[PEN-L:11955] Re: Big mouth

["Harry M. Cleaver" <hmcleave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 25 Aug 1997, Louis Proyect wrote:

> I'm glad god blessed me with a big mouth. The TV show "Law and Order" is
> filming on the premises of Columbia Teachers College where I work. The show
> presents a right-wing version of the crime problem, as would be indicated
> by the title. It is basically "Dirty Harry" without the vigilantism. The
> "bad guys" who are usually minorities get their comeuppance in the courts
> rather than the streets.
>
> Louis Proyect
>
Louis: I haven't watched L&O with any regularity but I have watched it
often enough to see that it is NOT "a right-wing version of the crime
problem". It is much more of a liberal version --still very much within
the system-- but frequently giving a liberal view of various social
issues. For instance, I have seen at least two shows in which right-wing,
pro-lifers (if you will excuse the term) used violence against abortion
clinics. In both cases the treatment was anything but favorable to the
usual right wing positions and attitudes. I suspect that if they haven't
done a show, or shows, dealing with crooked or sadistic cops, they well
might. It would fit nicely into the liberal agenda favoring reform to
clean up the dirty corners of society --without of course questioning the
basic fabric of "law and order". I haven't done a head count --as I say I
haven't watched it systematically-- but I'd also guess that the majority
of the "bad guys" are NOT minorities, for all the same reasons.

Harry
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Harry Cleaver
Department of Economics
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas 78712-1173  USA
Phone Numbers: (hm)  (512) 478-8427
               (off) (512) 475-8535   Fax:(512) 471-3510
E-mail: hmcleave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cleaver homepage:
http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/index.html
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http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html
Accion Zapatista homepage:
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