Thursday, August 21, 2014

How cop shows glamorize police brutality

I'm not much for cop shows, or any TV for that matter, but the Farm Manger tends to watch this shit, and there's some version of the CSI franchise going on in the background as I write this.

The overall modus operandi seems the same in every show. Shit happens, and then the "good guys" show up with an overwhelming display of force to set things right.

That's pretty much how it happens in the real world these days. There is no policing problem that can't be solved with an overwhelming show of force.

That's why we've acquiesced to the rampant militarization of local police forces.

On the ground, that's led to stand-offs and egregious displays of police brutality like we've seen in Ferguson for a couple of weeks now.

On TV, it just leads to the triumph of the good guys over evil.

We should not overlook the role that popular culture plays in greasing our path to a police state.

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