I used to live in a small town of the South. The local law-enforcement officers were the sheriff and his deputy. A friend of mine had told me that the sheriff was in the habit of arresting people for no apparent reason. He locked them up at the police station; some would be released the following morning, while others would be brought to court for trial. The strangest thing of all was that they were all men.
One night, as I was walking in an empty street, a police car approached me. It was the sheriff and his deputy.
"Sir, you are kindly requested to get in the car," said the deputy.
When I got in, the sheriff informed me that it was just a routine check. A few minutes later, we arrived at the station. When we went inside, the sheriff sat on his desk and said:
"Here's the deal: either you do what you're told or you will be charged with resisting arrest and possession of illegal drugs..."
"This is outrageous!" I yelled.
"Stop shouting and think about it. If you follow orders, you will be released in the morning."
I knew that he meant what he said, so I decided to go along with them.
"I'll do whatever you want," I said.
"That's all I wanted to hear," said the sheriff, got up from his desk and approached me.
"Take off your clothes!" said the deputy.
"What? The deal's off!" I screamed. Instantly, the deputy punched me in the nose. It hurt but it didn't bleed. I undressed and stood there, facing the sheriff.