Dredd and police brutality

[CalHab]

I just read this article which uses Dredd to comment on contemporary issues around police brutality, and it makes fascinating reading. The author certainly knows her Dredd, which makes a nice change from the usual surface-only treatment of the character in the mainstream and comics press. Writers also offer comment, including Wyatt, Carroll and Williams:

https://neotextcorp.com/culture/the-devil-you-know/

[Tjm86]

Thanks for that.  It makes for fascinating reading.  Couple of things struck me.  She references the satirising of Trump, presumably a reference to Bob Booth.  The thing is though, that character has been around quite literally for decades and even the Eerie / Origins storylines predate Trump substantially.  Is it possible to satirise someone before the fact?

There is also the issue of the racial dimension of MC1.  Worth considering that Giant  appears very early on in the strip and that Judges and citizens are drawn from a wide ethnic pool (even Muslim Psi judges in recent years) so that one doesn't really hold up.  Granted down through the years there has been a tendency to abuse racial and cultural stereotypes ...

[Robin Low]

It's an interesting piece and the writer clearly knows the strip, which is a rare and pleasing thing to see. However, she is somewhat selective in picking stories and quotes that suit her narrative. I admit to a skim more than a deep read, but I didn't see mention of the SJS, Titan or Dredd's own track record of taking down dirty Judges and conspiracies, for example. Or the effect 'Revolution' and more importantly 'A Letter to Judge Dredd'  had on Dredd and that it ultimately led to him forcing through a referendum on the Judge system. Definitely fair to mention 'The Beating' although it was a story I had a problem with at the time.

In her discussion of race, there's no mention of mutants, which within the context of the strip was a perfect stand-in for highlighting both bigotry and the hypocrisy of bigots. Dredd's earlier hostility to mutants is in the general: if he has to interact with mutants he takes them as he finds them. As for real racism, because of mutants, MC1 might well be a post-racism society, even if it's not (or wasn't until more recently) post-stereotype.

Still it's great to read something referencing Dredd written by a journalist who knows what she's talking about. It also highlights two things: firstly, there are things in the strip worth discussing seriously; secondly, if you take it too seriously (and write it too seriously all the time) you risk it not being fun any more.

Regards,

Robin

[Dandontdare]

I agree - a fascinating piece, but it doesn't address Dredd's absolute incorruptibility, dedication to duty and zero tolerance of judges who break the law, and I was also wondering why she overlooked mutants in the race issue.

But overall, a great read, and very thought provoking right now.

[Robin Low]

Thanks for that.  It makes for fascinating reading.  Couple of things struck me.  She references the satirising of Trump, presumably a reference to Bob Booth.  The thing is though, that character has been around quite literally for decades and even the Eerie / Origins storylines predate Trump substantially.  Is it possible to satirise someone before the fact?

It's the nature of the USA, I'm afraid. I sent a copy of Origins to a friend back when Bush junior was still around, and he assumed Booth was, to an extent, referencing him.

Regards,

Robin

[Tjm86]

That's a fair point Robin.  In some respects Trump, like Johnson, is the latest in a succession of American Presidents that have slowly devolved the standards of the office.

Reagan got the full Tooth treatment complete with Ezquerra's immaculate rendition.  We thought he was the absolute nadir of anti-intellectualism in the office.  Then we got both Bush's which pushed it further down still. IIRC there was a post in these parts when Trump was elected that resurrected the Origins cover of "Mad Bob Booth".

So aye, it's more about the caricature of a certain type of individual that seems to be repeatedly elected to president.  Thanks.

[Robin Low]

So aye, it's more about the caricature of a certain type of individual that seems to be repeatedly elected to president.  Thanks.

Unfortunately, Trump is far closer to Booth than anyone we've seen yet. Given the hints that Trump will not leave office willingly, the similarities are becoming increasingly concerning. Although, while mad and bad, I'll credit Booth with more intelligence.

Regards,

Robin

[Tjm86]

You know what, the same thoughts have crossed my mind.  Watching the footage of his nomination several years ago, on stage with Pence and his family, his facial expression and body language are incredibly disturbing.

As disturbing as it was back in the eighties when Reagan seemed determined to take the Cold War to a whole new level, right now is far more terrifying.

[Robin Low]

As disturbing as it was back in the eighties when Reagan seemed determined to take the Cold War to a whole new level, right now is far more terrifying.

I've seen some people around who are quite annoyed that Reagan is being regarded as a good leader now! But when you see footage of Reagan and Bush(s) actually behaving like a statesmen and saying the right things to their nation when the time called for it you realise how bad things are.

Regards,

Robin

[Funt Solo]

I was listening to a really interesting piece on the radio (US: NPR) about how the US police system got so militarized, and it goes all the way back to Nixon. I'll try to summarize:

Nixon wanted to sell off surplus military equipment, and he thought the police might be in the market. But he didn't actually sell them a bunch of guns, because he couldn't quite figure the angle.

Reagan starts up a War on Drugs. And he took Nixon's idea and ran with it: tooling up the SWAT teams by selling them military-grade, surplus weaponry. Yee-haw!

The SWAT teams needed cash to pay for all this shit, so the laws were changed so that you could find property guilty of crimes. No, really! So then, you get cases like "Texas against this here chevvy impala" or "Arkansas against the house of the father of this drug dealer we just caught".

And that allows the police to fund their SWAT habit. Which is what they do. The stats pointed to something like a tenfold increase in SWAT teams & SWAT ops. Police Department a bit short on cash? Just take shit from people! And it's legal. And then buy tanks and machine guns with it.

And now you've got a president who's willing to use all of that shit against peaceful protesters and call it "making the streets safe". We're through the fucking looking glass on this one.

[AlexF]

Great article, and while she doesn't explicitly mention mutants, this is clearly what Arthur Wyatt is getting at in one of his quotes. He makes the point that there are a fair few 'utopian' aspects of Mega City One, including, potentially, a post-racist, post-homophobic and maybe even post-sexist society. Also free energy, weather control, reliable robots (mostly), and above all, access to all the strangest games shows and live sports you could dare to imagine.

Obviously the bit where you get killed by once-per-decade apocalypses, or rampaging punks, or most likely of all sent to prison for petty crimes is a major downside.

On a side note, the thing about the Judges in the world of Dredd is that their origin is as much linked to todays 'judges' as it is to the police. For the moment, certainly in the US, the people on the Supreme Court are still held up as a largely moral force - even Trump's own appointee has voted against him recently! I can't see anyone voting for police forces to take charge of society, but I kind of can imagine people deciding to give our judicial branches a little more executive power...

But no one ever describes Judge Dredd as a futuristic legal drama, it's a cop story through and through.

[Apestrife]

Interesting read.

One thing I noticed, Revolution with computer colours. Wonder if it's from the upcoming Essential America, with the new colours by  John Higgins?

[Richard]

That colouring looks excellent.