
When you read the word vigilante it probably conjures up self-appointed killers toting guns and stubble to a firing grave.
Or some comic book character superhero slash badass judge, jury, & executioner.
But not a crossing guard.
In Taiwan, I first laughed when I saw a volunteer traffic cop wearing the word VIGILANTE as a translation fail.
But no sooner had my smug comfort with the word vigilante and the Judge Dredd meme settled in the calcite canyon of cultural egocentrism, then the ineffable sparks of empathy, envy, and bewilderment forged a new understanding out of the baffling ashes of laughter.
Why assume volunteering for a police function should involve killing? Probably because Americans are riddled with guns and assume the cultural value of a police force translates to STALK not WALK.