Reality TV shows have become a fixture on the media landscape for over a decade now, and one pioneer show that always kept me riveted was "Cops" - ironic, because most townies sprint at full speed away from authority. I, however, was intrigued by the courage of the police officers as they pursued legitimate criminals who were deserving of severe punishment for their actions.
Even most fictional shows about law enforcement have drawn me in. "The Wire," a show about the battle in Baltimore between drug dealers and the genuinely caring officers who track them down, have earned their way into my TV rotation. "Law and Order" has always been an entertaining dive into the workings of the police in NYC, with storylines that many people can relate to.
Even a show like "24", which shows law enforcement on a grander, national scale, proves to be as addicting as most high-level drugs despite unrealistic plotlines and results. The element on all of these TV cop series that keeps the viewer coming back is the fact that law enforcement characters in these shows reveal an innate need to get the job done and do the right thing.
Unfortunately, TV has a way of dramatizing everything, because here at Tufts, if there were a reality show about cops in our immediate vicinity, it would have very little usable material - unless breaking up a gathering of 10 friends watching television makes for good TV.
The bottom line is, they all need to lighten up. We're in college, and 95 percent of the misdemeanors that go on here at Tufts happen at every other school in the entire country. If they don't happen at a particular school, well then who the hell would want to go there?
At one point, my roommates and I were watching music on our TV (actually, it was On Demand Karaoke, the best invention since the wheel) one night and drinking casually (we're of age). After about 20 minutes of fun, a squad of police showed up at our front door. I understand this completely, for if there was a noise complaint, then they had to do their job and step in.
We were yelled at, mocked, and even had the rest of our semester threatened for this minor infraction. For 10 legal drinkers. Doing On Demand Karaoke. Wouldn't a "Hey, could you guys turn down the music, some people complained, but we heard your rendition of Toto's 'Africa'; and you nailed it" have sufficed? I mean, was that really the time and place to make a stand and act like a SWAT team?
The funny thing is, I know about a dozen people who have stories even more ludicrous than that. Like my buddy who was walking home late one night from Espresso's and was aggressively stopped by an officer for having a can of Coke in his hand. I don't know the reason for it, but I think the officer was a die-hard Pepsi fan.
Another side-note: don't you love walking or driving by Dunkin' Donuts and seeing one or multiple police cruisers "protecting" the area? A "187" on Boston Ave. now most likely means the cost of a coffee and a cinnamon bun.
It's not just the police, however, that are doing the harassing. The other day, a group of about six fire department officials (I use that term lightly; officials with tattoos usually means wrestling referees) came to my house on College Ave and said they needed to do an inspection. Not knowing that they were there specifically to screw us over, we let them in, because when has the Fire Department ever not been respectable.
They proceeded to tag us with $300 worth of fines, laughed in our face as they were checking out our house, and told us that our house was specifically being targeted, when at least a dozen other houses on our street alone had similar problems with the fire codes. Once again, why couldn't they have warned us about these infractions and told us to make some changes for our own safety instead of fining us because we're known as a "trouble" house?
In all seriousness, I really do respect the police and fire departments, and I always will, for they do put their lives on the line at points in order to protect and serve all of us. However, there is no excuse for this petty harassment when there are far more pertinent crimes in the area, like Oxycontin drug use or armed robbery. So the next time you feel unfairly persecuted just for being a college student, take a stand and file a report, or write a letter to the editor.
Do whatever it takes, because at this rate, Tufts is on its way to being about as fun as a root canal, and there's no TV super-cop coming to our rescue.
Pete McKeown is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at peter.mckeown@tufts.edu.
