Smile....You're Under Arrest

[SeekingtheTruth]

My brother was telling me about this show called "Smile....You're Under Arrest" so I decided to have a look on the net to see what it was all about. The following is taken from Wikipedia:

Smile...You're Under Arrest! is a reality show on Fox Reality Channel where actual wanted felons with outstanding warrants are lured into police custody using various fake scenarios.

The series consisted of 3 episodes, the first of which aired on December 27, 2008.

Premise

The show describes itself as a cross between Cops and Punk’d[1], setting up elaborate sting operations to snare people wanted on outstanding warrants. These sting operations include opportunities for felons to work as an extra on a movie set and as a model in a fashion shoot, among others[2]. Once the trap is set and the actors have had their fun with the unsuspecting criminals, police officers arrest and haul them off to jail.

All of the cases featured in Smile…You’re Under Arrest! involve the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department outside of Phoenix, AZ under the command of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is known as “The Toughest Sheriff in America”[3]. He has a reputation for unusual law enforcement tactics such as reinstituting chain gangs, housing prisoners in a desert “tent city” and forcing them to wear pink underwear[4]. Arpaio believes that these stings provide a unique service to his community[5].

Episodes

Episode 1

Original airdate: 12/27/2008

Wanted fugitives are asked to model clothing for a fashion show as part of an elaborate sting operation. This culminates with a surprise arrest of the confused “models” by undercover deputy sheriffs. [6]

Episode 2

Original airdate: 1/3/2009

Wanted fugitives are lured to a fake movie set and asked to participate as extras in a pretend film. Upon completing their scene their scene, the director yells “cut”, and our fugitives are arrested for real by undercover deputies. [6]

Episode 3

Original airdate: 1/10/2009

Wanted fugitives are led to believe they have won the VIP treatment at a new spa called “J. L. Spas”. After completing yoga and various relaxation services, a group deputy sheriffs arrest them in the middle of a facial. [6]


This is what another site had to say about the show:

Fox is working with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on this show, which is no surprise. Here are some previous posts about Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office:

• Maricopa County Sheriff's Department burn down a house and kill puppy over traffic citations

• Sheriff Joe Arpaio arrests newspaper owners for complaining about grand jury investigation

• Real life transmission of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Madison Street Jail

• American Idol for prisoners

• Jail's official color is pink

Would it be much of stretch of the imagination to conclude that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is most likely a psychopath? It's scary and disgusting to think about how 'entertainment' has devolved in my lifetime. I mean to see what can pass for 'entertainment' these days in the eyes of the American populace is really disgusting (especially _http://www.boingboing.net/2002/01/05/sheriff-joe-arpaio-t.html. On the other hand, I guess this shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the overall purpose of the PTB to desensitize and drain the brains of the populace. Whatever the true purpose of the show, it definitely gives a new meaning to the term "guilty pleasure" doesn't it? 


[edit: link to the first episode of the show _http://www.hulu.com/watch/49589/smile%E2%80%A6youre-under-arrest-operation-fashion-show#s-p1-so-i0

 

[Nienna]

Would it be much of stretch of the imagination to conclude that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is most likely a psychopath? It's scary and disgusting to think about how 'entertainment' has devolved in my lifetime. I mean to see what can pass for 'entertainment' these days in the eyes of the American populace is really disgusting (especially _http://www.boingboing.net/2002/01/05/sheriff-joe-arpaio-t.html. On the other hand, I guess this shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the overall purpose of the PTB to desensitize and drain the brains of the populace. Whatever the true purpose of the show, it definitely gives a new meaning to the term "guilty pleasure" doesn't it?

This is just bringing entertainment one step closer to what seems to be entertainment of the future as seen in The Running Man.

Watching the (de)volution of TV program(ming)s, I have noticed how hard the PTB are trying to brainwash those who watch into applauding the law enforcement officer of whichever show is presented, no matter what they do or say, to the offender, who for entertainment purposes it would seem, are usually not very intelligent, are vulgar and lippy, and just make you think that whatever the officer does, the offender deserves it.

And, usually, if the offender is understanding and cooperative, the officer is nice and even lets them go with a warning from time to time.

I fully expect that something along the lines of The Running Man is waiting backstage for just the right time for our viewing (dis)pleasure.

In this ponerized society, watching someone get the daylights beaten out of them brings far too many a lot of pleasure. Especially if they are convinced that the offenders deserve it.

However, there does seem to be some at work in the industry that do show that there are psychopaths in law enforcement along with other positions of power. But, the final message is that these renegades are far and few between and that they will be caught and brought to justice, keeping us asleep with nothing to worry about. Just let the people in charge do their business and all will be fine.

At least this has been how it seems to me.

 

[pete02]

Just a few points I wanted to add was that firstly, when I was younger, I remember the NYPD doing something similar with criminals themselves. They set up a make believe raffle out of my high school auditorium and mailed all the wanted people to tell them they won prizes. Since they were to collect at a high school, no one would suspect anything, but when they stepped thru the doors they got cuffed n stuffed! lol. And that was like 20yrs ago so I find this TV program to just be televising an old trick.

I also read an article in a Popular Science magazine about making convicts wear different colors. They claim that by making them wear different colors they can be intimidated into thinking twice before committing the crime again. Whether or not this works I have no idea and the fact that they're using convicts as guinea pigs for they're psychological trickery is in no way acceptable to me.

The bottom line is I believe your absolutely right. They are using the boob tube to trick everyone into thinking the cops are right no matter what they're doing because its they're job and they want us all to stand around and cheer for them on top of it! Some time ago I had applied for a corrections officer position and you know what they were watching in jail? COPS! They find it to be like a game and they cheer for all the criminals instead. Thankfully that position never panned out.

The TV is one of their best weapons and if more people stuck they're heads in a good book once in a while, we would probably be much better off. FWIW.