The indie TV show Portlandia is honestly weird enough without the FBI apparently using a sketch from the program in their training procedures. Yeah, you read that right.
Series co-star Carrie Brownstein said that the FBI actually uses a Portlandia skit called “Sanitation Twins” in advanced-intelligence classes. Why? Not sure, but she said that she considers it “surreal.”
In April, an instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, approached the producers of the IFC program and asked if they could use the “Sanitaton Twins” sketch in advanced-intelligence classes which focus on terrorism, espionage, IP theft and other related crimes.
The sketch is a spoof of recycling culture.
That’s why Brownstein had this to say about it :
“This falls under the surreal category. We granted permission, although he didn’t tell us why he was interested.”
Though the cult show is well-received, it has something of a reputation for only being liked by adherents to “hipster culture,” or people best known for not really liking anything in particular, rejecting popular culture, and riding an ambiguous philosophical line between conformity and anarchy.
Brownstein said that the FBI’s use of Portlandia could help their reputation in that regard, but in her heart, she believes the reason to be much more simple:
“Maybe they’re just making fun of us?”
You can watch Portlandia’s “Sanitation Twins” sketch below, and let us know why you think the FBI uses it for their advanced-intelligence classes. What could they possibly learn from this?
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