Can we take a minute to talk about the new Prius commercial? It features bumbling, affable bank robbers, a Prius, and suspiciously incompetent police. The commercial is cute and fun.
But let's look at it carefully. The robbers steal a Prius and are able to evade the police, who are completely befuddled. In one commercial, the Prius slips through a group of officers sleeping in their squad cars. (We get it. The Prius is as quiet as ever.) Yes, there is that one segment where the police are outfitted with their own Prius fleet and presumably they are able to catch the thieves. But what if the criminals had hurt someone with their reckless driving? Why aren't there more people supporting the police instead of the law breakers? Does the color of the car represent the blood of the victims of police violence? Is this commercial anti-law enforcement?!
Let me put it this way: It's about as anti-police as Beyonce's halftime performance.
Yes, her performance featured dancers dressed (sort of) as Black Panthers. And yes, the Black Panther party has a complicated, often misunderstood history with law enforcement. They were fighters and revolutionaries, but they were also activists and community organizers. They were more than just angry young people who used violence to get what they wanted. We can simultaneously disagree with their methods yet understand their struggle. Remember, history is written by the victors, and the Black Panthers did not emerge victorious.
So, is the presence of Black Panther- themed dancers and a call for the continual pursuit of justice equal to anti-police rhetoric? No more than a red Prius evading an incompetent police force to the admiration of thousands.
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