Civil Rights Group wants 'Cops' canceled

[Hum]

ColorOfChange has asked Fox not to renew its unscripted law-enforcement show and is calling upon advertisers to withdraw support, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. On Wednesday morning, the group is sending supporters an email in which it asks them to sign a petition to that effect.

"Although marketed as unbiased, Cops actually offers a highly filtered version of crime and the criminal justice system ? a 'reality' where the police are always competent, crime-solving heroes and where the bad boys always get caught," the email reads in part. It goes on to charge Cops and shows like it with over-representing whites as police officers and under-representing minorities as authority figures. According to ColorOfChange, Cops glosses over issues such as police misconduct and broadcasts "dehumanizing portrayals" of suspects.

"We're sending the message to Fox and to advertisers that Cops is not worth saving," says Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.

A Fox rep tells THR the network has not made a decision on Cops and said it would not comment on the petition.

Cops, now in its 25th season, has long delivered strong ratings for the network at a relatively low cost.

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[Growled Member]

I've always like the show myself.

[theyarecomingforyou]

You mean Fox is broadcasting propaganda? Say it ain't so! :rolleyes:

[astropheed Veteran]

You want to ban "Cops" because it artificially raises the competence of an Officer (which work their asses off) to give people a deterrence to committing Crime? Would you rather they show a bunch of useless idiots trying to subdue a Kitty Cat, nothing strikes fear into would-be criminal watching the show like saying, "You can get away with anything, look how dumb these Cops are".

Also, as for the racial stereotyping... I see quite a lot of white criminals and black cops on that Show, it varies a lot by what area they are in, but it seems relatively on track with statistics. There just happens to just be more black criminals and more white cops by ratio. This isn't racism, it's... reality.

Bias Warning: My very good friend is a Cop and I hear some crazy stuff. He works his ass off like you wouldn't believe.

[devn00b]

Hmmm...25 Year Delayed reaction?....Really...

[trag3dy]

Seems like they want to call the show racist but can't directly.

And dehumanizing criminals? Really? Wouldn't the fact that they are criminals be dehumanizing enough?

[theyarecomingforyou]

You want to ban "Cops" because it artificially raises the competence of an Officer (which work their asses off) to give people a deterrence to committing Crime? Would you rather they show a bunch of useless idiots trying to subdue a Kitty Cat, nothing strikes fear into would-be criminal watching the show like saying, "You can get away with anything, look how dumb these Cops are".

A reality show should depict reality, not the agenda of the network executives. If that makes cops look incompetent then so be it.

[123456789A]

I want the civil rights group canceled.

[Growled Member]

A reality show should depict reality, not the agenda of the network executives. If that makes cops look incompetent then so be it.

They can't make a show about cops sitting around eating doughnuts all the time. :p

[astropheed Veteran]

A reality show should depict reality, not the agenda of the network executives. If that makes cops look incompetent then so be it.

It's hard to argue the logic without pushing it into a grey area. If I make a specific case then everything else is meaningless. So, I'll go as far (as willing) to say I disagree but for reasons that I believe are 'good'. I don't encourage any 'agenda' of the Network which as far as I can tell would purely to be to make money, not enforce racial stereotypes.

[theyarecomingforyou]

They can't make a show about cops sitting around eating doughnuts all the time. :p

Or executing suspects, like the numerous times cops have shot people upwards of twenty times (including those who were unarmed).

[trag3dy]

I always felt like Cops was a show made for entertainment purposes only, like Wrestling. That it actually didn't reflect how things would go in real life. I guess that's just me?

[Torolol]

as long its entertaining the masses, the show should go on.

[TPreston]

A reality show should depict reality, not the agenda of the network executives. If that makes cops look incompetent then so be it.

IRL Reno 911, Count me in.

[abecedarian paradoxious]

Even ignoring the conviction rate, the arrest rate still shows black people are significantly more likely to commit crimes than white people.

It's a cultural issue that the culture refuses to take responsibility for itself, and passes onerous responsibility on to others, while living in blissful ignorance and denial under the guises of political correctness and affirmative action. When a black person becomes successful in the "white world", said is applauded for overcoming adversity and the inherent obstruction incurred by simply being black. When the same black person speaks out and says what the black community should do to bolster itself and move beyond the stereotypes, said person is derided as being a sell-out, Uncle Tom, and a few more derogatory names I will omit.

It's sad, and even pathetic though I offer no sympathy to the ignorant, when the role models a society needs are shunned by said society in favor of the role models that perpetuate the mal-informed and embedded preconceptions.

[chrisj1968]

A reality show should depict reality, not the agenda of the network executives. If that makes cops look incompetent then so be it.

probably the criminals to cops ratio is based upon crime statistics, the reality of the criminal element versus where there's enough crime to post a show.

Can't shoot a cops show in mayberry unless Aunt Bee gets busted for meth.

[astropheed Veteran]

It's a cultural issue that the culture refuses to take responsibility for itself, and passes onerous responsibility on to others, while living in blissful ignorance and denial under the guises of political correctness and affirmative action. When a black person becomes successful in the "white world", said is applauded for overcoming adversity and the inherent obstruction incurred by simply being black. When the same black person speaks out and says what the black community should do to bolster itself and move beyond the stereotypes, said person is derided as being a sell-out, Uncle Tom, and a few more derogatory names I will omit.

They like to perpetuate the problem under the guise of inferiority to 'whites' which, in an ironic turn of events, help establish that which they are trying to overcome. White people are no better, it's just a different side of the fence. You think by reinforcing these indirect solutions to minorities that you are somehow helping tear down said 'fence'; in actuality you're continuing an obligation to hate you, which to me is entirely justifiable. So who is right, and who is wrong? Neither, we are both stubborn idiots. We think we're doing the 'right thing' and we're not.

I'm just as racist as any other normal (read: White, Black, Purple) person. The only difference is I can see beyond the naive introspection and admit that I'm furthering nothing by bettering anyone... in that respect.

tl;dr Racism exists because we don't want it to.

Edit: At least in my opinion.

Edited March 22, 2013 by astropheed

[Mr. Gibs]

"We're sending the message to Fox and to advertisers that Cops is not worth saving," says Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.

Seriously?

This country has shows like Honey Boo Boo, Dance Moms, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, Obese and Pregnant etc etc etc. And this is the one they choose to complain about?

Cops may be biased but it's nowhere near as terrible as those shows.

[DocM]

1) if blacks, Asians, latinos etc. are on the show more than other groups maybe it's because black-on-black, white-on-white, Asian-on-Asian and latino-on-latino crimes are the way they usually occur, and in this example the minority groupings outnumber whites 3 groups to 1.

2) sitcoms make white people look stupid enough to make up for ANY disparity in minority representation in 1)

3) if Cops goes off most local affiliates will probably put on even more infomercials or un-reality shows as listed above by -Razorfold. NO, NO, and HELL NO!!!!