I class a lot of the drama shows as Science fiction: House takes place in an alternative universe where Americans have access to health care and there is no yanking of medical licenses for egregious ethical violation. Crimal Minds is what would happen if profiling actually worked. The Law and Order franchise all takes place in an alternate universe were police are mostly not corrupt and actually care about helping and protecting people and catching criminals. I mean, I'm sure such police exist and I'm willing to believe the ones on panel at Orycon are such, but I've never had to deal with any like that when actually out in the real world. It disgusts me that I am still, as a 40 year old law abiding citizen, living in a country where I have to fear the police because they are unpredictable and occasionally violent and where they can and do stop me at random for warrant checks and the occasional visual search. (Seriously, the extent of my record is one speeding ticket from Utah in the mid-90's and maybe four total promptly paid parking tickets, yet I can expect to be harassed and treated like a dangerous criminal if the police happen to be bored or if I'm forced to make a complaint.
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