#I do believe I have a problem with rambling…

[aba-daba-dooo]

Is Psych Copaganda? a long, rambling essay by me (a media and fandom scholar)

TLDR: Sometimes. Copaganda is ubiquitous with entertainment media, but Psych does have moments of self-awareness and benefits from being extremely fictional. I think its your call as an individual to decide where it lands on the propaganda spectrum.

To call something propaganda is messy by default. There’s a lot to consider when it comes to intent: is this being done with the purpose of persuading an audience, promoting a particular viewpoint, or influencing public opinion. These definitions most often apply to the news media and what information is presented to the public, but it does also come in the form of entertainment media. Look at anti-communist cartoons produced in the 1940s, or at Marvel comics being designed to get people to buy war bonds or sign up for the military. It’s intentional. That's what makes it propaganda and not just misinformation. Already, we're in a weird spot for procedural television shows.

It’s no secret that procedural television comes from a long line of copaganda. It goes back to Dragnet (1951-1959). It was specifically made in response to prior media depicting the police as foolish and unhelpful (think Sherlock Holmes), and the public working with the police less and less because of that. So Dragnet (which was a Disney product by the way) was created to show a competent officer to help get white folks to work with the police again. That is copaganda in its purest form. 

Of course, people found the show entertaining. So what happened? Other studios began producing procedural dramas for the cash. And they stayed popular. People like mysteries where the bad guy is always punished accordingly and the heroes are reliable and trustworthy– with the exception of those “few bad eggs”. But many of these shows aren’t being produced with the intent of changing public opinion the way Dragnet was. They just fit the formula. 

I think that’s copaganda by proxy. It’s not on purpose but because we’re operating with a system that was designed to make people believe the police are good, that’s what ended up happening. These are your Law and Orders, Miami Vice, Hawaii Five-O, etc. Brooklyn 99 is a weird one because while it's a workplace comedy before it is a cop show, there are times where it is totally tone deaf and really falls into the good cop bad cop binary. 

But I’m here to talk about Psych and the consultant procedural. I like the consultant procedural because it harkens back to the Sherlock Holmes era where the police need some random silly guy to do their job for them because they're too dumb to do it on their own: Castle, The Mentalist, Sherlock (BBC), Elementary, High Potential, etc. But they are, at their core, procedurals and they still get the by proxy treatment. It’s not copaganda on purpose, but it shows how copaganda is ubiquitous with entertainment media. Even shows that aren’t focused on police still fall into this category because that’s how media creators are trained. If something works, don’t fix it. 

So why is Psych weird? 

In some ways, it is totally copaganda. There are episodes like Lassie Did A Bad Bad Thing and You Can’t Handle This Episode that fall into that “few bad eggs” category. It raises up the main characters who are police as well intentioned, while everyone else in the para-military world is open to suspicion. It creates some paranoia for the audience that keeps things interesting. But it perpetuates a myth that the police aren’t a systemic operation based on oppression. And sure, Shawn and Gus are there to save the day because they technically aren’t cops. But they still work closely with the cops and always hand their criminals over to the faulty justice system at the end. That’s the formula created by decades of procedural media– and thereby is copaganda by default. 

Lassie is a problem too. He’s a weird little freak and I love him, but the trope of a gun toting cop who is desperate to shoot someone leaves a pretty bad taste in my mouth (accurate as it may be to real life). And while he mellows out significantly thanks to Shawn’s friendship, there are times where I think it's too much. If he were real, I wouldn’t trust him at all. Henry is the same way, and training Shawn to be a police officer from birth shows how he has drunk the copaganda kool-aid. The glorification of violence by some of the characters is used for humorous purposes, but there’s honestly nothing funny about it. 

But here’s where I think things get a little complicated. Because Psych has some moments of self-awareness that predate the larger, public conversation around copaganda. Obviously, Shawn’s refusal to be a police officer and decision to subsequently break the law in the name of real justice is iffy at times. But he harkens back to the old days of making the police look like idiots. He takes their money and reminds them that they’re foolish. He commits crimes under their noses every single day and no one is the wiser. It does not bode well for the police’s image. 

There are multiple times where Gus expresses hesitation about working with police because he is Black. It’s subtle, as we’re talking 2006-2014 and the conversation surrounding police brutality was upheld majority by the Black community (and falling on deaf ears), but it's there. A Black man criticizing the police on television. Shawn is able to use his whiteness and extend it to Gus, which is a complicated thing on its own, but I do think that James Roday Rodriguez having to hide that he is half Mexican from the industry introduces layers to this. According to the Psych podcast, James and Dulé Hill were intentional in their references to racism in the show. When Psych wants to challenge the traditional narrative about police, it does. And let’s talk about how Shawn and Gus regularly stick up for the little guy. Where Juliet and Lassiter easily dismiss people because of their prior criminal history, Shawn and Gus give everyone equal standing. Sometimes they’re deceived, but they don’t let it influence their future cases. Sometimes their vigilante justice thing goes a little too far, hence violating people’s rights and privacy. Still, I appreciate their passion for doing the right thing simply because it is right. Psych is very interested in showing both sides of the procedural drama and letting the audience make moral decisions for themselves. 

So is Psych copaganda? Erm. Sometimes. I’ve heard it both ways.  

But I think it's also important to note that this is fiction. Extreme fiction. Psych is wild and easily divorces itself from reality. It wants to remind you constantly of genre tropes and play up how ridiculous this all is. In the same way that I can enjoy media about literal murderers and say “it’s a good thing this is just pretend otherwise that would be really fucked up” I think I can extend the same grace to Psych. It’s pretend. It knows it's pretend. It knows this isn’t how the real world works. I know the real cops are bad (but I have the luxury of a media degree and cultural awareness-- not everyone does), and these guys aren't real. So I can suspend my disbelief long enough to watch this funny lil bisexual man cause problems on purpose.

[minkshame]

a bit new to eddsworld BUT

how do u pinpoint the main 4 and their general characterization? i struggle a bit to with their personalities and kinda just wanted to learn more about them from anyone

Everyone has their minutiae about the four lads but I can give you my take for sure. Tbh my takes have kind of changed over time! I was a bit legacy-pilled about some aspects for a while and i do still incorporate things from that these days but definitely less. I try to lean into ALL eras when writing.

Everyone has their own ways, but please feel free to use what I say here! I love when people like my ideas. This got long sorry autism

Edd: Probably most mischaracterized by the old fandom. Edd has main character syndrome, I think. He believes he should always get what he wants. He's pretty rude, tho none of them have tact at the end of the day. Legacy softened him a LOT, most likely due to Gould's passing making it a bit of a tender subject to portray the character with negative traits. I do think Edd is soft spoken and a sweet guy if he cares about you, but is he NICE? GENERALLY? no. He'll tell you quite frankly that he thinks you're lame. He'll laugh at your misery. He is the "first to poke fun". He's also immature. Thinks girls have cooties. Watches cartoons in his tighty whities. Has owned the same shirt for 20 years. Creature of habit, doesn't like change. He's also really sentimental. He's here for fun and cats and memes and lame puns and a nice juicy burger he can bite and get the oil dribbling down his chin. I love you Edd

Gender: Cis Male he/him. I can also see Edd as nonbinary Orientation: Bi but also aroacespec in some way. Ethnicity: Born in Britain but I think both of his parents are White/Filipino, making him mixed as well

Tom: While I can get behind the depressed headcanon, I'm not huge on Tom being such a debby downer ALL the time. Ska music is his thing and that's upbeat and trumpety. He's pretty whimsical by default, sarcastic and gooberlike, does the weirdest stuff out the four (drink paint, for example). He is the one cracking the one liners when Edd isn't. He talks impossibly fast. He loves and loathes himself at the same time, and when he drinks he's either the most fun guy you've ever met or the angriest asshole ever. Has one hell of a grumpy face. Has bones in his hair. Is probably double jointed. He's just a freak. Also really creative, just like Edd! But more of a writer/musician than a visual artist.

Tom is really versatile. He can be the cynical voice of reason who hates everything currently happening, or he can be the one causing the problems by blowing everything up with a grin. He can be the tough guy, or the sensitive teddy bear. He's bisexual in every way!

Gender: transmasc, he/him. Transitioned as a young child Orientation: Bi full stop Ethnicity: Also mixed, his dad is white and from Chicago, his mum is black and scouse.

Matt: Matt had the biggest personality shift, so it's nice to place him somewhere in between to keep it faithful. I honestly think beyond does a good job with him. Matt is REALLY self centered no matter what, though. In early shorts he is actually kind of genuinely an evil asshole, and I usually chalk that up to his teenage angsty hyper masc phase. He was "lashing out". I dont LOVE neutered legacy matt, but I do enjoy when he has his fast talking scared ramblings. He does it in Hammer and Fail, i think that is Matt at his best. A little bit of a crybaby, very narrow minded, but able to understand what is going on. Has good ideas on accident.

Is clean with his body and appearance, but horribly disorganized with his possessions. Has every allergy. Probably chronically ill. Sickly victorian child.

I just would describe my matt as fussy. He gets upset about little things, he wrinkles his nose in disgust at you and he does not hide it. He's a disorganized mess but he really notices the little things about people. Weirdly perceptive in areas and clueless in others. Rude, like the rest. If given an inch of affection, will take a mile. Loves to love. hopeless romantic. FUCK THIS GUY!!!! (woman)

Gender: bigender, flips back and forth. (he/she) Orientation: Pan Ethnicity: Irish and English

Tord: The one people really argue over. His legacy personality seems to overtake most fanworks, but I kind of view him as the opposite. Tord in classic has only a few lines, and his character traits are “guns, bacon, hentai”. Ok… so he’s quiet and pretty narrowly focused. So this is key— Autism. He is quite nonverbal. When he does talk, he says things he shouldn’t. He calls people unintelligent, while they can hear it. He means it objectively. He is afraid of women. Or being loved.

Legacy Tord is boisterous. Loud. The controller of the conversation. This is why I saw him as a clone. I can sprinkle bits of him into normal Tord (the habit of inventing or tinkering, a bit of a villain complex) but generally they are different.

I have a particular headcanon about how he was raised that factors into his personality but I think in general if you want to be faithful to classic Tord just make him edgy and maladjusted. He’s too quiet for anyone to notice how bad his opinions are, though.

Gender: Cis Male (he/him) until middle aged and then Transfemme (she/he/it) Orientation: bi. His preferences change as he ages as well. Ethnicity: Norwegian of course

[etirabys]

current original work protagonist is the magically powerful bastard child of a clan with mind control; her thing is that she despises them for how they treated her mother, is plotting their downfall, and considers herself morally superior to them. like the rest of her family she on some level considers it her natural right to maneuver other humans around on the board, but she has trained up her charisma so that she can manipulate and gaslight people the old fashioned way instead of using dark magic, which is Bad

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

I know I’ve said this before, but as much as I think gallifrey really wouldn’t work all that well outside of audio, I would absolutely love to be able to see character’s mannerisms, how they stand, how they walk, the facial expressions they make. I want to see the stupid time lord outfits and the halls of the citadel and what low town and the outlands look like, what the houses look like, I really just wish we had more visuals of gallifrey

[matteoberrettini]

genuinely hilarious btw how people on twt want soo bad to make matteo a villain in jannik's story or some shit like it's a disney movie. less than a month ago he said they'd talked recently and he's never had anything but good things to say about jannik but to some people it'll never be enough because he made a decision for his career that i understand is hard to digest but it has nothing to do with his relationship with jannik, jannik himself said it doesn't bother him, they both have never indicated they weren't on good terms. like yeah we can't ever really know the truth behind what they say in public, but i think we should stick with what we can see and read, yeah? because making wild assumptions based on nothing doesn't lead to anything good, it's just speculation and i don't see what anyone gains from it?? i think maybe some people need to grow up and accept that they don't know these people. they don't know jannik and what he thinks or feels or who he talks to or who avoids him or whatever. we know what he shows and tells us and that has to be enough because otherwise we go down dangerous paths

[lesbiansforeddiediaz]

Where my Eddie meta differs from the popular fanon is I don't think all his problems are because he's gay and I don't think kissing a man would heal him or really benefit him much at all. (He is gay but that's not important right now)

[novantinuum]

steven quartz universe is a wild character because never before have i simultaneously had various facets of imagined scenarios in my head where a character is either: cis+, nonbinary, a trans boy, OR a trans girl before

like you could genuinely go ANY direction with this character and still come up with a satisfying and interesting bit of character work for Why gender is the way it do be

[pyrepostings]

imagining a defiant interrogation whumpee who gets sick of saying "I'm not telling you" so they start going into what sounds initially to be them finally telling whumper what they want to know, but ends up being whumpee wasting time by just quoting a song.

[gojoest]

not the usual good morning post, but hello and morning! ( :

i’m deeply grateful to everyone who is looking out for me here — it truly means a lot and i appreciate it immensely. however, for my own peace of mind, i kindly request that you refrain from mentioning other users in my inbox, especially one in particular whom many of you are likely aware of. this is purely for my own comfort. thank you! 🤍

[viridian-house]

remembering the time I asked my ex to please make some distance between himself & my bestie because of remarks he'd made to me about her body and his response was to get home, sit on the sofa and fold his hands, and look at me and say "since you're thinking I'm cheating on you, I can only assume this means you're projecting your own guilt onto me and you're the one cheating. I'd like to look through your phone now."

and guess who ended up being the one cheating 🥲

[king-lena]

roger waters and david gilmour would have either had a much better or a much worse relationship if they had just listened to plato and socrates and given in to their carnal desire towards their fellow man and just fucked about it in the first place but they really took the beautiful homosexual wisdom of man loving philosophers for granted and look where it got them

[m0thlegs]

As much as purity culture IS penetrating fandom spaces and sanitising them beyond their core intent, I feel like some of you are overusing the phrase "don't like, don't read" (and others like it). Rather in response to people being nitpicky about certain themes merely existing in content (fan-made or otherwise), you guys keep using it as a way to shut down critical discussions of your favourite medias in a way that feels oddly anti-intellectual and ironically puritanical in and of itself.

[somatosensors]

my hater moment about marvel designs is that female superheroes are overwhelmingly young. and also other things but thats a big one.

[purgemarchlockdown]

Hm...

[reanimatedgh0ul]

this is their dynamic to me

[nico-fanatic]

me when nico is only ever portrayed as a loser idiot edge lord who can’t do anything as if he hasn’t repertory proven to be very intelligent, insanely strong and capable, and perfectly able to fight for himself

me when nico is flanderized by the fandom AND the fucking author