#copaganda

I miss the days when Dropout doing copaganda was a ridiculous joke that would never actually happen.

We know the solution, but we lack the will to follow through.

1) Nathan Fillion. Not only is he the kind of guy to star in a copaganda series, he's a guy who said he doesn't mind working with abusive men so long as they don't abuse him. Specifically, Joss Whedon. Whedon has been accused by numerous coworkers of being abusive on set and Fillion without hesitation said he has no problem working with the guy because he wasn't harassed. That kind of attitude perpetuates harassment, assault, misogyny, patriarchy, and so much more. This kind of aiding and abetting is what has allowed men like Depp, Pitt, Cosby, Weinstein, and so many others to keep getting away with the horrific things they do.

2) ABC. This company recently suspended Jimmy Kimmel to placate the president after Kimmel said something truthful the president didn't like. Why? Because as a bloated corporation, Disney, ABC's parent company, has to be careful not to rankle powerful politicians or else they may find themselves facing antitrust suits. Disney's lawyers also tried to argue that no one can sue them if they've ever subscribed to their streaming service, even for wrongful death, which is what they were sued for when making that argument. These behaviors negatively impact how the public stays informed (ABC does have news shows) and the safety of the public from the damages a large corporation can do.

3) The Rookie. It's copaganda, a show meant to make police appear more palatable to the rest of us. It's meant to make us forget about Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Philando Castille... the list goes on.

"It's a company, they're just trying to make money. That's what companies do." This is a company that sells t- shirts and coffee mugs saying that laws are threats and that police are an occupying army. "They're just trying to make money" is no different from "they were just following orders." And why is it acceptable to say "that's what companies do" when a company does something shitty but not "that's what irate customers do" when people talk about dropping their service? That's what boycotts do.

"There are bigger things to be mad about." A) I've touched on some of those bigger things like patriarchy, police violence, and bloated corporations that are related to this case, B) small problems become big problems when people don't care enough to raise enough of a stink to halt that behavior, and C) it is human to want an escape from the horror of those things and for many of us Dropout was a place for us to do that. Now we no longer feel like they're the right place for us.

Look, I have been following Dropout for years. But these are not my friends. I don’t feel personally betrayed.

However, it does feel like fake advertising. I don’t want my money to go towards softening the LAPDs image. All shows that use the imagery of the LAPD have to have their scripts approved by them. It is directly approved by the LAPD. This isn’t even touching on the creator of the show being a cop.

Every single aspect of these shows are propaganda. The fact that the accused and defense attorneys and all the systems that protect civilians are the antagonists is always a problem. It’s a show that’s selling you that the idea of “criminality” and the use of police force should not be inherently questioned.

I have seen Sam’s statement. And I genuinely think he feels his heart was in the right place. I’m sure his intentions are good. But I don’t really care about intentions, because I don’t know him personally. I care about impact. And I can see this episode actively, literally right now on this website, making the audience more okay with the police. Because people love Dropout they are ignoring the implications of the LAPD’s appearance which is exactly how propaganda works (even if everyone involved is unaware).