Blue Lives Matter?

If the extreme right wing reaction to "Black Lives Matter" was "White Lives Matter", then certainly "Blue Lives Matter" was the response by the police. I'm not going to repeat the argument that of course all lives matter, including the blue and white ones; read yesterday's post for more on that obvious point. Today I want to briefly focus on the militarized police, their war against crime, how they're portrayed in popular media and how this relates to their emblem, a patriotic variation on the skull from the Marvel character "The Punisher".

Actually I'm not going to say too much about the whole Punisher relation; the below linked video does a far better job than I could ever do, so please watch that. I do want to preface the video with an observation about how cops are generally portrayed in popular media though. The video's title, "Why Some Cops Think They're The Punisher", didn't surprise me at all when I saw it. Just think back on how cops are portrayed in TV shows and Hollywood movies; they're usually the heroes, our contemporary knights in shining armor, always on the case of making our lives safer, always around when you need them. One kind of cop that's always been particularly popular, is the so called "vigilante cop"; the one who appoints himself to be judge and jury by killing the suspect who's guilt he's sure about. This behavior is born out of the frustration caused by the legal system's failing to punish those criminals adequately; "Dirty" Harry Callahan as well as The Punisher make sure the criminals never see the inside of a police cell or court-room.

Let's not ignore the beautiful films that paint an unfavorable and more realistic picture of the police, they do exist. In the 1970s, when the Dirty Harry films were very popular, there was also this gem called Serpico with a magnificent protagonist played by Al Pacino, the only cop who refuses to take bribes. Or what about L.A. Confidential with roles for Guy Pearce, Russel Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito, about corruption within the L.A. Police Department in the 1950s when racial segregation was still out in the open. I can heartily recommend these titles if you haven't seen them before.

The story about how the Punisher's emblem has become the logo for the Blue Lives Matter movement is as interesting as it is scary; The video tells about an American sniper on tour in Iraq, who used the Punisher-skull as a form of psychological warfare, and how it became widely used among American soldiers and later among American policemen. The integration of police and military is becoming more and more evident and troubling. What's also troubling is the fact that the Punisher is actually a critique of the existing, and failing justice system; the Punisher is in fact a criminal, and policemen shouldn't identify with criminals. But I've said too much already. Please just watch the video, even if it's because it's not every day that we're treated to a narrative that combines a Marvel hero with the institutions of law and order, as well as the popular forces rallying against them. Enjoy!

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