The Supermarché of State Violence: Protecting Property and Serving Power

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Mar 3, 2026 · 20m

Language philosopher Bry Willis examines the linguistic mystification of state power, arguing that the police motto "To Protect and Serve" functions as a deceptive branding tool rather than a literal promise of public safety. By employing a parable of desert and lake-dwellers, the author illustrates how the law prioritises the protection of property and hierarchy over the well-being of individuals. This inherent ambiguity allows the state to mask enforcement and violence as benevolent service, convincing even the marginalised that the mechanisms of their own oppression are necessary for "law…