NYT Writer Claims 'Good Cops' on Television Cover Up 'The Violence of a System'
At a time when it seems as though anti-cop sentiments couldn’t possibly run deeper, the left just has to go and make things worse.
Amid nationwide protests and calls to defund the police, critics are now saying that the children’s show “Paw Patrol” should be canceled for its depictions of “good cops.”
The television show put out a statement on its official Twitter account supporting the ongoing protests fighting the myth of systemic racism. Leftist Twitter trolls were quick to respond by condemning the children’s show for having the gall to portray one of its characters as a morally upstanding police dog.
In solidarity of #amplifymelanatedvoices we will be muting our content until June 7th to give access for Black voices to be heard so we can continue to listen and further our learning. #amplifyblackvoices pic.twitter.com/NO2KeQjpHM
— PAW Patrol (@pawpatrol) June 2, 2020
“You’ve already brainwashed a bunch of kids into thinking law enforcement is a noble and just profession. better to scrap production forever if you want to make lasting change,” one user wrote.
you’ve already brainwashed a bunch of kids into thinking law enforcement is a noble and just profession. better to scrap production forever if you want to make lasting change
— piteously in ecstacy ? (@bathwaterbad) June 2, 2020
“Ah yes, the fascist surveillance state indoctrination cartoon is coming out against police brutality, surely this is authentic and genuine,” another commented.
Other TV shows have been put on the chopping block for daring to humanize police officers.
An executive producer of the popular police-procedural Monk took to Twitter to repent for his sins on June 1.
WARNING: The following post contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
I worked on MONK, that’s what we did. Goofy good guy cops for eight seasons.
Not saying you should be necessarily be ashamed of your work, it’s comedy/entertainment, I get it. But we need to be mindful of the implications of this attitude going forward.
2/3— scharpling (@scharpling) June 1, 2020
“If you – as I have – worked on a TV show or movie in which police are portrayed as lovable goofballs you have contributed to the larger acceptance that cops are the implicitly the good guys. Most shows dont portray the brutal s— – much less the racism – that goes on daily,” Tom Scharpling wrote.
“I worked on MONK, that’s what we did. Goofy good guy cops for eight seasons. Not saying you should be necessarily be ashamed of your work, it’s comedy/entertainment, I get it. But we need to be mindful of the implications of this attitude going forward.”
In an article published by The New York Times on Wednesday, critic-at-large Amanda Hess explained that the calls for the cancelation of “Paw Patrol” are part of a larger movement to end all portrayals of “good cops” on television.
“As the protests against racist police violence enter their third week, the charges are mounting against fictional cops, too. Even big-hearted cartoon police dogs — or maybe especially big-hearted cartoon police dogs — are on notice,” Hess wrote.
“The effort to publicize police brutality also means banishing the good-cop archetype, which reigns on both television and in viral videos of the protests themselves. ‘Paw Patrol’ seems harmless enough, and that’s the point: The movement rests on understanding that cops do plenty of harm.”
Hess ended the article with one final condemnation of not only cop shows, but any depiction of a cop as good in real life as well.
“Cops can dance, they can hug, they can kneel on the ground, but their individual acts of kindness can no longer obscure the violence of a system. The good-cop act is wearing thin,” Hess wrote.
Divisive anti-cop drivel such as this is not only wrong, it’s dangerous.
During the ongoing riots and protests in response to George Floyd’s death, there have been several instances were cops were attacked, shot at and even killed.
Additionally, Alabama has seen a record level of violence against police officers so far this year, according to The Associated Press.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall suggested that anti-law enforcement sentiments and the media’s intense focus on “bad apples” have been contributing factors to the higher level of violence.
Hess, Scharpling and other left-wingers promoting anti-cop rhetoric should heed Marshall’s words. Otherwise, they risk inadvertently engendering even more violence.
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