Police propaganda

[Psy]

Why do people buy into the propaganda that paint police in a positive light? Why doesn't the people see the purpose of the police is to maintain order (meaning the current order)? You would think the masses would have caught on by now, every time the people stir the police are there to put them back in line.

[Raúl Duke]

I think it depends on "material conditions."
For example, working class or working poor people probably don't view the police in good light.

However middle class, petit-bourgeosie, and the bourgeosie see the cops in good light.

Their perspective on reality depends on their "material conditions" or in what class they belong to (although the middle class, some of them, belong to the working class; according to Marx's theory. Yet they seem to fall prey to this false propaganda of cops).

[apathy maybe]

The cops are theoretically there for everyone. The investigate crime, no matter if committed against a wealthy person or a poor person. They help little old ladies cross busy roads and catch rapists.


That they have a poor record of catching criminals (compare number of reported crimes to convictions) and are more likely to investigate thoroughly when rich people are the "victim" doesn't come into it.

Because the cops go after the rapists and killers and so on, poorer people who don't commit "crime" are more likely to support them. It also comes down to what sort of experience you have had with them. I've only ever really had bad experiences with them, as such, I don't like them (the fact that I have political reasons not to like them ...).

[Psy]

Originally posted by apathy maybe+March 18, 2007 12:07 pm--> (apathy maybe @ March 18, 2007 12:07 pm)The cops are theoretically there for everyone. The investigate crime, no matter if committed against a wealthy person or a poor person. They help little old ladies cross busy roads and catch rapists.
[/b]
They don't help old ladies cross busy roads, I remember when a the traffic lights near me and the police just set up a trap to catch people running the down lights instead of directing traffic.

As for catching rapists there are police officers that rape women.


Originally posted by apathy+--> (apathy)
That they have a poor record of catching criminals (compare number of reported crimes to convictions) and are more likely to investigate thoroughly when rich people are the "victim" doesn't come into it.
[/b]
That is a understatement.


[email protected]

Because the cops go after the rapists and killers and so on, poorer people who don't commit "crime" are more likely to support them.

They also behind the over 2 million behind bars in the USA alone, close to all that 2 million are from the lower classes.


apathy

It also comes down to what sort of experience you have had with them. I've only ever really had bad experiences with them, as such, I don't like them (the fact that I have political reasons not to like them ...).
Same here

[Janus]

Why do people buy into the propaganda that paint police in a positive light? Why doesn't the people see the purpose of the police is to maintain order (meaning the current order)?
Why do working class people join the police force? Why do people buy into bourgeois propaganda and the bourgeois political system. It's something that has been drummed into them based on teaching and experiences and part of the existing dominant structure. People who have been caught by the police or abused by them are most likely to view them in a negative light but those who perceive the police as their protectors or symbols of justice are more likely to see them in a positive light.

[Psy]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20, 2007 12:52 am

Why do people buy into the propaganda that paint police in a positive light? Why doesn't the people see the purpose of the police is to maintain order (meaning the current order)?
Why do working class people join the police force? Why do people buy into bourgeois propaganda and the bourgeois political system. It's something that has been drummed into them based on teaching and experiences and part of the existing dominant structure. People who have been caught by the police or abused by them are most likely to view them in a negative light but those who perceive the police as their protectors or symbols of justice are more likely to see them in a positive light.
But I find police propaganda backfires, they show police acting like complete asses towards drugs users.

[Janus]

they show police acting like complete asses towards drugs users.
Yes, but many middle and upper-class people approve of such behavior and classify it as "cleaning the streets".

Asking the majority of people to simply not be deceived by bourgeois propaganda is like asking some people to drop their religious beliefs.

[Psy]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20, 2007 01:57 am

they show police acting like complete asses towards drugs users.
Yes, but many middle and upper-class people approve of such behavior and classify it as "cleaning the streets".

Asking the majority of people to simply not be deceived by bourgeois propaganda is like asking some people to drop their religious beliefs.
The effects of the prohibition of alcohol is not hidden, neither is the fact police at the time took bribes to look the other way of way. Same with the prohibition of porn and abortion, the establishment doesn't deny during these prohibitions the police took bribes from organized crime.

It is not hard to understand that no matter how 'tough" on crime the police are they won't clean up the streets since the bourgeoisie in illegal industries (I guess they would be lumpen-bourgeoisie) can buy off the police.

[redcannon]

From the time they can talk, children are taught that police men are good. In reality, the pigs often make matters worse (like trying to calm down a crowd by shooting tear gas at them). They are taught to kindness of the pigs heart when their minds are still developing. it becomes a critical part of their pyscology, and even into old age they will look at police men and their first thoughts, even if subconcious, will be good.

luckily, i didn't buy that shit, even when i was a young lad

[ExpansiveThought]

I think the answer is complacency. and you are right redcannon, this complaceny is taught to us from a very young age. Most people will never in their lives question authority because they just can't wrap their mind around the idea that it could possibly be a good idea. Course once you get into your teens the theiving pigs start to steal your alcohol and pot, and you always know its for their personal consumption becuase they rarely write you up unless your doing something really stupid. Basically people need to realize that the police can never all be good because their all human and when their job is to deal with corrupt people they usually end up becoming corrupted themselves. In this way, it becomes apparent that the police are just state funded criminals. They are the biggest organized crime family whereever. They have the most money guns cars and drugs. THey are more or less above the law, especially since now they can label you a terrorist and legally spy on you.
Anyway, people's complacency spreads way too much farther than just the police. People unquestioningly trust the schools who tell them to trust their doctors who give them drugs to make them even more complacent. It seems these are the results of hegemony. In closing id like to share some ANTI-swine propagandha with you, it's an article by Mumia Abu Jamal. here it is:

[Col. Writ. 2/4/07] Copyright 2007 Mumia Abu-Jamal

======================= A woman is stopped for a traffic violation.

She tearfully explains that she is pregnant, she is bleeding, and she begs -- at least a dozen times -- to be taken to the hospital.

She might as well have been talking to the wall.

The cops either ignore her, or make light of her plight. They respond, when they bother to do so, with replies like, "What do you want *us* to do about it?"

She was jailed -- and not taken to a hospital despite her pleas.

Several days later, upon her release, she gives birth to a premature baby, who breathes precisely for one minute -- and dies.

When I heard this story, I thought of the motto, 'protect and serve' -- and wondered, 'protect who?' -- 'serve who?'

A young pregnant woman, bleeding -- begging -- and it means nothing. Less than nothing. One of the cops, a female, replied, "How is that *my* problem?"

Will these cops, who saw a pregnant woman suffering -- bleeding! -- ever face reckless endangerment charges? Nope. Were they fired? Nope. Will they be? I doubt it.

The most that may happen -- I say *may* -- is the woman may file a civil suit -- and some years later, she may even win (unless a judge decides the cops are immune from suit, as is often the case).

But it will mean nothing -- for a baby is dead, forever.

No judge on earth can restore that infant's spark of life.

That all of this was caught on video, and was hot news (until the tornadoes ripped through Florida), tells us that the cops weren't terribly concerned about it.

It was just the job -- hospitals might've involved too much paperwork -- or perhaps overtime.

I've named no city: nor the woman. I haven't had to.

For it could've been anywhere -- and almost anyone.

It's not like these were mutually exclusive choices -- take her to the hospital, *or* take her to jail. Observers know that when folks are injured, they are often carted to the hospital, where facilities exist to insure security.

That didn't happen -- because those two people holding her hostage didn't want to.

It's really that simple.

It happened in early 21st Century America, and shows us vividly what's going on these days.

'Protect and serve?' Protect who? Serve who?

Not her. Not that baby.

Copyright 2007 Mumia Abu-Jamal

[Severian]

My experience is a lot of people do hate or at least distrust the cops.

But a lot of people don't, sure: partly I think 'cause of the tendency to believe what you want to believe.

It's more pleasant to believe you're dealing with a more pleasant situation, where the official enforcers of law and order can be basically, most of the time, trusted to carry out that responsibility fairly.

Some people sure will go to amazing lengths to make excuses for any police misconduct.

[CodeAires]

There has to be some kind of force there to uphold law and order, but when the police start abusing their rights and ruining the lives of others, that's the time they need to be brought down and taught a lesson.

[redcannon]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21, 2007 09:50 am
There has to be some kind of force there to uphold law and order, but when the police start abusing their rights and ruining the lives of others, that's the time they need to be brought down and taught a lesson.
and who better to be a part of it than angsty teens who want their pot back?