Supplemental Post 4- Rojeen

 WATCHMEN. I started the show during class, when we watched the first episode for one of the week’s readings. I recently decided to finish the series, and I’m ashamed for how much I enjoyed it for its theatrics and sci-fi dystopia. I’m ashamed I enjoyed parts of it because the show is literally copaganda. The series promotes the idea that cops can be “good guys,” even if it also exposes the deep-rooted history of white supremacy within the police force, and scenes where the police are shown abusing their power. The watchmen are vigilante heroes within the police force fighting the 7th cavalry, a white supremacist organization that have roots from decades before to Cyclops, another white supremacist organization. But when did the police and police-affiliated vigilantes become anti-racist heroes fighting white supremacy?? The origin of the police force is literally rooted in white supremacy, with slave patrols being one of the first forms of policing. Yet, the entire show depicts the existing police/police-affiliated vigilantes (within the show) as fighting against right-wing white supremacists, when in reality the police are deeply entrenched in and continue to uphold white supremacy through paramilitary violence. A more realistic depiction would have shown the police force being an affiliate of the 7th cavalry rather than fighting against them. Even in the first episode, it shows an officer needing to request clearance to fire his weapon…as if cops have such discretion. I just feel like liberals will watch this show or watched this show and thought it offered a measured interpretation of the police, when really it seems to reinforce the asinine mantra of cops being good guys/heroes, with just a few “bad apples” within the police force.