David McElroy

When I was growing up, I would have never applied the word “cop” to a police officer. It wasn’t respectful, and I was taught to respect police. They were there to protect me.

I don’t feel that way anymore. The police culture has changed so radically that “cop” seems too respectful for many of them. There are still some who are decent and worthy of respect, but their numbers seem to be dwindling.

I thought about that this week when I heard the news that Andy Griffith had died. As the iconic Sheriff Andy Taylor, above right, on the Andy Griffith Show, he epitomized what a small-town peace officer should be. And his attitude represented what any police officer should have. In a world where police officers are expected to act more like military storm troopers, his character still provides a stark contrast.

He cared about the people he served. He tried to do what was right for everyone, sometimes including ignoring infractions when it served justice better. And he did it all without regularly carrying a gun.

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With the scorching temperatures experienced by so much of the country lately — including here in Alabama — I’m starting to suspect that the devil has decided he can’t wait for people to get to hell to start working on them. So he’s started to pump his weather up here.

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When I was 12 years old, I was lonely, unhappy and confused. I didn’t like my family very much, but I was afraid to admit that. I was certain that my future was going to be perfect — if it would just hurry up and get here. In other words, I was a lot like many millions of people at that age.

I’ve thought a lot in the past about how I’d see myself as a child and what I’d say to 12-year-old David to make the years afterward less painful. It’s on my mind today because of an video posted Thursday by 32-year-old Jeremiah McDonald, who has a videotape of his 12-year-old self pretending to talk to his future self. He’s edited it in such a way that it appears there’s a conversation going on between them. It’s a funny and poignant idea. You can see it at the bottom of this article. (The language isn’t family-friendly or work-friendly in a couple of instances.)

“I saw an episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos [when I was 12] where a guy had a conversation with himself on TV, and I did my own version of it,” McDonald said. “While I was playing around I decided to have an open-ended conversation with my future self.”

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