Monday, March 30, 2015
Anti-scam dramas
Before 1960 there were a LOT of radio and TV shows aimed at consumer protection from SCAMS. Some series, like Hello Sucker and Racket Squad, were fully devoted to the subject; many episodes of general cop shows like Highway Patrol or This is your FBI made the same point.
In recent years this subject has nearly vanished from the mass media, because our economy is 100% scam now. We don't want consumers to be on guard against anything, because anything is everything.
A pleasant exception is this modern series of 15-minute dramas produced by the Postal Inspection Service.
I'm not sure how these were meant to be viewed, or if they were ever aired on broadcast or cable. Maybe they're purely for Youtube.
The characters are sharp and realistic, not genericized or muted. In this episode about a boiler-room stock scam, the boss is exactly the right New York type, and the victims are people you'd find in Spokane or Tulsa. Unlike some ads where the scammer is obviously wrong because we don't dare offend the real types.
Bravo to USPS for doing a true public service which the main media have steadfastly refused to perform.
Incidentally, this series is a precise echo of a 1947 radio series that was also produced in connection with the Postal Inspectors. Only one episode seems to be online at the moment, but ISTR a larger set somewhere.
¶ 2:03 AM 
