I’m leaning towards yes, because despite their inclusivity and the general feel-good vibes of the stories, the characters themselves flirt with police brutality quite a bit, and who knows exactly what they get up to in their lives outside the novels.
Any more nuanced views from my fellow hexbearians (and lemmings)? I’m slightly less articulate than Detritus on a hot day, and I wonder how much the politics and views of Terry Pratchett comes up in leftist discourse.
In their more lucid moments Vimes et. al. might admit ACAB themselves.
In Discworld/Pratchett’s case, I have found that Pratchett is subtly subversive. Within the parody are landmines of satire and criticism framed as characters (and reader) coming to natural conclusions. I think he would identify with Blazing Saddles, Hot Fuzz, and Super Troopers as a similar category. In each of those examples, the protagonists eventually have to fight social institutions (Governer, HOAs, and other cops, respectively) while making satirical digs at all the institutions involved. We aren’t meant to uncritically support them or what they do, but we can use them as a vehicle to more interesting ideas.
fwiw, I’m just starting Moving Pictures this weekend.
That’s a fun one. Read that a few years back.