Schooling the Cops

[Thumpalumpacus]

Interesting choice of examples. Wayne played a virulent racist in The Searchers. Eastwood played characters who flouted the rules and would gladly shoot men in the back. And Ladd? Well, let's just say that Shane had some interesting psycho-sexual issues brewing under the surface.

Quite deliberate choice. If he chose the police-procedurals that are watched weekly by millions on TV, he'd see his "point" evaporate. Classic example of cherry-picking.

Wayne played a virulent racist in The Searchers.

Which he was, according to numerous accounts and quotations. He seems to have softened in his later years, but up until the late 60ies there's hardly a mitigating factor to be found in his vita.

Yep, he said some disgusting things:

With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.

Regarding Manifest Destiny:

I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, if that’s what you’re asking. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.

Both these quotes are from his 1971 interview with Playboy.