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New Professionalism Watch: Hi, Mom!

Sep 28, 2009
By .
Effluvia

The Fallout games, post-apocalyptic role-playing experiences that are about as good as computer games get, have wickedly satirical introductory movies. In one of them — I think it's Fallout 2 — the narrator talks about the (future) invasion of Canada, and shows a pair of power-armored troopers shoot a kneeling captive in the back of the head, then cheerfully wave at the camera in a big friendly "hi, mom!" gesture. The juxtaposition of brutality and banality makes a deft point.

But that's a fictional stylized post-apocalyptic future. In America's present, we have what Justice Scalia calls a "new professionalism." Right?

Sort of. Injustice Everywhere — which you should not miss if you are interested in police misconduct issues — links to this story, picture, and video from the G-20 conference, where some riot police unit (not yet clearly identified) operating on the University of Pittsburgh campus apparently dragged a handcuffed, masked prisoner — apparently captured during the anti-G-20 protests — and used him as a prop in a group picture.

Say cheese!

TrophyPicture

(Hat tip to Mike and Radley on the new professionalism meme.)

Last 5 posts by Ken

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4 Comments

  1. Patrick  •  Sep 29, 2009 @8:11 am

    It was Fallout.

    I'll link to the (very disturbing) introduction to Fallout, which is a better piece of cinema in one minute than anything Hollywood's likely to crap out this year:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkBNKa2KXZE

    The song, by the way, is "Maybe," by the Ink Spots. The video should not be watched without sound, because the song improves it mightily.

  2. Packratt  •  Sep 29, 2009 @1:41 pm

    First, thanks for posting this up, I appreciate it. (and for the hat tip, the others who got tipped to this from us didn't bother).

    Second… I know you were curious about this unrelated case, so I thought you would be interested to know it was a confirmed teabag:
    http://is.gd/3N8cH

  3. Ken  •  Sep 29, 2009 @1:42 pm

    And thank you, Packratt, for suggesting to our readership that I have a morbid interest in teabagging!

  4. Packratt  •  Sep 29, 2009 @1:58 pm

    It's ok, I understand that being the unfortunate witness to a teabagging in progress is likely something akin to seeing a train wreck, so I'd imagine that some degree of morbid curiosity should be expected.

    (yeah, I have to remember to stop commenting on other people's sites)