Confronting Police Brutality Through Cultural Jamming Protests

Abstract

Instructor’s Name We live in a personalized society where people choose individual lifestyles and identities that create a chasm between individuals and politics. This creates a scenario where people take in consumer-oriented material disseminated through the media. The most intriguing aspect is policies and discrimination targeted at particular groups. The response to this kind of life is cultural jamming. Culture jamming is an essential tool for social change in society. It is a form of protest used by activists to ascertain the presence and impact of advertising and consumerism in our everyday life. Culture jamming offers a point of reflection in our lives on what we consume and its role. It is often accompanied by comical and satirical artworks that mimic corporate brand symbols. According to (Danesi, 2017), a critical theory of the Frankfurt school defines culture jamming in the context that the mass media and advertising have power in shaping societal norms, behaviors, expectations, and values through the subconscious and unconscious tactics. Culture jamming impacts social change by instilling fear, shame, anger, and surprise in most humans who call for action. Culture jamming is adverse. It prompts action on social institutions of justice, police brutality, sexual assault, and discrimination. It is a political communication that unveils the rejection of public life in commercial deals. Police brutality is an everyday norm in the United States; it is historically linked to racial discrimination. Americans have consumed excessive use of power, torture, and death by the police without any retribution for their actions. This paper will discuss culture jamming protests on police brutality in the United States and its effects. Cultural jamming is a form of subverting and is deemed to expose aspects of domination in society, purporting for change. It acts as a form of cultural resistance to what is deeply rooted in society. The media enhances a flow of information of dominance and capitalistic messages that permeate our daily lives; cultural jamming brings a form of interruption that deters the faults. There are numerous critics of police brutality that are eminent in American society. The concept of police brutality is a rare topic of debate and discussion in American society, yet the history that comes with it is detrimental. On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown, a teenager, was killed by a policeman named Darren Wilson from [City, State].. The incident depicted a Black city in war with white police officers showcasing a long history of police brutality and harassment. Justice for Michael Brown was Justice for all. The killing of the black boy sparkled protests in a silent, quiet and peaceful society. "Hand's up, don't shoot," protestors chanted in [City, State], echoing Michael Brown’s last words before being shot by the police (Potterf et al., 2018). The audience was used to a still environment, and the culture jamming on the protests against police brutality was influential to mass political action. Michael Brown's case was a low-level crime, and the act of death was pervasive in society. When normal norms and the rules that are obeyed in society are disrupted, it signals a need for intervention to find practical solutions for the menace. White culture has always been popularized by the media making society take advantage of the vulnerability of African Americans. Cultural jamming subverts corporate understanding, invoking emotions and interventions for change in society. Cultural jamming causes social change. It shames the police force and brings to the limelight what has been trampled underfoot in criminal justice institutions. The protests on the death of...