It sometimes goes well beyond that too, where the ‘bad guy’ isn’t human enough to deserve any kind of compassion and so becomes an object for any kind of abuse

It sometimes goes well beyond that too, where the ‘bad guy’ isn’t human enough to deserve any kind of compassion and so becomes an object for any kind of abuse or revenge the ‘good guys’ care to throw at them, and not all of this is just in the realm of TV fantasy because it’s clearly catering to a certain audience mindset. - torture is okay if someone is a suspect - jokes about being raped in prison - all of the shitty treatment suspects get in police procedurals and detective shows, at the hands of the ‘heroes’ Even if they turn out to be innocent, it’s still like they’re guilty of not being innocent enough which justifies the abuse, while the apparent good guys are celebrated for being utterly sociopathic.