What is it about cop shows that are so endearing to me? I'm not talking about the show COPS, or anything, but I could sit and watch a 24 hour marathon of Law and Order: SVU without breaking a sweat! This summer I started watching CSI and Bones. It's even infiltrated my choices in reading manga, like the yaoi novel S and Alcohol Shirt and Kiss. Perhaps I shouldn't over-analyze my love of cop dramas, but I can't help it. There's something about the way they depict life and the struggle between good and evil and the lack of purity in the world...all the while subliminally justifying the use of excessive force and guns. When I think about it, I'm not really supportive of excessive force or guns, or of the people who think there's nothing wrong in using either, but it's still exciting to watch. It's a similar feeling when I think of westerns, too. Perhaps there is something to the saying that good guys are so much better when they're bad. I like that archetype: the characters that bleed good and evil together, who can't be found in either polarity. Isn't that where we all live, ultimately? These shows merely show us a glimmer of what life is really like. I think that those of us who are apart from the world of crime and law tend to have a romantic idea of what it means to be a cop, and how cops are supposed to act. And then we get upset when those ideals are not met. No wonder people have become so bitter and even hateful towards those people who have taken an oath to protect us. It's funny that we want our heroes on tv to be murky but our real heroes to be spotless and pure.
The first example of this that comes to mind is the Sean Bell shooting that took place in 2006 in Queens, NY. Now, I believe that shooting someone 50 or however many times is in itself excessive and wholly unnecessary. But I also think that people sometimes forget that police officers are people first and foremost; they err as much as anyone else. Put in the same situation, I'm sure I too would be scared beyond belief and would stop thinking rationally.
Having said that, I don't think that those officers should be allowed to carry weapons around, or should even be on the force. It takes a certain type of person to put themselves in harm's way and not lose their shit. Perhaps the police officers in question were not properly trained, or law enforcement is not the best use of their talents, but criminally charging them is unhelpful and missing the point, as is not disciplining them at all.
Returning to the world of fiction, there's also a draw to seeking justice and what that means to different people that hooks me in these story lines. Justice comes at what price? Should we sell our souls to get justice for someone else? Does that even make it justice, or would you call that vengeance? I recently saw the movie Max Payne with a friend. It was a horrible movie, but for some reason I found myself really enjoying Mark Walburg being chased, shot at and haunted by Valkyries in his search for truth and justice for his wife and child. After the movie ended, I was even excited at the prospect that there might be a sequel. But, wtf? There was nothing redeeming about the movie, save for perhaps the special effects and sound. It didn't matter, and it continues to not matter, as long as there's some mildly compelling show about a cop seeking justice.
2 comments:
Lol! There is something about the idealized bad boy who is actually trying to protect. Classicness. I completely understand the fascination with SVU and cop dramas. They are at the same time horrifying and addicting. You can feel ranges of emotion that you wouldn't with a straight comedy or action film / tele show.
I agree I love SVU and Bones there is always a struggle between the good and the bad .I can sit and watch a marathon of SVU and still be sane after but some shows on now make me question my sanity
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