The Truth Behind The Hug Shared Round The World

Ferguson, Missouri. 2014. Michael Brown, an unarmed 18 year old  black man, was gunned down by a police officer and left in the street for hours. Over the next weeks, protests across the country erupted between mostly black citizens and the police.

The country was tense. Heated Facebook exchanges occurred daily. People equated the Ferguson "riots" with the LA riots of the 90s, forgetting that over 60 people died in the LA riots. Regardless, it was a very serious situation, and the tension between police (and many white Americans) and black Americans was at a level not seen in years. America, specifically white America, needed something, anything, to assure us that everything would return to normal. All we saw on tv were black people and police yelling at each other, oftentimes exchanging projectiles: water bottles on one side, metal gas canisters/rubber bullets/pepper spray on the other. America was seemingly falling apart.

And then, an image went viral. An image that restored our faith in humanity. An image that held within it the promise of a better country. The promise that our differences were not so vast and our grievances were not so serious that a simple gesture of kindness couldn't fix it. And here was that gesture captured on film for the world to see: a black child at a protest in Portland, Oregon, crying his eyes out, embracing a white cop in a riot helmet. Beautiful. Powerful

This was the real America.

Racism ended that day. Police brutality ceased. White people gained rhythm. It was glorious.

Tragically, none of that actually happened. When the photo went viral, the media framed it as an inspiring, kind-hearted moment that we all need to emulate. We should all try to be like the young boy, clearly upset at the events occurring in the world, yet embracing someone viewed as "the enemy." If we were just able to put aside our differences for one moment, we could come together as a nation and move on from the racial tension.

Of course, that was complete bullshit. But it's not uncommon for the media, and us, the consumers, to reach for feel good moment that can distract us from the deeper issues and give us hope that "normalcy" will return.

This particular case is worse than normal because the story behind the photo completely contradicts the positive narrative that was created. But worst of all, and the reason that I'm discussing this image, is that the boy in the picture, along with his adopted family, just died in a crash that has been deemed intentional.

The boy, Devonte, was adopted with 5 other children by two white women. After the pic went viral, one of his mothers was quick to explain how she had encouraged Devonte to "face his fears" of police by...confronting and embracing police. This should have been the first sign that something was seriously wrong in this family situation.

Even if the family situation wasn't fucked up, the idea that it is up to black people (black children even!) to ease racial tension and stop police brutality would still be problematic, insulting even. The issue of police brutality is not going to be solved by black people hugging cops. It's not about them "confronting their fears." That's trying to treat a symptom instead of the disease. In fact, it's trying to "solve" a natural, life-saving reaction that many black people have towards police based on personal experience and US history.

In addition to all that, the family situation was fucked up. One of the mothers had been charged with domestic violence. Friends expressed concern about how the women were treating the children, and neighbors reported that they would deprive children of food as punishment. 

So there were some serious issues. On top of the fact that the women were abusive assholes, they were also white parents of adopted children of color. It's great that they were willing to adopt outside of their race, but oftentimes that willingness is based on a vision of one's self as some kind of "savior." I've personally experienced this mentality; at least two people on separate occasions have told me they want to adopt African babies to save them. And if that conscious or subconscious attitude doesn't exist, white parents with black children still often have difficulty dealing with the realities of race and the myriad issues their children will face.

In this instance, the mother could not have been more clueless if she were Stacey Dash. She was offensively clueless. Videos of black people getting killed or abused were going viral every week. Across the country, black people were protesting the very real, very long-standing issue of police violence against minority communities. Yet she thought that Devonte's intense fear of cops was just something he needed to "get over," not a pervasive societal issue that we all need to confront.

A lot of good-hearted white people think they are improving race relations simply by adopting a child of another race, or by dating someone of another race. It's good to not be biased in who you date or love, but it has literally zero effect on society in general. You don't deserve an award. You're a normal person. Congrats! Similarly, many people think they're helping when they make their child do something like wear a sign that says "free hugs," but often they don’t fully understand the implications of their actions. And of course, sometimes, it's just to make themselves feel better.

Devonte shouldn't have had to go through that moment. He was clearly not comfortable or happy. Then he had to deal with the fact that the whole world saw him in this intense, emotional moment, and that was what he would be known for going forward. He also had to deal with his mothers telling anybody within earshot that they "saved" him from a life of violence and drugs by adopting him. So it's no assumption to think they thought of themselves as saviors; they literally said it!

I don't want to theorize too much about what was going through anybody's mind, but I was always disturbed by that picture. All I could see was the fear and hurt in Devonte's face. Knowing his family history simply reinforces that feeling. Devonte's biological aunt fought for custody and lost in 2010. Was he aware of that? There were allegations of abuse by his adopted parents later in 2010. Was he as afraid of his new mothers as he was of police? It's very possible that in that moment captured on film, he subconsciously or even consciously knew he was being used as a pawn in a fake uplifting moment.

A hug is not solving racism. An embrace is not stopping police brutality. The "political differences" we have are not merely based on which politician we prefer, they are based on serious issues and the way we all see and experience the world. They can not simply be put aside. There's nothing wrong with a hug, per se. I love hugs! But a forced hug between a terrified child and an authoritative figure in riot gear is not a sign of progress; it's a sign that we simply do not have the capabilities to honestly address our problems as a nation.

We want simple answers. We want a heartwarming story. But we have to stop accepting things on their surface and look for the truth, even if it's ugly.

Inspectors believe the parents intentionally drove their family off a cliff. Neighbors reported them two weeks before the crash, telling police that Devonte came to their houses every day asking for food. The poor boy probably lived his whole life in fear and was killed by two people who viewed themselves as his savior. That is the story. It is sad as hell, but it's more interesting and it's more real than the story we wanted to believe.

I Love You All...Class Dismissed.

A Troubling New Perspective on Die Hard

Yippee ki yay motherfuckers, it's an obligatory Christmas movie post! Might as well talk about the greatest Christmas movie of all time: Die Hard!

I love this movie. You love this movie. We all love it so much we labeled it a Christmas movie just so we could watch it every year. Killing Germans who unexpectedly come into our building just really puts us in the holiday spirit! Careful Mr. Claus!

After sitting through mandatory viewings of all the lesser Christmas movies out there (read: all of them except Christmas Vacation which is in its own separate league) I finally got around to watching Die Hard the other day, and something was a little...off. In light of certain recent current events, the movie took on a whole new tone. In fact, halfway through I started to think that it was just a police propaganda film. When it was over, I was certain of it.

Now, there's a fair share of things we partake in as a society that can be considered police propaganda when analyzed deeply (and cynically) enough. The childhood game Cops and Robbers is nothing more than early training for future criminals and enforcers of the law. Officer Friendly used to be a staple in elementary schools across the nation, forcing the image of the friendly neighborhood police officer down our young throats. The "super cop" has been a movie trope for as long as there have been movie tropes. COPS was one of the most popular tv shows ever created, and it's still running, with a whole cadre of spinoffs in which the audience views all events from the perspective of the law, thereby empathizing more directly with cops than ever before.

And then came John McClane, the everyday cop who rises to the occasion amid unbelievable danger.

John McClane, the cop who will always fight for the little guy. The ballsy cop who bucks authority and may even break the law himself sometimes, but always for the greater good.

More than simply empathizing with the cop, we are meant to personally relate to his blue-collar attitude and everyday nature. But that's not enough to make it propaganda. Successful propaganda can't be so direct, so there's many subtle attempts to convince the viewer of the infallibility of the police.

At one point, Holly's idiotic coworker Harry Ellis attempts to mediate between evil leader Hans and McClane for the return of the terrorists' detonators. McClane refuses to return them, causing Gruber to execute Ellis on the spot. The message here? Don't try to handle these situations on your own. Let the cops handle it.

Ordinary citizens aren't the only ones that should stay out of the way. The media needs to stay out of police affairs, too. The media is the go to excuse when people with authority are caught up in scandals. There are legitimate concerns about something a police officer or department has done? Blame the media for sensationalizing the story. Represented by the most punchably-faced man in cinematic history, the media in Die Hard is consistently shown as untrustworthy and we are meant to despise everything about it. Holly eventually punches the reporter in the face for revealing McCane's identity and we cheer, all because he had the nerve to do his job and report on the biggest story of the year.

Then there's the commentary about the ineptitude of federal government agencies. There is a long running trope of local cops distrusting federal agents and disliking when the federal government impedes on their jurisdiction, something we have seen play out in real life lately as well.  The FBI agents (Johnson & Johnson) are arrogant and fatally incompetent. They take over the operation and are immediately blown up in their own helicopter, all because they didn't listen to McClane and his new partner, local cop Al Powell. Again, the message is to stay out of the way and let the local cops do whatever they have to do.

Of course, a more sinister message lies underneath it all: the cops will let people die for their own benefit.

McClane's questionable tactics aren't the biggest issue in this movie, though. No, that would be our buddy, the twinkie loving beat cop, former neighbor to Urkel, and only guy on McClane's side through the whole ordeal: Al, the magical black friend. Turns out, Al is on desk duty because of a little accident on the job. That accident? I'll let him tell it:

John McClane: Hey pal, you got flat feet?

Sergeant Al Powell: What the hell you talking about, man.

John McClane: Something had to get you off the street.

Sergeant Al Powell: What's the matter? You don't think jockeying papers around a desk is a noble effort for a cop?

John McClane: No...

Sergeant Al Powell: I had an accident.

John McClane: The way you drive, I can see why. What'd you do? Run over your captains foot with the car?

Sergeant Al Powell: I shot a kid. He was 13 years old. Oh, it was dark, I couldn't see him, he had a ray gun, looked real enough. You know when you're a rookie they can teach you everything about being a cop, except how to live with a mistake. Anyway, I just couldn't bring myself to draw my gun on anyone again.

John McClane: ...Sorry man.

Son of a bitch.

How could you Mr. Winslow?

I never noticed how truly strange this scene was until now. It is meant to solidify the bond between the two cops and build sympathy for Al, but now it feels disturbingly prescient. Somber music plays while they talk, helping the audience truly feel the pain in Al's heart. He's torn up about the incident, and now he's stuck doing desk duty, too traumatized to use his gun.

A child is dead, the killer faced no charges, and we are forced to empathize with the killer. Maybe the department had to pay out a settlement to the family, but who knows? That's not important, what's important is that a good cop is stuck behind a desk unable to shoot anybody else. Forget about the dead kid, feel sorry for the poor cop.

Meanwhile, that cop is free to work and love his wife and eat his armful of fucking Twinkies.

After Hans falls to his death and McClane saves the hostages, he finally meets his new pal Killer Al in person. As they crush on each other, the giant, invincible blonde terrorist Karl busts out of the building, ready to kill everybody. Luckily, our buddy Al heroically pulls his gun and shoots him dead. He can kill again! He is a hero, and our knowledge of his tragic history turns a typical action sequence into an intensely emotional experience for the audience.

Growing up, movies like this inspire us to blindly root for cops, thinking they can do no wrong. Cops who "write their own rules" and go "above and beyond" like John McClane or Mike Lowrey are even better. Their actions may be technically illegal, but they get the job done. The ends justify the means because police always have the best interests of the community in mind. Unfortunately, the reality is that although police are important to society and are largely under-appreciated for the jobs most of them do, there is a pattern of abuse that needs to be addressed.

In the end, I'm just glad nobody shot Argyle when he busted through the gates in the limo.

It's a good thing he had a friend to vouch for him.

I Love You All (Even John McClane, Still)...Class Dismissed.