4 ms·

Shows like Forensic Files, COPS and so forth have convinced most people that the police are far more effective than they really are. but the media (whether int

Shows like Forensic Files, COPS and so forth have convinced most people that the police are far more effective than they really are. but the media (whether intentionally or not) have done an excellent job as the propaganda department for the police. Personally I say "no way is this anything but intentional". There's way too much pro-cop, pro-military-industrial-complex, pro-sook-agency crap on TV for it to be just accidental. Propaganda is exactly what it is.

bigyikes 5y ago
Or, apply Occam’s razor. People like watching cop and detective shows.
ravenstine 5y ago
Depends on what you mean by intentional. I don't think it's an organized effort merely to promote law enforcement from a political standpoint. Rather, I think such shows are made because they sell well to two crowds: the pro law enforcement crowd and those with a curiosity for true crime.
handoflixue 5y ago
Simple incentives seem to explain that one without needing much of a conspiracy: If you're buddy-buddy with the cops, they'll help promote you, talk to you about cool cases they worked, etc.. If you're instead critical of the cops, they're going to try and undermine you instead. This means that doing a cop show that's anti-cop would be like doing a medical show without ever being able to consult a doctor. You can do it, but you're going to have to put a lot more work into research to get the same sense of verisimilitude.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Speaking of TV... You know how people who don't work in government don't realize Parks and Rec is a documentary? And people who don't work in a white collar office don't realize The Office is also a documentary? Well Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a documentary too. The primary artistic liberty these shows take is to take a decade's worth of shenanigans, compress it into one season and cut out all the drudgery in-between. Basically all the stupid "that would never happen" crap happens but spread out over 100x as long and 10x as many people.
mindcrime 5y ago
s/pro-sook-agency/pro-spook-agency/
akiselev 5y ago
Funny you should mention the military industrial complex: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-entertainment_complex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-entertainment_complex > In Hollywood, many movie productions are directly supervised by the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Film Liason Unit. Directors looking to borrow Army material for their movies need to apply to the DoD, and submit their movies' scripts for vetting. Ultimately, the DoD has a say in virtually every US-made movie that use military resources in their production.
- billh 5y ago
  The same exact thing happens with TV shows and movies depicting american policing. If your script does not toe the line, good luck getting those permits necessary to film. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/opinions/2016/10/24/how-police-censorship-shaped-hollywood/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/opinions/2016/10/24/how-po...
- nitwit005 5y ago
  Seems to be increasingly uncommon with the rise of computer graphics. Far easier to edit a tank into the background than to have a real tank driving around.

bigyikes 5y ago

Or, apply Occam’s razor. People like watching cop and detective shows.

ravenstine 5y ago

Depends on what you mean by intentional. I don't think it's an organized effort merely to promote law enforcement from a political standpoint. Rather, I think such shows are made because they sell well to two crowds: the pro law enforcement crowd and those with a curiosity for true crime.

handoflixue 5y ago

Simple incentives seem to explain that one without needing much of a conspiracy: If you're buddy-buddy with the cops, they'll help promote you, talk to you about cool cases they worked, etc.. If you're instead critical of the cops, they're going to try and undermine you instead. This means that doing a cop show that's anti-cop would be like doing a medical show without ever being able to consult a doctor. You can do it, but you're going to have to put a lot more work into research to get the same sense of verisimilitude.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Speaking of TV... You know how people who don't work in government don't realize Parks and Rec is a documentary? And people who don't work in a white collar office don't realize The Office is also a documentary? Well Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a documentary too. The primary artistic liberty these shows take is to take a decade's worth of shenanigans, compress it into one season and cut out all the drudgery in-between. Basically all the stupid "that would never happen" crap happens but spread out over 100x as long and 10x as many people.

mindcrime 5y ago

s/pro-sook-agency/pro-spook-agency/

akiselev 5y ago

Funny you should mention the military industrial complex: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-entertainment_complex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-entertainment_complex > In Hollywood, many movie productions are directly supervised by the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Film Liason Unit. Directors looking to borrow Army material for their movies need to apply to the DoD, and submit their movies' scripts for vetting. Ultimately, the DoD has a say in virtually every US-made movie that use military resources in their production.

billh 5y ago
The same exact thing happens with TV shows and movies depicting american policing. If your script does not toe the line, good luck getting those permits necessary to film. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/opinions/2016/10/24/how-police-censorship-shaped-hollywood/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/opinions/2016/10/24/how-po...
nitwit005 5y ago
Seems to be increasingly uncommon with the rise of computer graphics. Far easier to edit a tank into the background than to have a real tank driving around.