And in the scenario you describe I would agree wholeheartedly with your reactions Andrew, and bully for you for practising restraint, as we know free speech includes the freedom to insult and to be insulted and we hope for the good manners among the public not to exploit that freedom in the cause of public harmony, however in the aforementioned scenario the gesture put nobody’s pride or ego at risk and was directed at the camera, an inanimate object, yet authority thought it necessary to raise the stakes way above the proportionally of the speeding fine just because it could, as they agreed to teach him a lesson!A lesson in what? Do not exhibit emotion at our mechanisms of control, how fragile are their egos? are they really that insecure? Personally I want more mature consensual reactions from authority. Do you think in your situation you should have made a citizen’s arrest and demanded reparations through the law for your aggrieved feelings, no you decided to deal with it in an adult way without serious repercussions, as I said before good for you
These reactions of authority do not tend to intimidate people, but serve to entrench negative views of that we should be proud of and willing to defend.
In the end, absolute power corrupts, absolutely, and historically ends unfortunately in conflict. Rebels aren’t born Andrew they evolve from certain environments thrust upon them.
Let the cloak of power be worn lightly.