History Main / CulturePolice

Overlaps with {{Thoughtcrime}}. Compare MoralGuardians and {{Fan Hater}}s. See also PoliticalCorrectnessIsEvil for a similar concept.

--> '''Ozpin:''' "It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come."

* ''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.

* ''Film/VForVendetta'': The Norsefire regime tightly controls all entertainment in Britain, censoring everything which ever appears on the British Television Network (BTN) which is government-run. Presumably the [[TheAlternet Interlink]] and any other media is also under their thumb. A specific example is Sutler ordering a painting which had once mockingly portrayed him dressed in drag, called "God Save The Queen", destroyed (but V rescued it).

* 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.

* ''Literature/TheMartianChronicles'': In "Usher II", allworks 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.

--> '''Children:''' "Give us your vanities, or we'll break your windows!"
--> '''Machiavelli:''' "So, God is reduced to breaking windows."

* 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. And being a 'Killjoy' is punishible by [[DieLaughing death]].

** In "Essence of Life", the [=HR2=] virus wiped out billions of people worldwide in 2003. The Global Code of Conduct, which was introduced sometime later, bans open displays of emotion and reflecting on the past as it is believed that such behavior is detrimental to the rebuilding of society. The Code Enforcement Agency (CEA) is a global organisation charged with investigating violations of the Code, which carry strict penalties. By 2014, the authorities are working on a drug which can chemically suppress emotions as they have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for people to control their emotions indefinitely.
** In "Final Appeal", anti-grieving laws were introduced after a nuclear war wiped out 80% of humanity in 2059. They were repealed at some point prior to 2076.
** In "Stasis", books have been transferred to discs. Hardcopy versions can only be procured on the BlackMarket.

* ''LightNovel/LibraryWar'' is about a future Japan where the government institutes a policy of book burning and culture policing. An intentional loophole built into the law by its less enthusiastic signers allow public libraries to 'confiscate' books and save them from the bonfires, which has led to an elaborate system of ritualized warfare between culture police and the libraries.

* In ''Film/CSATheConfederateStatesOfAmerica'', 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.

* Parodied in ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons: Treehouse of Horror'' Halloween story "The Exorsister." Reverend Lovejoy starts a pressure group called Families For Tamer Television [[FunWithAcronyms (FFTT)]] that starts out by boycotting products that sponsor TV shows they find objectionable for one reason or another. They target anything even ''remotely'' subversive: not only do they get a cop show cancelled just because the officers are girls in bikinis, but they send hate mail to and make threatening phone calls to Krusty the Clown to bully him into removing all [[StockShticks "squirting seltzer bottle"]] gags from his kiddie show lest they encourage schoolchildren to misuse fire extinguishers. (Krusty at first delivers an awkward apology personally to the group, but then snaps and [[ShutUpHannibal tells them they can all go to hell]].) Funny thing is, though, Families For Tamer Television [[StrawmanHasAPoint turns out to be right about one thing]]: not only is {{Music/Madonna}}'s music extremely sinful, but Madonna herself is an evil demon capable of entering human hosts and turning them into near-carbon copies of her (which she tries to do to Lisa).

* ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' manages to simultaneously [[DeconstructiveParody parody and deconstruct this]]. Sixteen years before the start of the series, [[PoliticalOvercorrectness 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 {{Nymphomania}}c and wannabe rapist who thinks what she's doing to the object of her affection is [[LoveMakesYouCrazy love.]]

* The cartoon ''WesternAnimation/OscarsOrchestra'' takes place in a dystopian future, and revolves around a plucky band of anthropomorphic instruments lead by a talking piano (the eponymous Oscar) and their efforts to fight Thaddeus Vent, the "Emperor of the World" who has banned all music.

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

* 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).

* ''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]].

Unfortunately, this trope is TruthInTelevision. Several authoritarian, totalitarian and/or theocratic regimes have had (and have still) cultural or [[ChurchPolice religious polices]] whose function is to curb the dissidents and guard the morals. Let's say they do exist, '''[[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease and any specific examples are therefore redundant.]]'''

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

Overlaps with {{Thoughtcrime}}. Compare MoralGuardians and {{Fan Hater}}s. See also PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad for a similar concept.

* ''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 {{Nymphomania}}c and wannabe rapist who thinks what she's doing to the object of her affection is [[LoveMakesYouCrazy love.]]

* Killer Queen and Globalsoft in ''Theatre/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.
** Ironically, Killer Queen sings a song about half way through the play. This is excusable, though, because it's a musical. And who else but a villain could do "Another One Bites The Dust"?
** After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, all western TV, film, and music was banned in Iran. When liberalizing political attitudes in the mid-2000s led 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."

Unfortunately, this trope is TruthInTelevision. Several authoritarian, totalitarian and/or theocratic regimes have had (and have still) cultural or [[ChurchPolice religious polices]] whose function is to curb the dissidents and guard the morals. Let's say they do exist, and any specific examples are therefore redundant.

* ''Series/UtopiaFalls'': New Babyl's government is very suspicious about any new style of dance or music. Aliyah and Bodhi were interrogated for performing hip-hop by the police as it's potentially subverive in their view.

** ''VideoGame/{{Kaiserredux}}'': Several of the possible American leaders -- William Pelley, Elijah Muhammad, WIlliam R. Hearst, etc. will try to regulate Hollywood and other media in order to reshape America's culture.

* 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'."

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[[folder: Video Games]]

* ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'' has the New Order Nation, an anti-youth culture organization consisting essentially of Kerri Hoskins as Mistress Helga, a [[TheBaroness hot authoritarian woman]] in a dominatrix-esque leather outfit, and her throngs of machine gun-wielding {{mooks}} in yellow jumpsuits, which takes over the American government, bans television, rock music, and video games, and kidnaps Music/{{Aerosmith}}.

* The INKT corporation in ''VideoGame/DeBlob'' bans music and color. They take a more proactive approach on color, sucking it away with robots... which they then leave around for the protagonist to slam into and gain color to go spread around Chroma City once more.
* ''Videogame/FallenLondon'': The Ministry of Public Decency, and their Special Constables, play this role, complete with book-burning insignia. They mostly crack down on obviously revolutionary literature and simple digs at the government (in particular the Masters of the Bazaar), but they're known to go after plays and books for stranger reasons, which is only partially explained by the fact Mr. Pages loves to steal books from the "for burning" pile and occasionally bans rare books just to have them itself. All romantic literature is also subject to heavy revision and taxation, and getting caught smuggling it is about as bad as getting caught soul-smuggling. [[spoiler:That's because the city itself feeds on love stories.]]
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the first emperor of Garlemald was an avid patron of the arts, so much so that he personally commissioned a grand airship for his favorite theatre troupe to take their performance all over the empire. By contrast, his grandson and successor placed strict regulations and censorships on all forms of art and theatre so that only Imperial approved works could be shown to the public.
* 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 banned rock outright shortly after the game starts.

* Shows up in ''Literature/AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears'', in the form of the Mickey Mouse Club, which manages to suppress, among other things, Elvis and Beatniks, causing them to leave for Europe.

* 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/TheComicsCode the acronym]]) which in the 2530s "was publicly burning morally suspect pulpzines".

* The cartoon ''Oscar's Orchestra'' takes place in a dystopian future, and revolves around a plucky band of anthropomorphic instruments lead by a talking piano (the eponymous Oscar) and their efforts to fight Thaddeus Vent, the "Emperor of the World" who has banned all music.

* 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 Ba Sing Se [[SecretPolice Dai Li]] whose official job description is "Cultural Police"- they couldn't care less about cultural decay, they just want [[spoiler:to keep the city out of the hundred-year war raging outside its walls and to maintain their secret stranglehold on power]].
** Other views into Fire Nation culture show more approval toward art and self-expression, such as General Iroh and his men playing music on board their ship or having the Gaang infiltrate a Fire Nation festival. This might mean it's mainly in formal institutions like school or military bases that expect such strict behavior, although one constant is that propaganda is everywhere (the festival had children watching a puppet-show with the Fire Lord as the hero).
** Of course, things are also a lot less strict in the Fire Nation "Territories" in the Earth Kingdom.
* 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. 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.
* Mocked, like all tropes, on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' with the episode "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge". After Maggie hits Homer on the head with a mallet, Marge creates a Culture Police group to protest the hyperviolent Itchy & Scratchy cartoons that inspired Maggie's attack. She successfully convinces the studio behind the cartoons to clean up their act. Later in the episode, when Michaelangelo's ''David'' is brought to Springfield as part of a coast-to-coast American tour, the group Marge started is appalled to discover that she doesn't want it banned despite the exposed genitals. When grilled about it on a local talk show, Marge is called out on her hypocrisy and is forced to admit that it's wrong to censor one form of art but not others; [[StatusQuoIsGod Itchy & Scratchy return]].
* The Nixels in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' are entirely anti-creativity...something the Mixels have loads of, and are always out to destroy the Cubits and creativity of the Mixels, hoping to turn the landscape as black and white as they are.