Second Article Option
Read the following articles:
Toronto police officer wearing ‘Punisher’ skull patch on uniform faces disciplinary action
‘Are we the baddies?’ A Brief History of the Totenkopf Insignia
https://www.cbr.com/punisher-history-logo-used-police-military-politicians/
Answer the following 2 questions if you choose this option:
1) Why are North American police officers and their supporters decorating themselves with “Punisher” logo badges?
2) What aspect of police culture encourages Canadian officers to decorate themselves in American ‘totenkopfs ‘?
Comment: As a comic fan in the 1980s, I remember when the first Punisher series came out; I wasn’t all that interested in urban crime and “crazy ‘Nam vets” when I had Alpha Flight and TMNT but as a budding ‘goth’ I could appreciate his outfit and gun fetishism. During the 1990s, and especially after 9-11, it seemed like most of the military and law-enforcement seemed to go through their own ‘teen goth’ phase; by 2005 I was dressing normally and the police were dressing in black and wearing skulls! If you want a chance to think about the cultural appeal of vigilantism, Marvel comics, death-head patches in paramilitary circles this is your topic. [Optional: You can also discuss the American Sniper (2014) quote that often accompanies it (“There are three types of people in this world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs”)]
