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this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
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If cops in real life acted like cops in fiction, people wouldn't hate them as much
That’s because most fictional cops have ethics, empathy, and a conscience.
Lmao idk if "most" even holds up in fiction. Even the "good" cops in fiction tend to perform illegal searches, abuse suspects, break the law in countless ways to get the bad guys. How many times have we seen the "good guys" stymied by their inability to search a home but one turns to the other and sarcastically says "oh I think I heard someone scream for help lol" kicks down the door?
Sometimes they have a conscience but I'd call very few fictional cops "good"
That’s “okay”, though, because we, the viewers, often know that the suspect is guilty. The cops still come off as good (and smart, with good intuition as well) because we know for certain that they’re doing the “right” thing.
That is the exact problem.
As a society, we don't want to teach people that it is EVER acceptable for the authorities to break rules/laws. They already have power. Why should they go free after breaking the rules meant to control their reach? At the least, they should get charged and go to trial by jury. Ideally, those juries should then convict in all but the most benign cases.
I remember at least a couple old shows had the good old 'sheriff' or whatever break some rule and then had to pay for it. And they did, and good guys accept that despite meaning well, they had done wrong and should have followed the law.
If you ask society at large to accept that breaking the rules is ok THIS time because this time is special and our guy is working for Team Good, then our society starts to allow that in all kinds of stupid real-life situations and you end up with criminal cops, politicians, and all manner of officials. Worse, you might end up with random citizens who think it is ok to break the law just because their leader tells them to.
You nailed it. That’s why I put “okay” in quotes. Those laws exist for a reason, and lionizing cops who break the law only teaches the public to accept that lawbreakers are okay if they’re on Team Good.
Unfortunately, what the government calls “good” and what you and I call “good” are often different things.
Hear, hear.
This is why I loved the Nero Wolfe tv show so much; they taught valuable lessons (like don’t let a cop in without a warrant and be wary of the FBI) and the cops were much more realistic, even if still more or less good guys.
I'm pretty sure they shoot innocents a lot less. But I'm in it for the entertainment, not because they follow the law.
Interestingly, in Elementary they call out your issue of always finding probable cause to enter a home. They end up in court over it. It's still basically hand waved off with them asking if they are being called liars and if they have proof. But they aren't even cops, they are consultants, so I'm not sure probable cause even applies. Seems more likely they shouldn't be able to do shit unless they suspicion of imminent danger.
Fictional cops rarely have any ethics. Quite famously, they ignore people civil rights or liberties when they "know" that person is guilty.
It's like the male lead of a shitty romance novel acting super creepy, abusive, and rapey, but it's okay because it's fiction and they always luck out and the woman is into it.
Columbo comes to mind, he refuses to carry a gun and goes after the wealthy and powerful, including other cops. If only real cops were so chill.
I love Brooklyn 99, i wish cops were humans l'île that
Which is why most cop shows function as authoritarian propaganda. They show an idealist fairy tale version that nonetheless creates this aspirational image of cops in mainstream culture. It gives cover to the true cop culture. Just like villains in movies are always just a bad apple that is corrupt and once eliminated all is well, when in real world the rules of the system is what breeds corruption. It's not meant to be, but it acts as authoritarian propaganda.
I love cop shows, they are my guilty pleasure, but one needs to be aware that this is fairy tale.
Exactly!! I mean why else do you think Law & Order:SVU has been on the air for like fucking 30 seasons? Its not because of Ice-T's incredible acting ability, thats for sure...
Law and Order not CSI.
You're right. My mistake.
I don't watch that shit so I get them confused.
You just need to mix sometimes the other extreme in to balance it out: Training Day, Leon The Professional, Kiss Of The Dragon and so on.
Often such movies and military movies must be approved by the government and get funded by them so the military gets to co-write the propaganda