Copaganda

I was raised around cops. My father employed them as security for his nightclubs. They came to our house for cookouts and pool parties. They were pretty laid back, but then, this was the 1970s. Like so much in the larger culture, the cop mind was influenced by current trends.

Today's militarized police are a second-rate dystopian drama, only for keeps. Given present-day technology and coarsening politics, cops have never been more dangerous. And it's only gonna get worse. It would take a political maverick heretofore unseen in US history to curb this. Looking around, well . . .

The allure of being cop is irresistible to a certain class of Americans. Raised to respect and kneel before authority, they naturally want to be the ones knelt to. Add the freedom to bully and receive a pension after 20 years, and you have a dream job. Beats working at Taco Bell.

Many retail lawbreakers are working class (corporate lawbreakers operate at a higher level), so it makes sense to recruit working class people to police them. I confess a mild addiction to cop videos on YouTube. Lord forgive me, but that world fascinates me. These people have nothing, grabbing what they can until they get caught. When the cops step in, you see that they all speak the same language. Indeed, some of them know each other. One chose a uniform; the other chose theft.

I don't wanna go 19th century critique here, but minor theft at a gas station deli is nothing compared to the major theft conducted by the corporation that owns the station. Punishing the poor is sport. And the sad thing is, many Americans go along with it because they don't want to be seen as poor. Bonus, they get to morally judge.

All in all, a beautiful arrangement, if you run the show.