03-05-2024, 12:59 PM
(03-05-2024, 09:17 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Is it, though? I mean, being an Appalachian hillbilly with OG rednecks in my lineage, I am fairly certain that the law ain't ever been well liked in a good portion of this country. I would contend that from the very beginning, even before modern policing emerged in the mid-1800's, law enforcement was viewed by a large swath of the country as a tool of the elite to hold down the lower classes. A way for wealthy and corporate interests to enact their will upon the populous. I would say that the "feel good" view of law enforcement is more of a result of some of the popular media surrounding it, mostly from the '70s onward, which was likely an attempt to repair an image coming out of Vietnam and the Civil Rights Era. We hit a peak of this sentiment in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 when the terror attacks caused the country to rally around our military and first responders but has been waning ever since because, well, our citizenry is mercurial.
I just realized typing this up that next year 9/11 will be as many years in the past as the first season of CHiPs was in the past from 9/11 and I am sad now.
Considering your points and giving it some thought you are largely correct. I suppose that was generational bias speaking in my initial post. I was born in '74, so I hit the peak of what you accurately described.
