Shut down all police movies and TV shows. Now.

[killaphill]

Like many other industries, entertainment companies have issued statements of support for the protests against racism and police brutality now filling America’s streets. But there’s something Hollywood can do to put its money where its social media posts are: immediately halt production on cop shows and movies and rethink the stories it tells about policing in America.

For a century, Hollywood has been collaborating with police departments, telling stories that whitewash police shootings and valorizing an action-hero style of policing over the harder, less dramatic work of building relationships with the communities cops are meant to serve and protect. There’s a reason for that beyond a reactionary streak hiding below the industry’s surface liberalism. Purely from a dramatic perspective, crime makes a story seem consequential, investigating crime generates action, and solving crime provides for a morally and emotionally satisfying conclusion.

The result is an addiction to stories that portray police departments as more effective than they actually are; crime as more prevalent than it actually is; and police use of force as consistently justified. There are always gaps between reality and fiction, but given what policing in America has too often become, Hollywood’s version of it looks less like fantasy and more like complicity.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/04/shut-down-all-police-movies-tv-shows-now/?arc404=true


Powerful opinion piece from the Washington Post. Interestingly enough, I was halfway through the most recent season of "Bosch" on Amazon Prime when I came across this. That was enough for me. I have better things to do with my time.

[AlexSFCA]

1. as long as SVU stays

[herding cats]

2. That was my first thought, too.

[Initech]

3. So does that mean we can't ever watch the brilliant Frank Drebin ever again?

[The empressof all]

4. It's a symptom of a sickness in out culture

Honestly, when you look at the TV listings or recent movie releases most contain violence or revolve around crime or some other sort of treachery. The fact that it is so prevalent and people find this so entertaining that it drowns out other genres is concerning. I believe it inflames peoples paranoia and anger. I choose not to watch it...I get my violence fix from the news....That's enough...I can't take much more.

[gopiscrap]

5. Exactly

[hardluck]

6. I think I'll continue to watch The Wire

Thanks.

[global1]

7. So Many People Are Now So Vocal About Policing In America - All They Have To Do..

is stop watching these violent and somewhat contrived police TV shows and movies. If enough people stop watching - let the lack of ratings for these shows and movies cause the entertainment industry to cancel them.

Yes - the entertainment industry should perhaps take the lead on this and back up their issued statements with action - but the sure way to end these types of shows and movies is just stop watching them.

[Raine]

8. I like The Rookie ... I'm still going to watch

when it returns. It ended the season with a cliffhanger, I wanted to see what happens next.

[Demovictory9]

9. until last week, I was binge watching "Bosch", now hard to get back to it.

the moody cop, how works outside the lines but cares soooo much about everybody. But Bosch does have episodes about corrupt cops.

[Steelrolled]

10. Hollywood might want justice

but they want money a whole lot more.

[greytdemocrat]

11. Opinions are like assholes. n/t

[captain queeg]

12. Just take away all the gun violence involved

And cops beating people up justifiably.

[needledriver]

13. The entire motion picture/tv industry is shut down because of the pandemic.

Including the cop shows.

Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

14. I made a post about this a few days ago.

Last edited Fri Jun 5, 2020, 02:43 AM - Edit history (1)

I had my "fill" of cop and lawyer TV dramas years ago!

I'd recommend that others just stop watching the crap.

Oh, I just remembered that I've enjoyed watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but that's a comedy and not a drama. And it certainly doesn't portray cops like they're all super-heroes without flaws.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

15. The cop shows sometimes glorify excessive force too.

I haven't watched them for so long that I can't cite specific examples, but this SNL parody didn't seem far off the mark when I saw it:

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/by-the-balls/2870511

[rockfordfile]

16. I don't agree with shutting down TV shows or movies

[scarletwoman]

17. Asking them to change their story-lines isn't shutting them down.

Asking them to use their creativity in a different way isn't shutting them down.

[forthemiddle]

18. Isn't this the same as demonizing violent video games

Every time there is a school shooting, some nannies scream about the violent video games, saying it is glamorizing shooting.

What is the difference?
When is entertainment, just entertainment, and when does it cross the line? And who decides where that line is?

Disclaimer... I watch Bosch, and I love it!

[JonLP24]

19. That is a good point but most people that complain about video games don't play them

For example the main antagonist is a racist & misogynist and the main character that you play helps the Women's Suffrage Movement in Red Dead Redemption 2 which is produced by the scary Rockstar Games.

I do think the Call of Duty games are propaganda and the mass shooting in an airport in one of the games was unnecessary.