Fantasy Crime

Violence, criminality, civil disobedience and of course death play natural roles in many works of fiction, be they films, literature or drama. The reason that this formula has stood the test of time and remains as prominent a part of fiction as it still does today is simply because so many people clearly enjoy watching or reading them.

Such scenes have a tendency to trigger a part of the brain which derives either macabre fascination, or outright pleasure from the whole thing. There is also the security for the viewer that comes in the knowledge that no actual damage is being done.

Fantasy Victim

There is no real victim of, say, the brutal murder that is unfolding on your television screen, an absence of actual grieving friends or relatives, whose lives have been ruined and scarred for all eternity. “No harm, no foul” as they say, so simply keep watching, or flip the page in the pursuit of discovering ‘who done it’.

Real Crime

Real-life and live broadcasts of such events of course bring with them a clear distinction, as potential viewing enjoyment is somewhat tempered by the damage caused to the real lives of real people.

Real Victims

Losses of homes, businesses and even those lives themselves are checks to the immediate reaction of thinking, “bloody hell, that police car/bus/van is on fire” or more simply, “this is insane…and strangely compelling at the same time”.

Really Good Television

However, a great many people, this bunny included, see civil disobedience and rioting as astonishingly good television, at least on the level of base instinct.

While always conscious of the potential consequences and having natural sympathy for innocents caught up in it all, the initial buzz is something that seems to be beyond our control. In the same way, it’s going to take something pretty good elsewhere to make us change the channel.

The American shock comedian Denis Leary once observed, “people say ‘all your generation did was watch TV.

What did you expect? We saw Lee Harvey Oswald get shot live on TV one Sunday morning and we were afraid to change the channel for 30 years.

Hey, this show sucks!! I know, but someone might get shot during the commercials”. Of course Denis (either inspired by Bill Hicks or copying him depending on your perspective) was joking, but we laugh because it’s true.

Commercial television channels in particular love these sorts of events, since they tap into the part of the human psyche that wishes to either study and examine why they took place, or simply enjoy and talk about them.

News Porn

NewsPorn is a fairly modern term for something that is nothing new in reality. With the Breivik massacre in Norway and now the riots of Friday followed by days of random looting, British lovers of a bit of X-rated news reporting have had more than their fix for 2011.

However, TV schedulers and producers have been using graphically violent and criminal situations in their quest to win the ratings war for the best part of two decades – OJ Simpson scored a NewsPorn double as both his initial police chase then the entirety of the trial were broadcast for the benefit of a mass audience.

Michael Jackson, who was ultimately cleared of luring kids to his gingerbread house at NeverLand, was amongst those who followed suit.

Warzones are covered extensively as entire passages of conflicts are beamed live into the viewer’s front room, with ‘highlights’ replayed later that day just in case you were at work or missed anything. Scores of TV shows have been built around footage of real crimes and/or the (usually successful) attempts of the police to apprehend those responsible.

Perhaps seeing the getaway car chased down and cornered in a cul-de-sac, or the villain falling foul of his own stupidity helps to sell it as ‘public service broadcasting’ or a promotional tool for law enforcement?

Time for a Reality Check?

However, the unavoidable truth is that crime, disorder, violence and chaos, just like their ‘real porn’ cousin, have a propensity for selling to the masses like little else can – perhaps only live sport can compete with them on equal terms?

One final observation – something I’ve noticed from the recent civil disturbances in particular is the way in which they have also activated the macho streak that exists in a great many of us. Why, when presented with the question “what would you do about it?”, are solutions involving the army, live ammunition and street shoot-outs proving disturbingly popular? Perhaps wary of the prospect of innocent people returning from work walking onto bullets fired by those in uniform, or seeing our streets resembling those of a South American dictatorship, this bunny will pass and stick to his original analysis.

No more ‘nice’ policing, where the gangsta culture of London or any other city is ‘understood’ – more than anything, this is a patronising insult to the law-abiding members of such communities. Competent and proportionate application of the law without fear or favour is all that is necessary here. In the meantime, the armchair generals and commanders can put their water cannons and machine guns down. while I should get going, since I’ve heard there’s some looting being shown live on Sky News.

Take care.

Daz Pearce – OutspokenRabbit

Malcolm
Saunders August 12, 2011 at 00:11

Water canon can fulfil a limited role in holding back a group attempting to
get to a particular target building or area, but they would be useless in the
type of riots which have just occurred.

The rioters were running about in all directions and frequently moving from
one location to another at some distance. Water canon are not very
manoeuvrable vehicles and they cannot be quickly moved from one area to
another.

The solid column of water produced by a water canon is effective at
knocking the legs from under people trying to move towards it, but it is of
almost no use in extinguishing fires. Also, if a powerful water jet of this
kind is directed into a badly burning building it will greatly increase the
likelihood of collapse and the danger to life that comes with it.

Michael August 11, 2011 at 21:32

Purely on a practical level, water cannons seem like a good idea.

One thing that has struck me is some of the language used. DISquiet.
UNrest. DISorder. Not sure what it all means but I’m sure it’s UNgood.

Which reminds me… I know what DISturbance means, but who or what is
“turbance”?

ian r thorpe August 11, 2011 at 19:54

Sorry, I’m struggling to identify the point you are trying to make.
Do
you think rioters should be shot?
Do you think policemen should be
shot?
Do you think macho males should be shot?
Do you think Michael
Jckson should have been shot (I could agree with that, not for his alleged
crimes but for that effing awful record about the rat.)
Do you think
television news producers should be shot?

Daz Pearce
August 11, 2011 at 20:09

Ian, I wasn’t up for shooting anyone in the list. Then ‘Earth Song’
started playing in my head and…go on then…

Daz Pearce August 11, 2011 at 19:53

Evenin Cascadian – the Fox News logo wasn’t my call – the BBC would have
been a better choice no argument there.

Whatever technique the army or armed police used, I’d just have little
confidence in there not being an accident or case of mistaken identity. It
almost certainly would cause the rioters to think again, but at what cost?
Would we establish a precedent that could then be applied to legitimate
political demonstration and what have you?

Cascadian August 11, 2011 at 22:13

Evenin Daz, thats a pretty fair comment, you obviously play by Queensbury
rules.

My scenario is this, broken shop window, people inside looting. One
warning shot in the air, shouted order drop to the ground and spread eagle,
anybody foolish enough not to comply, aim rifle directly at chest, repeat
order -watch the stain in their groin grow. If the moron remains standing,
one shot to chest. Police arrive, looters zap-strapped to each other and
left with two baton wielding police guards. Do not tie-up officers
processing paperwork, leave the looters to think upon their actions as long
as it takes to establish order. Repeat as often as necessary.

Alternately people in street, eight man squad, same scenario. If possible
establish a razor-wire barricade at end of the street to minimize escape
routes.

Ultimately the general population, deserve and expect order in their city
centres, if a crazed mob wants to impose its will above that then there will
be consequences. When innocent people need to jump from burning buildings or
try to extinguish a fire and end up battered and in a coma by a reported mob
of one hundred while a policeman stands by, I think we have reached a point
to say-fuck proportionality, rampaging animals are to dealt with harshly
(after one warning)

Will there be accidents? I cannot see how, the dimmest person would
surely not be returning home through a riot mob and I would suspect local
inhabitants to be cowering in their kitchen holding a carving knife. As for
mistaken identity, I cannot see how that applies, but in the event of doubt
allow those who can prove nearby residency the benefit of the doubt, choice
of clothing might also be a deciding factor-hoodies and trackpants, sorry
buddy.

Your comment regarding legitimate political demonstration obviously does
not apply, there is no legitimacy in arson, grievous bodily harm, theft or
looting no matter what group it is attached to.

BTW , not much of a sports fan myself, but your articles on boxing and
football were compelling.

Daz Pearce
August 11, 2011 at 23:01

Thanks Cascadian – some people say I should stick to the sport…

There is no legitimacy in what has passed off in the last week or so,
but once we establish that the armed response is ok in instances in civil
disobedience, that definition can very quickly become fluid. Leaving
statists to make that call does not exactly fill me with confidence.

Cascadian
August 11, 2011 at 23:23

“some people say I should stick to the sport…”………Nah, somebody named
Daz needs to get up on the soapbox once in awhile.

Your point of view has legitimacy, I am the not generally disposed to
increasing governments powers especially for the mental midgets
currently occupying positions of power. But this no consequences for
life-threatening behaviour has to be stopped abruptly (and in my opinion
violently).

I suspect we agree on more points than is obvious in this
exchange.

Daz
Pearce August 11, 2011 at 23:35

Thanks for the kind words – I think we’d probably agree on quite a
bit.

I’m reliably informed there’s more RabbitSport coming up in the
next couple of days….

Cascadian August 11, 2011 at 19:33

I think you confuse macho with a general desire to see robust, disciplined
action in the early instances of a riot that would cause the chancers to stop
and THINK -is my life worth more than a couple pair of jeans?

Robocop clad figures one hundred yards away advancing at a walking pace
waving batons are not a sufficient deterrent, an armoured vehicle approaching
at speed, sirens wailing, screeching to a halt and eight squaddies tumbling
out the back fully armed would have the required effect. The first round fired
in the air would invoke an involuntary release of urine from most of the
chancers, those not already running up the road rethinking their options that
is.

You have succumbed to too much IRA propoganda if you believe the army would
shot indescriminately into a crowd.

And if I may say so, your choice of the Fox News logo reveals some of your
biases, far more egregious examples of TV porn have been broadcast by CNN and
BBC.

Matt
Wardman August 11, 2011 at 20:26

To be clear, the Fox News logo was us not Daz. I think that was SBML, who
may be along to explain the choice.

The subheads were me.

For comparison, Daz’s original text is over at the Outspoken Rabbit here:
http://outspokenrabbit.blogspot.com/2011/08/newsporn.html

Critique is always welcome.

Rgds

Cascadian
August 11, 2011 at 22:23

Thanks for the clarification, no explanation required. I rescind my
comment related to the logo choice.

You guys do a great job, were there a real Raccoon Arms I would like to
buy you each a pint in some small recognition for the time you expend.

Matt
Wardman August 12, 2011 at
00:44

Thanks.

Having done a bit more research, i.e. I typed “news porn” into Google
Images, I’m guessing that it was the first convenient pic which came had
“news porn” in it.

SadButMadLad August 12, 2011 at 08:19

Yep, that’s the technique. A quick look through flickr for any
commons creative stuff, then one to google images. Use any that first
is appropriate for the article or helps describe it or just uses the
words of the title. Nothing more deep and meaningful than that.
Usually find one that is already used quite a bit. If I can identify a
really good picture I will ask the artist but generally post but
include a link to the source in the alt-text.

JuliaM August 11,
2011 at 17:35

“However, the unavoidable truth is that crime, disorder,
violence and chaos, just like their ‘real porn’ cousin, have a propensity for
selling to the masses like little else can – perhaps only live sport
can compete with them on equal terms?”

One of the ‘Guardian’ articles I pulled this morning for a savaging (can’t
link atm) describes one little deprived youth in Liverpool being asked why he
was rioting, and stating quite frankly that he saw the London riots on tv…

Malcolm
Saunders August 11, 2011 at 17:14

Nice article Daz. Well thought out as usual.

I suspect that one reason why popular reactions to the riots include ‘use
the army’, ‘live ammunition’, etc. is not just a macho instinct, although I
don’t dismiss that. It is the perceived impotence of the police and
judiciary.

I have just noticed with despair the £60 fine for obstructing the police
imposed by Judge Tim Devas at Nottingham.

http://malpoet.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/dont-whinge-or-preach-%E2%80%93-do-the-job/

JuliaM August
11, 2011 at 17:30

Yup, if the police would only do their job and gun down the rioters,
no-one would be calling for the army to gun down the rioters…