Apparently, since "Cops" began airing in 1989, crime rates in the United States had been falling in the 1990's. However, US perceptions that crime was on the rise has been wide-spread with many people buying guns and fearful that a crime would be perpetrated against them. The television show "Cops" I believe has been partially responsible for this widespread but erroneous perception. The television medium is an extremely powerful tool which can distort reality to millions of viewers. If one-sided perspectives are thrown at many viewers, people have a tendency to believe them, even if it is a distortion of the truth. There is really no such thing as a "reality television show", only shows which are either fiction or nonfiction. "Cops" shows one side of some of the more ugly aspects of our society, but it also perpetuates a certain view-point. "Cops" is ultimately a kind of on-screen trial in which only the prosecution's side gets to present its case. The accused receives no opportunity to present its side.
In an interview with one of the producer of "Cops" in his documentary "Bowling for Columbine", Michael Moore asks some pretty interesting questions about the show. The producer states that chases, blood, guts, and handcuffs tend to sell very well. One aspect of the show which has and continues to be an integral part of the episodes is the chasing and arresting of minorities, particularly African-Americans and Latinos. Minorities are portrayed as constantly breaking the law, running from police, subdued by police, fettered by police, usually with handcuffs, and then shoved mercilessly into a police vehicle before being whisked away to jail. The message is clear: jail is where they belong.
Rarely are white offenders ever shown breaking the law. This may be because of lot of white crime is non-violent, such as white collar crime which is really far worse than someone holding up the corner drug store, assuming no one was hurt. And yet, many financial institutions and other corporations have lost people's pension funds and retirement accounts, at the hands of greedy corporate executives who tend to be white, but the producers of "Cops" don't believe that kind of show would sell. Michael Moore pitches such a show to the producer, but he doesn't think it would fly because it doesn't have enough "action". And of course, the crimes would be perpetuated by more white people. Of course, all the producer's of "Cops" are white, so one wonders if their only motivation is in a belief of what would sell.
In this country, part of as a result of this show, most people believe that the vast majority of crimes are committed by minorities, but it's not true. Whites commit more crimes than other minorities, but the message of the show is pretty clear that non-whites commit most crimes, which is why this show is not a reality show at all. The show is essentially the television equivalent of the case for the prosecution where there is no fair hearing for the other side. It is interesting that, in my entire life, I have never experienced controversies that are completely on-sided. Each side has their own story. But "Cops" wants to make it very clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. And if we live in a world of constant fear, we probably end up doing more damage to each other than good. Unfortunately, some of the most heinous crimes committed against humanity were engaged in out of fear. Is that the world we want to live in?
In an interview with one of the producer of "Cops" in his documentary "Bowling for Columbine", Michael Moore asks some pretty interesting questions about the show. The producer states that chases, blood, guts, and handcuffs tend to sell very well. One aspect of the show which has and continues to be an integral part of the episodes is the chasing and arresting of minorities, particularly African-Americans and Latinos. Minorities are portrayed as constantly breaking the law, running from police, subdued by police, fettered by police, usually with handcuffs, and then shoved mercilessly into a police vehicle before being whisked away to jail. The message is clear: jail is where they belong.
Rarely are white offenders ever shown breaking the law. This may be because of lot of white crime is non-violent, such as white collar crime which is really far worse than someone holding up the corner drug store, assuming no one was hurt. And yet, many financial institutions and other corporations have lost people's pension funds and retirement accounts, at the hands of greedy corporate executives who tend to be white, but the producers of "Cops" don't believe that kind of show would sell. Michael Moore pitches such a show to the producer, but he doesn't think it would fly because it doesn't have enough "action". And of course, the crimes would be perpetuated by more white people. Of course, all the producer's of "Cops" are white, so one wonders if their only motivation is in a belief of what would sell.
In this country, part of as a result of this show, most people believe that the vast majority of crimes are committed by minorities, but it's not true. Whites commit more crimes than other minorities, but the message of the show is pretty clear that non-whites commit most crimes, which is why this show is not a reality show at all. The show is essentially the television equivalent of the case for the prosecution where there is no fair hearing for the other side. It is interesting that, in my entire life, I have never experienced controversies that are completely on-sided. Each side has their own story. But "Cops" wants to make it very clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. And if we live in a world of constant fear, we probably end up doing more damage to each other than good. Unfortunately, some of the most heinous crimes committed against humanity were engaged in out of fear. Is that the world we want to live in?