Beats the Playmobil cops I had as a kid.
with truncheons?
Rifle butts.
When I saw a police helicopter toy designed for toddlers, and a megablocks minifigure with a gas mask, the enemy’s strategy became clear: They want to normalize this, get people used to the idea from the earliest age possible. If officer friendly can use tear gas and a riot shield along with his night stick, then there’s a way to rationalize that he’s only doing his job.
(and when the Lego group makes stereotyped robber minifigs with fisherman’s cap and 5:00 shadow, it cements the idea that some people out there are just created as bad guys™ and there’s nothing fo it but to put them in their place.)
It’s worth noting, perhaps, that Playmobil is a German toy and Germany’s police force is fairly light on the trigger, so maybe the culture of the observer comes into play here.
With apparent complete success. When I saw this, I assume it was some sort of joke/art piece - after all, Playmobile are for small children, and police with riot gear, dogs and assault rifles is pretty wildly age inappropriate. But no. So then I look at Amazon reviews, because surely many parents would be repulsed by this. But again, no. Outside one fairly mild alarmed review, everyone seems to love them and think them perfectly appropriate…
But, so can you.
and then get arrested, if very lucky…
Seems like a defeatist attitude to me. Police do not have any super-human abilities. What’s worse, if they get into trouble as public servants, this reflects badly upon the public at large who are responsible for them. Me standing by and letting police kill people is even more negligent than me letting others do so. Police go about their job in public knowing that there will be confrontation, and that each day may be their last. So their vigilance is pragmatic. Contrast this against the common notion of: “My government is out of my control, so I am just going to ask them to be nice and hope that I don’t die.” As the saying goes - wish in one hand, spit in the other - and see which fills first.
There just might possibly be a middle ground between utter passivity and attempting to use tear gas and night sticks against the police.
Unarmed minority sold separately.
I took a picture of these making up the storefront of a toy store in Montreal, a month ago. Ironic (or fitting?) considering how rampant police violence towards protesters has been in the city in the past few years.
Am I a bad person for wanting to play Tropico?
Where’s the Playmobil Waterboarding set??
Something to think about, perhaps get inspired from…
Playmobil is made for ages 4 to 12. I can see a 10 year old playing cops and robbers. I know that "war toys’ freak some progressives out, but most of us played with them at that age. And the figures do look like German police, who are pretty well equipped but also well disciplined. I do not think the toys are scary, I think it is the context we are putting them in. There are plenty of places where the average citizen is not afraid of the police. In those places, the police actually serve to protect the citizens from harm. For instance, in some countries one would call the police if one witnessed some sort of emergency, and one would reasonable expect the police to show up and help. Instead of just shooting or arresting everyone on the scene.
Calling all units! A black suspect is apparently hijacking a police helicopter after murdering a policeman and taking his uniform. Terminate with extreme… uh… prejudice!
At least this will give kids a more accurate representation of what the police actually represent, as opposed to the “officer friendly” image.
Thank whatever god you want that we live in a perfect world that is so clearly, and simply black-and-white as many of you are suggesting and insisting it is. I, and so many others, would be so very lost without all this most well thought out, prudent, and mature conjecture.
