RELATED
POPDUST DEALS
The greatest threat to the human race has always been our own bodies.
Our vulnerability to infectious diseases has caused the greatest calamities in recorded history, from the Black Plague to the astounding threat still posed by the common flu. But behind each health catastrophe is a story of blind greed or hubris, with humans spreading diseases due to rampant consumption, ecological destruction, or just plain ol' bureaucracy. Such is the case with the coronavirus, which, despite emerging in humans only recently, has made historic disruptions to everyday life. The World Health Organization recently declared the virus a pandemic, in addition to being a global emergency.
Luckily, we have movies to turn to in times like these to educate us on how to survive (and prevent) a global pandemic. So what can we learn from virus outbreak movies?
3. 28 Days Later
Considered one of the best not-technically-zombie movies due to its complex characters and deep emotional core, 28 Days Later explores the collapse of society after animal rights activists free virus-infected chimps from a lab. Oh, and also a group of surviving, non-infected soldiers use the opportunity to lure women into sex slavery, so there's that.
The takeaway here is pretty obvious: Stop messing with animals and stop it with the sex slavery.
From Your Site Articles
- Remember the "Resident Evil" Films? We're So Sorry - Popdust ›
- What Happened to Disaster Movies? Oh, We're Living in One ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
- Germs on the Big Screen: 11 Infectious Movies | Live Science ›
- Gone viral: Top 9 scariest pandemic movies | Fox News ›
- Virus outbreak to cost Chinese box office at least $210 million this ... ›
- Under Quarantine: 4 of the Most Realistic Movies About Pandemics ›
- Disaster Films: Viral and Deadly Disease Outbreaks - IMDb ›
TV Features
How TV's "Good Cops" Promote Dangerous Narratives About Real-Life Police
Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine make cops seem harmless, an illusion tainted with centuries of racism.
06.03.2020
Two summers ago, during one of the darkest periods in my personal life, I found solace in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a sitcom that stars Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta, an NYPD detective with an impressive track record of solved cases despite his goofy, unsophisticated demeanor. Since its premiere in 2013, the show has been commended for its representation of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people; the recurring cast includes two very smart (and never overtly sexualized) Latina women, as well as two Black men in the precinct's top roles. In 2018, the show received a GLAAD Media Award for its depiction of queer characters. Throughout its seven seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has addressed serious issues like workplace sexual harassment, reconciling with an absent parent, and coming out to disapproving family members, all while retaining a sharp, tasteful sense of silly humor. Rotten Tomatoes has given multiple seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine a perfect 100% rating, likening it to "comfort food."
<p>But as progressive, smart, and thoughtful as <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>might be, there's one glaring issue that the show has repeatedly overlooked: police brutality against Black people. I began watching <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>around the time of the murder of Botham Jean, a Black man in Dallas who was fatally shot in his apartment by off-duty officer Amber Guyner, who claimed she mistook Jean's apartment for her own and thought he was a burglar. I was plenty aware of how police officers were <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2020/05/mapping-police-killings-black-americans-200531105741757.html" target="_blank">disproportionately killing Black people</a>. <strong>But I had never critically examined how shows like <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>, as well as other police shows like <em>Law & Order </em>and<em> NCIS</em>, subliminally fed me a "good cop" narrative that can have harmful repercussions.</strong> These fictional cops might mean well—as do many real-life officers—but on-screen and off, each of them works for an institution that's both <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">rooted in racism</a><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank"></a> and continues to uphold racist tactics. In portraying this crop of officers as harmless, <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>encourages empathy for an entire profession that many <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/03/457251670/how-much-do-we-need-the-police" target="_blank">have argued</a> is one of America's biggest threats to its own people.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>American police as we know it today <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">began</a> in southern states as slave patrol. They were almost entirely white and male, and they responded more to "disorderly" behavior from slaves than crime from other civilians. But even after the Civil War, with the implementation of Jim Crow laws police officers were still focused on keeping the "disorderly underclass" under control; in their minds, Black people comprised most of this category. For decades and decades, police have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">encouraged</a> to be racist and rarely held accountable. With the recent murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed, it's glaringly evident that police in general are still undertrained, biased, and lack adequate accountability for their brute violence. <strong>Yes, some cops are good people, but it's virtually impossible to be a "good cop" in a system so historically flawed.</strong></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p><em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>is especially guilty of exemplifying an unrealistic expectation for "good cops." Each character in the main cast is, overall, lovable. Nearly every episode shows some sort of office shenanigans; Jake often wrangles his colleagues into playing games while on the job, and he helms an annual scavenger hunt called the Halloween Heist. Throughout the series, Jake develops an unlikely friendship with a serial car thief nicknamed the Pontiac Bandit, played by Black comedian Craig Robinson; if police kill Black people for something as innocuous as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-louisiana-police/white-baton-rouge-policeman-fired-over-shooting-of-black-man-idUSKBN1H61RZ" target="_blank">selling CDs</a>, this camaraderie between Jake and the Bandit almost comes off as mockery. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Whenever Jake mentions the "bad cops," he's always referring to officers from competing precincts. <em>This </em>group of cops is the exception, <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>seems to say, an argument that draws comparisons to the "<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=not%20all%20cops&src=typed_query" target="_blank">not all cops are bad</a>" crowd. Even when the show dedicated an <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/susancheng/brooklyn-nine-nine-police-brutality-episode" target="_blank">episode</a> to the racial profiling of a Black officer off-duty, it failed to acknowledge the lengthy history of police brutality against unarmed Black citizens. The episode was well-intended, as all episodes of <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>are, but it ultimately missed the mark.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p><em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>co-creator Dan Goor announced this week that he and the cast would be making a collective $100,000 donation to the National Bail Fund Network, which goes towards releasing protestors from jail (Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa Diaz on the show, also made a personal donation). This is noble and admirable and every actor who has played a cop in a series should do the same. But, at this point in history, it's no longer OK to just be "not racist"—we all have to actively be antiracist. In order to effectively do this, we must be hypercritical of the entertainment that we consume, even passively. <strong>How are the shows and movies you watch, the books you read, and the music you listen to upholding racist institutions?</strong> </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>This essay isn't a call to boycott police shows, but it is a request to take a deeper look at the pop culture we surround ourselves with. It's true that we are what we eat. If the ever-growing list of innocent Black people murdered by police angers you, then it's best to reevaluate what your favorite TV shows are subtly telling you about our country's often unethical criminal justice system. Sure, it's comforting to think that cops are lighthearted and always do the right thing, but societal progress has never been made within our comfort zone.</p>
Related Articles Around the Web
- Is Brooklyn Nine-Nine propaganda? Well, it certainly isn't activism. ›
- George Floyd protests: How cop TV shows taught us to valorize the ... ›
- Stephanie Beatriz, TV Cops Donate Earnings to Support Black Lives ... ›
- Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine is my happy place in a world of chaos ... ›
- The Complications of Liking 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' as a Black Man ... ›
- How 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' and Other TV Shows Have Addressed ... ›
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine Cast Donates $100K to National Bail Fund ›
- Why "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Finally Got Real About Racial Profiling ›
- TV Cops Donate Money to Fight Police Brutality | Vanity Fair ›
- The Inherent Anxiety of the "Good Cop" Show | Literary Hub ›
Keep Reading
Show less
CULTURE
"Open Your Purse" Asks Celebrities and the Rich to Donate, Not Just Pose
"Open Your Purse" indicates frustration with capitalism, but what we really need is an overhaul of the entire system.
06.03.2020
Plenty of celebrities are out and about protesting for Black Lives Matter, which is great for them.
Many have also offered articulate responses as to why they're out protesting and why others should do the same.
For many people, simply going out and protesting isn't enough—celebrities with tremendous net worth should be donating significant amounts of money to prove their allegiance to the cause.
"Open your purse" was originally made popular by a TikTok user named "Rosa," a persona created by Adam Martinez. "Since so many celebrities have offered such a lack of satisfactory financial response to the pandemic and the uprising, 'open your purse' has become a rallying cry for celebrities, corporations, and other wealthy people and organizations to put their money where their mouth is," writes Rachel Charlene Lewis for Bitch Media.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="59e3bf15781dc4f84fcd75c4771734fe"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/al014RBgd1k?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Open Your Purse</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al014RBgd1k" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>Lewis tells us that some celebrities are donating significant amounts of money. In addition to working on the front lines of the protests in Los Angeles, Halsey has donated $100,000 to NAACP, Reclaim the Block, and the Black Visions Collective. Chrissy Teigen has donated $200,000 to bail funds, <a href="https://twitter.com/zenitsumas/status/1267886958497484802" target="_blank">The Weeknd donated $100,000,</a> and Janelle Monae and Jameela Jamil matched Noname's $1,000 contribution to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Some corporations are following suit. Glossier is donating $500,000 to Black-owned businesses and another $500,000 to Black Lives Matter, and Lego is donating $4 million. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Yet many celebrities and corporations have chosen to remain silent, or have reposted essays or the dreaded black squares on their profiles, performing allyship without backing it up.<br></p><iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1268059193505746946" id="twitter-embed-1268059193505746946" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1268059193505746946&created_ts=1591163845.0&screen_name=traceyfanclub&text=bo+burnham+said+you+performative+celebrities+need+to+open+your+purses+%F0%9F%92%85%F0%9F%8F%BC+no+doy+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FGONVMPLUqb&id=1268059193505746946&name=trace%E2%81%B7+%40+sugar+rush+island+%F0%9F%8D%92" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="1d934b2540a16e526b33e02eb9887b92"></iframe><p>"For institutions like the Guggenheim Museum, which did not invite <a href="https://twitter.com/chaedria/status/1267887871672963073" target="_blank">the first black guest curator</a> in its decades of history to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/arts/design/guggenheim-black-curator.html" target="_blank">panel about her work</a>, a post appears meaningless if there is no commitment to change," writes <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/6/3/21279292/blackouttuesday-brands-solidarity-donations" target="_blank">Terry Nguyen</a> for <em>Vox</em>. "All over social media, consumers are repeating the mantra "open your purse" to these corporate platitudes and vague statements of solidarity... The intent of these messages is clear: Donate money to organizations that aim to fix these systemic issues, instead of just speaking about them. But for companies that have a bad track record — not just regarding explicit racism, but treating employees poorly or even exploiting them — these statements ring especially hollow."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Massive corporations like Amazon and Spotify have all made posts about their support for Black Lives Matter, but these companies are also known for underpaying and abusing their workers and patrons. In particular, Amazon is known for its <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/07/13/inside-the-hellish-workday-of-an-amazon-warehouse-employee/" target="_blank">cruel working conditions</a>, and Spotify's payout for creators is also very low. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>These corporations' decisions to spread hollow platitudes while mistreating their employees is hypocritical—but is it surprising?</p><p>While initiatives like "Open Your Purse" are important and valid, and while it's important for consumers to be discerning about where they spend their money, we really need more widespread policy reform to see actual change. We shouldn't have to rely on charitable donations, and we shouldn't be treating people or corporations who donate $1 million of their $100 million net worth like heroes. We can't rely on donations or expect the super-rich to voluntarily surrender meaningful amounts of their wealth. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Instead, we really need a political, structural change, a complete overhaul of our capitalist system. We need to redistribute the wealth through tangible solutions like <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/" target="_blank">reparations</a> and taxes for the super-rich, particularly billionaires. We need to realize that the <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/how-capitalism-and-racism-support-each-other/" target="_blank">history of racism is bound with capitalism</a>, and to fight one, we must fight the other.</p><p>"Considering that Black people tend to have far less wealth than their white counterparts, we're more likely to be directly impacted by police brutality, and, frankly, to care about fighting it," Rachel Charlene Lewis continues. "We live in a space where we know that we're going to need help at one time or another, and it's on us, not the <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/power-outages-single-out-disabled-people" target="_blank">structures</a> in place or the powers that be (which have showed, time and time again, <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/progressive-candidates-welfare-reform" target="_blank">massive resistance</a> to supporting or valuing people of color <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/snap-restrictions-penalize-the-poor" target="_blank">and poor people</a>) to keep each other and our communities going. In a piece for [BitchMedia], writer Kim Kelly <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/crowdfunding-difference-between-living-dying" target="_blank">explains</a>, 'In many ways, crowdfunding has become a means by which capitalism can distribute less than what is necessary while still maintaining the reproduction of the labor force.'"</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><h4></h4><p>We can and should expect corporations and celebrities to open their purses. But until systemic change falls into place, we'll be relying on celebrities' pocket change rather than actually seeing the social change that is so needed. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p>
Keep Reading
Show less
