilton on April 27, 2007 at 10:13 AM GMT+00:00 #

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Such views as I express in this blog are based on my own opinions, experience and judgements. They do not necessarily represent the policy or views of my employer. It is not my intention to offend readers in any way. If you find anything on this blog offensive, please contact me in the first instance.
Robin Wilton
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