#copaganda

[ob-2-kenobi]

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

No company is your friend, and though it hurts I'm at least thankful to be reminded of that.

[liberalsarecool]

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

Give resources to communities. Defund increasingly inefficient police.

[scienceandfandoms]

Wading back into the Dropout discourse to express my profound disappointment with them for this copaganda crossover stunt with the Rookie. For a service that regularly positions itself as progressive, they should damn well know better.

[suzieloveships]

Funny how people will throw a tantrum over lgbt characters in kids media because it will turn their kids gay but the same people will roll their eyes and said you are overreacting because "it's just a kids movie" when you complain about Paw Patrol being a copaganda or Lilo and Stitch remake having pro colonization message. Heck, their will tell that if you complain about fatphobic humour.

Apperently my kids thinking is okay to make fun of garbage truck driver it's alright but lord forbid they see to guys holding hands

[kaydub80]

That '05 court ruling completely justifies the "abolish the police" position because if the Uvalde police didn't save 19 kids and two teachers from being killed due to the cops' own cowardice, then what the fuck are we doing here? Namely, what the fuck is the purpose of police if it isn't to protect property and the ruling class?

[cloudofbutterflies]

I always knew in the back of my mind Dropout as inevitably gonna do something - it is, after all, a corporation - but I didn’t think they were gonna start out this bad. In a time when there are people sacrificing their entire careers in Hollywood to stand up for Palestine, and everyone, not just those of us who live in historically non-white and marginalized communities are seeing firsthand the affects of our law enforcement, it feels particularly slimey. Esp. Because I live in LA and have had several non-white friends directly harassed by the LAPD, so this one in particular really sucks.

[cheshiregremlin]

I've seen a lot of people responding to the issue of Dropout collaborating with The Rookie that they don't see the problem or they think the response is overblown. It reminds me of a rejoinder to Rudyard Kipling's "If you can keep your head while all about you/ Are losing theirs... you'll be a man" where the anonymous author said "If you can keep your head when everybody round you is losing his then it is very probable that you don't understand the situation." Or, to quote Samuel Johnson, "Those who do not feel pain seldom think that it is felt." Lack of empathy is not an intellectual high ground. It is, in fact, the opposite. It shows a very intentional ignorance. Venting is healthy, bottling is not. Speaking up and pushing back can create positive change, mocking or dismissing the pain of others just allows things to go from bad to worse. But for those who honestly don't see why this is such a big issue to so many, let me explain.

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.

Edit: I mentioned police violence but forgot to say systemic racism. My bad

[prometheus-rewound]

It feels really weird that people are dismissing the backlash to Dropout’s The Rookie collab as being parasocial.

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).

I am deeply disappointed, but companies are not your friends. They don’t owe me to have morals the same way they are not owed my money.