History Main / CulturePolice

[[folder:Anime]]

* ''Anime/AKB0048'' has an the DES, who crack down on {{Idol Singer}}s and are willing to open fire on them and their fans. In fact, it's meant to be a ban on all forms of entertainment, although as AKB discovers in one episode, [[{{Hypocrite}} the wealthy elite who sponsor the DES have a casino.]]
** The reason being [[spoiler:they've discovered the SugarBowl equivalent of TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 ascension and want to monopolize]].

* The fascist Norsefire Government does this in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', confiscating or suppressing most forms of art and music; V, as a contrast, uses the suppressed materials as an iconic symbol.

* 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". [[spoiler:In reality, the movie takes place in a Lego collector's basement; the father wants to recreate the models perfectly, while his son secretly builds mix-and-match settings but can't save them because he doesn't use glue.]]

* Utilized in ''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'' as the presence of two kids from the real world starts making a small town from a sitcom set in an idealized version of TheFifties more and more real. One particularly [[{{Anvilicious}} non-subtle]] scene visually feature an angry mob breaking into a store and tearing paintings apart -- then moving on to burn books. The town establishes a Code of Conduct prohibiting all recorded music except "Pat Boone, Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Jack Jones, the marches of John Philip Sousa or 'The Star Spangled Banner'."
* The Grammaton Clerics of the film ''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]]).

* ''Film/{{Stargate}}'': Written language has been banned on Abydos for millennia (though there is a wall of hieroglyphics that's somehow survived for all this time), and when Daniel Jackson tries to write something to communicate with the locals, the person he's writing to immediately erases it in fear. In-universe, this is explained as Ra not wanting them to learn about and follow the examples of those who rebelled against the Go'auld on Earth.

* The [[OlderThanFeudalism classic example]] is Creator/{{Plato}}'s ''[[Literature/TheRepublic Republic]]'', which advocates censorship and control of poetry and music, to eliminate unhealthy and undesirable beliefs and attitudes.
* Creator/RayBradbury
** The world in the book ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has outlawed books, and employs professional book burners called "firemen". Beatty, the fire chief, explains that it's many books' messages upset people, with bans increasing up to the point that they decided they'd just burn them all.
** Prior to this he wrote ''[[Literature/TheMartianChronicles Usher II]]''. All works of fiction on Earth have been destroyed during the Great Burning. When the Moral Climate Monitors threaten to spread their censorship to Mars, a couple of literary aficionados plan an elaborate revenge.
* In the Creator/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]]. Of course the plan is foiled by the fact that [[TakeThat no editor reads past the first page before deciding what to publish]]
* Creator/OrsonScottCard:
** In short story, "Literature/PriorRestraint", collected in ''Literature/MapsInAMirror'', a group of time travelers calling themselves the "Censorship Board" manipulate history by preventing certain great writers from publishing their work. Note that this board wasn't portrayed as completely bad -- they did this because the works in question would result in the death of millions of people. They actually kept a copy of the work in their library. A rare (slightly) positive portrayal.
** "Literature/TheOriginist": A week after the funeral Leyel Forska threw for Hari Seldon, a representative from the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Commission of Public Safety]] appears to explain to Leyel how concerned they are for his old age. Through {{subtext}} (which Leyel's inner narration explains for the reader's benefit), we learn that Leyel (and his wife) will have to submit their scientific research for approval first.

* Creator/RudyardKipling's ''In the Neolithic Age'' [[strike:hammers]] stoneaxes home his view on the question.
* Creator/CharlesDickens' ''Our Mutual Friend'' satirizes this sort of thing in the character of Mr. Podsnap: "The question about everything was, would it bring a blush into the cheek of the young person?"
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_to_Be_a_God Hard to Be a God]]'' by the Strugatski brothers takes place on a planet where books of any kind, and even literacy, are banned. "Progressors" from Earth are trying to ameliorate the situation, but the main problem is that the planet's ''culture'' is broken, and simply replacing the government will result in an old crapsack in new clothes -- hence the name.
* In the Creator/StephenKing short story "Literature/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.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/SoulMusic'' the Guild of Musicians (specifically Mr. Clete) are opposed to Music With Rocks In, because it's a type of music they can't control.

* In the ''Literature/DeliriumSeries'', dancing, poetry, certain types of music, loud laughter and public displays of affection are all banned. This is so because of the DystopianEdict that states that love is a disease and forces everyone to get a surgery that removes the capability to love (and most other strong emotions).

* ''Literature/{{Bearheart}}'': Native American education is banned in universities.
* ''Literature/MonsterOfTheYear'': Myrna Smud's idea of censorship involves trying to wipe out anything creative (such as outdoor advertising, monsters and ''fairy tales''), which she claims will stimulate the imagination and lead to crime.

* The ''Series/QuantumLeap'' episode "Good Morning, Peoria" had Sam leaping into the body of a DJ during TheFifties and fighting a movement by the local government to ban rock music.
* An episode of ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' had a town outlaw dancing and music while simultaneously passing a law that forced all children into military service. Xena was conscripted to train the children, and she undermined the changes by teaching the children dance and rhythmic music masked as military drills.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]'', ruler Helen A insists her subjects be happy at all times and her enforcers, the Happiness Patrol, try to stamp out all depressing artforms, such as blues music.

* The final episode of ''Series/MaxHeadroom'' features a battle between the heroes and the Censor Board.

* ''Series/LogansRun'': In "Turnabout", all books except the holy texts are banned in Zidor.

* The band Music/{{Styx}} did a concept album called ''Kilroy Was Here'' (which gave us the song "Mr. Roboto"). The eponymous Kilroy was a rogue musician using ThePowerOfRock to lead a revolution against the Majority for Musical Morality, a fascist MediaWatchdog organization backed by TheGovernment.
** Music/{{Rush}}'s album ''Music/TwentyOneTwelve'' 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).

* Music/TheClash's song "Rock the Casbah" is about a shareef who bans rock.
* The music video for DJ Kentaro's "FREE" is about a world where vinyl is banned -- specifically, vinyl records.
* The ''Music/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 Culture Police against any form of expression, particularly music, that dissents against the powers that be.

* The Serious Police in the ''Toonpunk 2020 1/2'' setting for ''Toon''. In a game based on wacky WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes type stuff, they're TheComicallySerious with assault weaponry.
* The Coalition States in ''{{TabletopGame/Rifts}}'' makes ''literacy itself'' a crime. This is the primary reason why the number one person on their Most Wanted List is an outspoken 65-year-old woman who mostly writes books about her travels and freely teaches and encourages others to read.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Normality}}'' [[spoiler: can be argued to represent the final total victory of the Culture Police.]]
* ''Starchildren: The Velvet Generation'' (which could best be described as ''Ziggy Stardust: the RPG'') takes place in a future where an organization colloquially known as "Mad Mother" has ridden the wave of public distrust and stamped out rock music.
* Some of the less liberal of the Successor States in ''TabletopGame/{{BattleTech}}'' have this. (So do the Clans, although their "police" is more likely to be either active or mustered-out ''warriors'' with all that implies.)

* In ''FanFic/MyImmortal'', it's apparently okay to send people to Azkaban for being {{Goth}}. Professor Sinister is sent there, and in the past Albus Dumbledore was so virulently anti-gothic that he'd send any goth he saw to Azkaban.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', a popular song about Sonic (written more or less [[ThemeTuneCameo to the show's theme song]]) prompts Dr. Robotnik to attempt to forcibly ban ''all'' music.

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/NoStraightRoads'' with the titular company; it strongly encourages all aspiring musical artists to use EDM, ignoring anyone who uses a genre that doesn't fit the criteria, and has [[DeaderThanDisco banned rock outright]] shortly after the game starts.

* 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/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', she ends up starting a war with Canada (and eventually TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt) over the Terrence and Phillip film ''Asses of Fire''.

** In fact, in [[Comicbook/SonicTheHedgehog the Archie Comics]], it is repeatedly stated that Robotnik hates all music and has technically banned it. Because he's a jerk.
*** One of the children's books that were written (ones where Sonic was a bit of a MagnificentBastard) bans, among other things, music, books, television, and ''[[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars Nintendo]]''.

* In ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' the heroes outright refuse to create a law or a police force to enforce Retroculture. They distrust the government having that much power and intrusiveness into people's lives, and consider it the responsibility of each citizen to monitor and ostracize those using forbidden technology or rap music. While this works out better for their purposes, it essentially means the entire citizenry is a culture police onto themselves and he lack of a formal one doesn't not stop atrocities such as burning women at the stake for the "crime" of claiming to be a bishop.

** 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 Inquisition and Adeptus Arbites of the Imperium of Man in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' are pretty laid-back about culture, so long as planets revere the Emperor and pay tribute to the Imperium. However, if they see anything that could possibly be interpreted as a sign of Chaos, the purge will be swift and without mercy.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. Captain Janeway has decorated the officer's wardroom with surviving relics of Earth culture, including ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', stated to be ''one of the few copies to [[BookBurning survive the pyres]] of the House Committee for the Protection of Youth'' and still illegal in certain American city-domes, and a jade dragon ''smuggled out of Red China before the [[HistoricalInJoke End of History]]''.

** Prior to this he wrote ''[[Literature/TheMartianChronicles Usher II]]''. All works of fiction on Earth was destroyed by Moral Climate Monitors during the Great Burning. When they threaten to spread their censorship to Mars, a couple of literary aficionados plan an elaborate revenge.

** Prior to this he wrote ''[[Literature/TheMartianChronicles Usher II]]'' has all fiction on Earth being destroyed by Moral Climate Monitors during the Great Burning. When they threaten to spread their censorship to Mars, a couple of literary aficionados plan an elaborate revenge.

* The world in the book ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has outlawed books, and employs professional book burners called "firemen". Beatty, the fire chief, explains that it's many books' messages upset people, with bans increasing up to the point that they decided they'd just burn them all.

* ''Anime/AKB0048'' has the DES, who crack down on {{Idol Singer}}s and are willing to open fire on them and their fans.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/SoulMusic'' the Guild of Musicians (specifically Mr. Clete) are opposed to Music With Rocks In, because it's a type of music they can't control.

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 Culture Police come in.

* The first episode of the ''Anime/ExcelSaga'' anime parodies this. Lord Il Palazzo believes manga is corrupting the youth of Japan, and sends Excel out to assassinate manga authors, starting with the author of the [[Manga/ExcelSaga Excel Saga manga]]. She succeeds, and is promptly bitched out by the personification of the universe -- essentially a living ResetButton -- for breaking reality by killing her own author. It's [[GagSeries that sort of show]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' manages to simultaneously [[DeconstructiveParody parody and deconstruct this]]. Sixteen years before the start of the series, [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad a series of censorship laws lead to the brutal repression of anything deemed obscene, such as foul language, pornography, sexually explicit images, and even mention of the correct medical terms for certain body parts.]] On top of the SWAT team for busting people for watching porn, the current generation is receiving no sex education of any kind, which leads to situations like that of Anna. Once she has her first kiss, she becomes a {{Nymphomaniac}} and wannabe rapist who thinks what she's doing to the object of her affection is [[LoveMakesYouCrazy love.]]

* The online supplementary material for the ''Franchise/BerniceSummerfield'' novel ''Down'' (still available [[https://web.archive.org/web/20021009174222/http://www.menace.ndo.co.uk/loz/misnom.htm via the Internet Archive]]) features the Culture Cancellation Authority (note [[UsefulNotes/ComicCodeAuthority the acronym]]) which in the 2530s "was publicly burning morally suspect pulpzines".

* The online supplementary material for the ''Literature/BerninceSummerfield'' novel ''Down'' (still available [[https://web.archive.org/web/20021009174222/http://www.menace.ndo.co.uk/loz/misnom.htm via the Internet Archive]]) features the Culture Cancellation Authority (note [[UsefulNotes/ComicCodeAuthority the acronym]]) which in the 2530s "was publicly burning morally suspect pulpzines".

* The world in the book ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has outlawed books, and employs professional book burners called "firemen".

** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E65TheObsoleteMan The Obsolete Man]]", the State has banned all books, which leads to the librarian Romney Wordsworth being declared obsolete.

* In the Creator/OrsonScottCard short story "Prior Restraint", collected in ''Literature/MapsInAMirror'', a group of time travelers calling themselves the "Censorship Board" manipulate history by preventing certain great writers from publishing their work. Note that this board wasn't portrayed as completely bad -- they did this because the works in question would result in the death of millions of people. They actually kept a copy of the work in their library. A rare (slightly) positive portrayal.

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

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

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E137Number12LooksJustLikeYou Number 12 Looks Just Like You]]", the works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare, Creator/JohnKeats, Creator/PercyByssheShelley, Creator/{{Aristotle}}, Creator/{{Socrates}} and Creator/FyodorDostoevsky were all banned many years earlier as their ideas were considered subversive. Professor Sigmund Friend accuses Marilyn of introducing smut to the interview when she mentions that she has read them.

* Not uncommon in ''Series/{{Sliders}}'', with perhaps the purest example being a world where a technique for direct brain manipulation was developed. Originally intended for mental health treatment, and to achieve some strange form of enlightenment, unscrupulous politicians used it to eliminate creativity, to the point where the creative impulse became classified as a mental disease. This was done to solidify their hold on power. Unusually for that part of the series, the group didn't solve this problem before they left.

* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'': In "[[Recap/SlidersS05E12MapOfTheMind Map of the Mind]]", the [[DifferentStatesOfAmerica Corporate States of America]] controls its population by banning all forms of creativity. Anyone who displays such tendencies is subjected to brain remapping in order to eliminate them.