99% or Cops know the difference between a tramp and a bum. A bum is looking for houndouts and really doesn't care about himself or others. A tramp is living a transient life and will accept either handouts or work. Many tramps travel til they're out of money, then stay in flophouses and work until they build up a poke, then hit the road again. Rambo is clearly a tramp and would be accorded a measure of respect by the vast majority of LEOs. Most, not all. Some LEOs respect nobody and are the ones deserving of the scorn they get.
I'll share an encounter between a tramp and a Missouri county sheriff I witnessed in 1984, a couple of years after the release of First Blood. The sheriff was alerted one evening by the sheriff's office of the county just to the east about a transient they'd given a lift to the county line, headed into his county now. The sheriff was having a slow night, as usual, so he went to the county line and offered the transient a lift. Yes, he was scoping him out. He made clear to the guy that he was not ordering him to accept the ride, but if he'd like a lift, he could get him to town. The sheriff did not request ID or search him or even ask him his name. The guy accepted the ride (I was along as a civilian) and as we rode back into town we all chatted in friendly fashion. The guy was in his mid-20's and was just traveling the country as a lark for about 2 years. As we approached town the sheriff asked him if he had money to eat on, if he didn't, he'd buy him supper, whatever he wanted. The guy accepted the offer of supper at a local cafe' (it happened to be operated by my aunt), which was provided out of the sheriff's own pocket, not county funds.
During the meal which we all shared sitting together at a table, the sheriff asked him if he would like to stay overnight. The motel could put him up, but it would cost about $20. If he didn't have money, he could let him sleep on the sofa in his outer office. The tramp declined, saying he'd just keep going west. The sheriff offered to give him a lift to the west county line, which the tramp accepted. As we rode west, the sheriff contacted the next county over and said he was dropping a traveling man off at the county line.
End of event as I witnessed it. I'm pretty sure somebody from the next county over met the guy and offered him the same things. There was absolutely no heavy handedness on the part of any LEO in this situation. However, if the guy had been troublesome or out of whack, I'm pretty certain he'd have been dealt with lawfully but with respect.
So in my view, having seen what's possible and probably likely, Teasle was way out of line from the very beginning and the movie flows rather logically as a result. I'd have been pissed off about the treatment, too, if I was Rambo.
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TheLordofTheHarvest
7 years ago
This entire movie is a great study in karma and ironic justice.
Teasle and Gault weren't figures of proper justice; rather they were charlatans who used the system to their advantage and were power crazed and hungry. They were awful people who judged others when they weren't anything to sneeze at to begin with. They were two fat, ugly, and past their prime cops who had no other use in life besides to serve the community (badly,) and judge others. Teasle's nothing but a douchebag but Gault's flat out demented in the head.
Teasle was more than likely the douhebag jock in high school while Gault was a bully who loved to beat up people and enjoyed it. They both went to Korea and got out but never got that appreciation for it and it ate them up and they could never get over the trill hence why they were cops. Both especially Gault were jealous as hell of Rambo. Gault wanted to make him his B word by dominating him "You WILL talk to me solider!" while Teasle wanted to ruin his life.
Rambo did nothing wrong in hindsight. He was walking thru the town trying to find some good food and maybe find somewhere to rest and get on his way. He lost his last surviving friend and said friend's wife wasn't the least bit nice or respectful to him. He had a horrendus day and deserved sympathy. But instead the king douche of the Sheriff was awful about it and took it out on him. That was Teasle's grand error he was nothing but a douche during the process and made Rambo want to challenge him. His way to say eff you back was to walk back into the town but he went too early; he should have waited and went back.
Rambo was fate's way of inflicting proper justice on those two guys. Shame the town and the other cops had to be in the way but it happens; that's how fate works. Rambo won, Gault killed himself due to his ego, and Teasle got dominated and hurt for his trouble. Which was what deserved to happen.
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