Lego Cops, Air Force Demonstration Teams and Other Groomers
Seduction, predation and grooming are the point of American copaganda and military fetishism
There’s been this meme floating around that points out how cops in the Lego Universe have become increasingly militarized and sinister looking.
So, before we get into it, there are a couple of things I need to put on the table:
Yes, I understand that these were cherry-picked to make a point, and it is an interesting point, but I am not sharing this to make the point that there is some sort of continuum of Lego characters we need to reflect on, as much as I agree with the main thesis that cops have become needlessly militarized and that trend is very much part of the descent into fascism.
Second, I cast no shade on the Lego Company for offering a range of products, even if they're sometimes realistic.
Indeed, to the contrary, although I think this image is supposed to demonstrate that there’s been a linear progression from good to bad over time, tapping into a sense of nostalgia for the good old days, when life was simpler, I submit that the first cop in this lineup of Legoland perps, the one with the smile, who I’ll call "Officer Friendly," is, by far, the most problematic one of the lot.
Officer Friendly is the propaganda we must be most concerned with, not the SWAT Team Commandant.
That’s because the littlest kids are more likely to find themselves playing with, admiring, and possibly even relating to Officer Friendly as a welcome figure in their lives.
You see, the sugar-coated expressions of militarism are truly insidious.
This is why - here’s an unpopular opinion - I think taking kids to see the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds or Golden Knights air shows is kind of like giving them crack - especially if not coupled with cautionary talk. If it weren’t happening in such large numbers, with government approval, I’d try to argue here that bringing children to these events is, in effect, a form of child abuse.
Don’t take my word for what’s going on. The expressly-stated mission - and budgetary justification - of these aerial teams is to recruit people - children included - to serve in the U.S. armed forces.
When the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels team performs in your town, they don’t just fly overhead producing “oohs” and “aahs” for the audience, much like those induced by a fireworks display. They proudly boast “One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Blue Angel is the opportunity to spend time visiting hospitals, schools, and community functions in each air show city. At schools across the country, the team takes time to interact with students and discuss the benefits of military service and the excitement of naval aviation across the country….”
The U.S. Army’s Golden Knights aviation and parachuting demonstrating team is part of the Army’s Recruiting Command.
The U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbird’s aerial demonstration team has “a threefold mission: to support the Air Force's recruiting and retention efforts, to reinforce the public's confidence in the Air Force, and to demonstrate American airpower domestically and internationally.”
The shows are marvelous to view and they are extraordinary feats of design, choreography, technical achievement, and human precision...but, at the end of the day, that 6 year-old child on daddy’s shoulders who’s squinting up into the sky in wonder and awe is being recruited to become cannon fodder in someone else's oil war.
That should be revolting.
We can “honor deceased vets by not encouraging toddlers, children, and adolescents to join their ranks.”
The military fetishism these demonstration teams normalize - often with the parents’ unwitting imprimatur as to the end game of persuading children to enlist at some future time - is a disturbing gateway to a career centered on violence. It’s true for Officer Friendly, too, as he normalizes and deceptively conceals the violence and aggression entailed in a career in law enforcement. He embodies the concept of “to serve and protect” without laying bare how it’s a lie that cops who claim “qualified immunity,” police unions, and law enforcement departments all disavow whenever they’re hauled into court for the violence they inflict on citizens (and sometimes even their pets).
It’s not just the aerial demonstration teams. Researchers have observed that “the behaviors [of military recruiters] are remarkably similar to those psychologists characterize as predatory grooming.” Hagopian, A., & Barker, K., “Should we end military recruiting in high schools as a matter of child protection and public health?” American Journal of Public Health, 101(1), 19–23 (2011).
Whether it's normalizing the idea that Officer Friendly is patrolling the streets keeping children safe from predators or the idea that being part of the military would be awesome and cool and take you back to that fun, sunny Saturday afternoon at the air show with the family, it's the subtle, cumulative effect of gladly-received misinformation that leads us into fascism, far more so than the realistic depictions of it.
On this Memorial Day, as we reflect on America’s war dead, people go about the day in diverse ways, from holding cookouts, visiting cemeteries, heading to the beach, and attending wreath-laying ceremonies - all of which are valid, but I’d like to submit one more way to set aside time on a sometimes somber day, and that’s to honor deceased vets by not encouraging toddlers, children, and adolescents to join their ranks.