History Main / CulturePolice

* Creator/LarryNiven, Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn wrote a novel revolving around this concept.
* In Creator/LarryNiven's short story [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_William_Proxmire "The Return of William Proxmire"]], a FictionalCounterpart of the real-world Luddite Senator William Proxmire uses a time machine to go back and cure the disease that got Creator/RobertAHeinlein a medical discharge from the Navy, on the grounds that every "pie in the sky" scientist and technologist he's ever met (and hated) cited Heinlein as an influence. Without Heinlein as a writer, he reasons, science fiction will be crippled, and none of those people will be influenced by his works. To be sure, he does go back to a "present day" where Heinlein hadn't become a writer -- but true to form, it's not the world he wanted.

* Used in a BreatherEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', in which Aang attends a strict Fire Nation academy where it is revealed that apparently their culture, or at least their upper class schools, don't approve of dancing, or self-expression in general (this is completely unrelated to the [[SecretPolice Dai Li]] whose official job description is "Cultural Police"- they couldn't care less about cultural decay, they just want [[spoiler: to make sure no one finds out about the hundred-year-old war that's still going on outside the city walls, and to maintain their secret stranglehold on power]]).

** Of course, things are also a lot less strict in the Fire Nation "Terrirories" in the Earth Kingdom.

* The Spanish comic ''{{Fanhunter}}'' involves all of Europe being taken over by self-proclaimed Pope Alejo Cuervo, a deranged ex-librarian who believes himself to be channeling the ghost of Phillip K. Dick. After Cuervo bans all forms of subculture, an organization of sci-fi, comic, anime, and other fanboys known as ''[[LaResistance La Resistencia]]'' organizes to fight Cuervo and his crack teams of "Fanhunters".

* In SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' cultural [[MugglePower revolutionaries]] the [[AntiMagicalFaction Equalists]] want to eradicate the SupernaturalMartialArts of [[ElementalPowers Bending]] and extend this to opposing its most popular culture, the FictionalSport of pro-bending, on the grounds that it leads to idolizing benders, while TheMagocracy's anti-Equalist task force target the Equalist's chi-blocking dojos in turn, stamping out {{Muggle}} martial arts in the process of fighting terrorists.

[[folder:Film]]
* Probably the most famous example of the mundane variety is Reverend Moore from the film ''{{Footloose}}''. In fact, they act like pop music is ''banned.'' Like, against the law. Ren (Kevin Bacon's character) is able to work around it by appealing to the town by explaining the historical use of dance to celebrate life.

* The Grammaton Clerics of the film ''{{Equilibrium}}'' were an elite police force tasked with destroying all art and killing anyone who possesses art. This was because the {{dystopia}}n government was attempting to stabilize society by completely eliminating human emotion (why the government needs an elite, GunKata trained task force to carry this out is [[RuleOfCool never really explained]]).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', creativity in Bricksburg is harshly discouraged, with anything not built to pre-specified instructions getting destroyed, and repeat offenders threatened with being "put to sleep".

* ''Anime/AKB0048'', we have the DES are heavy against {{Idols|inger}} and will open fire on them and their fans.

* In ''CSAConfederateStatesOfAmerica'', the Confederacy's morality laws severely stunt the country's cultural growth. According to the movie, Confederate culture never evolved beyond [[PropagandaMachine state-inspired propaganda]]. Many take their talents to [[CanadaEh Canada]], which benifits greatly.
* In ''DuckSoup'', Groucho Marx, as the newly installed ruler of Freedonia, lays down the law in a jaunty tune:

The Culture Police are bad guys who try to stamp out art (most commonly rock and pop music and/or dancing) for whatever reason. Mundane versions may simply be exaggerated versions of real-life MoralGuardians operating on a local level, or trying to drum up support to expand their pro-censorship campaign. Fantastic versions may be a [[JamesBond SPECTRE]]-esque organization or ScaryDogmaticAliens whose scheme to TakeOverTheWorld involves stamping out freedom of expression. The fantastic variety will usually come with armies of FacelessGoons who go around confiscating or [[BookBurning destroying books/records/paintings/what have you]], and [[AllCrimesAreEqual arresting (or killing)]] people who so much as whistle. The canonical alignment for these bad guys is LawfulEvil, as they are very much control freaks.

** After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, all western TV, film, and music was banned in Iran. When liberalizing political attitudes in the mid-2000s lead to some western music being authorized for sale in the country, ironically enough, a Queen's greatest hits album was the first disc approved for sale. This was due to Bohemian Rhapsody containing the phrase "Bismillah."

* In ''CSAConfederateStatesOfAmerica'', the Confederacy's morality laws severely stunts the country's cultural growth. According to the movie, Confederate culture never evolved beyond [[PropagandaMachine state-inspired propaganda]]. Many take their talents to [[CanadaEh Canada]], which benifits greatly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', creativity in Lego City is harshly discouraged, with anything not built to pre-specified instructions getting destroyed, and repeat offenders threatened with being "put to sleep".

* The final stage of ''EliteBeatAgents'' involves a showdown with the Rhombulans, aliens who conquer the Earth and ban all music, shooting petrification rays at anyone who defies them.

* In the Creator/StephenKing short story "ChildrenOfTheCorn," the eponymous children have destroyed a pipe organ and plugged it up with corncobs. On the music stand they have placed a presumably biblical passage regarding the sinfulness of artificially produced music (i.e., by instruments, rather than pure vocals). But then, He Who Walks Behind the Rows has some ''strange'' ideas about sin.

* Several storylines in ''{{Fans}}'' played this trope hilariously straight. Apparently, the only thing standing in the way of would-be world conquerors is science fiction fandom. Ban sci-fi, or go back in time and kill someone big like HGWells, and Earth is all yours.
* The Mayor in ''TheWordWeary'' has a Grand Jury indict Yorick for his performance art.

* In the ''TinyToonAdventures'' episode "Washingtoon", Buster and Babs had to appeal to then-President GeorgeHWBush and the United States Congress to keep a stick-in-the-mud [[MoralGuardians moral guardian]] from turning Acme Acres into the setting for a saccharine EdutainmentShow.

* As detailed in the quote at the top of the page, ''Literature/TheBookOfLordShang'' advocates making music and learning illegal so the average person will devote his attention to farming.

* The [[OlderThanFeudalism classic example]] is Creator/{{Plato}}'s ''Literature/ComicBook/{{Republic}}''; which advocates censorship and control of poetry and music, to eliminate unhealthy and undesirable beliefs and attitudes.

* LarryNiven, Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn wrote a novel revolving around this concept.
** In Larry Niven's short story [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_William_Proxmire "The Return of William Proxmire"]], a FictionalCounterpart of the real-world Luddite Senator William Proxmire uses a time machine to go back and cure the disease that got Creator/RobertAHeinlein a medical discharge from the Navy, on the grounds that every "pie in the sky" scientist and technologist he's ever met (and hated) cited Heinlein as an influence. Without Heinlein as a writer, he reasons, science fiction will be crippled, and none of those people will be influenced by his works. To be sure, he does go back to a "present day" where Heinlein hadn't become a writer -- but true to form, it's not the world he wanted.

* Kyle's mom Sheila on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is the freakin' CHIEF. In the episode "Death", she convinces the parents of South Park to commit mass suicide in order to get the networks to pull an offensive Terrance and Phillip episode, and in ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkTheMovie'', she ends up starting a war with Canada (and eventually TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt) over the Terrence and Phillip film ''Asses of Fire''.

The Culture Police are bad guys who try to stamp out art (most commonly rock and pop music and/or dancing) for whatever reason. Mundane versions may simply be exaggerated versions of real-life MoralGuardians operating on a local level, or trying to drum up support to expand their pro-censorship campaign. Fantastic versions may be a [[JamesBond SPECTRE]]-esque organization or ScaryDogmaticAliens whose scheme to TakeOverTheWorld involves stamping out freedom of expression. The fantastic variety will usually come with armies of FacelessGoons who go around confiscating or [[BookBurning destroying books/records/paintings/what have you]], and [[AllCrimesAreEqual arresting (or killing)]] people who so much as whistle. The canonical alignment for these bad guys is LawfulEvil.

** Music/Rush's album ''2112'' had a similar theme -- but Rush, at least, got it from Creator/AynRand's ''Anthem'' (which also lent its title to one of their songs).

* The [[OlderThanFeudalism classic example]] is Creator/{{Plato}}'s ''Literature/{{Republic}}''; which advocates censorship and control of poetry and music, to eliminate unhealthy and undesirable beliefs and attitudes.

* In the PiersAnthony short story "Nonent", an alien wants to destroy human ingenuity by destroying science fiction. He decides to send an unsolicited manuscript to all science fiction short story magazines, the second page of which will [[BrownNote destroy the mind of anyone that sees it]].

'''Girl:''' I'm telling ya, I ''took'' all the uppers! You wanna hear me rap? "I saw the best minds of my generation..."\\

Art has always been an outlet of dissension. These days, this reputation is most strongly associated with rock music. And where you get dissension, you get people trying to stamp it out. That's where the CulturePolice come in.

The CulturePolice are bad guys who try to stamp out art (most commonly rock and pop music and/or dancing) for whatever reason. Mundane versions may simply be exaggerated versions of real-life MoralGuardians operating on a local level, or trying to drum up support to expand their pro-censorship campaign. Fantastic versions may be a [[JamesBond SPECTRE]]-esque organization or ScaryDogmaticAliens whose scheme to TakeOverTheWorld involves stamping out freedom of expression. The fantastic variety will usually come with armies of FacelessGoons who go around confiscating or [[BookBurning destroying books/records/paintings/what have you]], and [[AllCrimesAreEqual arresting (or killing)]] people who so much as whistle. The canonical alignment for these bad guys is LawfulEvil.

Can easily be perceived as a TakeThat against any art deliberately allowed by the CulturePolice.

** Rush's album ''2112'' had a similar theme -- but Rush, at least, got it from Creator/AynRand's ''Anthem'' (which also lent its title to one of their songs).

* The Clash's song "Rock the Casbah" is about a shareef who bans rock.

* The ''NineInchNails'' concept album, "Year Zero," features a {{dystopia}}n future where the "Bureau of Morality" has eroded American civil liberties and generally act as a CulturePolice against any form of expression, particularly music, that dissents against the powers that be.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Normality}}'' [[spoiler: can be argued to represent the final total victory of the CulturePolice.]]

* Killer Queen and Globalsoft in ''WeWillRockYou,'' the rock musical based on the music of Queen, are bent on eliminating all music and, thus, free thought, on Planet Mall, aka Earth.

* The Facist Govrnment does this in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', confiscating or stomping out most forms of art and music; V, as a contrast, uses the stomped out materials as an iconic symbol.

* Kyle's mom Sheila on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is the freakin' CHIEF. In the episode "Death", she convinces the parents of South Park to commit mass suicide in order to get the networks to pull an offensive Terrance and Phillip episode, and in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark TheMovie'', she ends up starting a war with Canada (and eventually TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt) over the Terrence and Phillip film ''Asses of Fire''.

* The Facist Govrnment does this in ''VForVendetta'', confiscating or stomping out most forms of art and music; V, as a contrast, uses the stomped out materials as an iconic symbol.