ACAB means that all cops are bastards. And if one isn’t a bastard yet, they will become a bastard or be kicked out/killed by the bastards.
It doesn’t mean cops can’t do good things or that a good person can’t become a cop. It just means all cops inherently and inevitably participate in a broken system and those that try to fix it will end up being targeted.
It’s a phrase that explicitly denies any possibility of a nuanced take, or any possibility of reform or anyone good attempting to change the system from the inside. It indiscriminately labels everyone who takes a job to enforce laws globally. It’s crass and I hate it. And no, I’m not a cop
There are certainly cases where internal reform attempts fail. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I see ACAB as a counsel of despair- it’s basically saying that it is intrinsically impossible for the rule of law to to be maintained in a fair, equitable and humane way.
I don’t expect to change anyone’s minds. I’m just explaining why I dislike it.
I see it explicitly as a call to reform. If all cops are bastards, the only way to not have bastards as cops is reform. And if the reform works, the phrase dies.
I agree it’s a combative phrase, but that’s part of the point. It’s a call to action
I agree that it’s a call for reform and that reform is needed. I just it damages the chances of successful report.
If a force or its regulators are trying to get to grips with corruption, they are going to want to ask questions like ‘to what extent is corruption a problem’ or ‘in which departments is corruption worst?’ ‘All cops are bastards’ is a problem.
You have stories like this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66842521 I think there are cops who are trying - and succeeding to make it better. ‘All cops are bastards’ is basically punching those reformers. It will also put off good people who do want to enter the force, because why would you, if it makes you a bastard?
Sorry, would “99.9% of cops are bastards and because of reactions like this the tiny fraction that aren’t are entirely irrelevant” be better? It’s a bit of a mouthful.
Yes it would be better, because it would at least require people to think. But hey, if nuance gets in the way of a good slogan, we should jettison it in favour of simplicity.
They mean the same thing honey. The tiny portion that are “good cops” are unfortunately 100% irrelevant because of shit like this. If they’re not able to actually cause change, which they are not, whether or not they exist doesn’t matter because they may as well not.
You’re being intentionally dense. You know it. I know it. Everybody here knows it.
No they don’t sugar. They are miles apart. One says the small number, but I would hope increasing number of cops who are fighting for reform and justice are bastards - fuck ‘em.
The are police globally who believe in justice and are working effectively to make changes.
This is it. This is the mystical “good cop”. And that’s how the rest of the pigs treat them.
ACAB
It’s what happens, every time.
Now now, dont be reductive. Sometimes they straight up execute them in a “training accident” instead
Yeah, I stand corrected, thanks.
Why is the whistleblower a bastard?
He’s not, that’s why he’s not a cop anymore
But he was a bastard until the day he was sacked?
ACAB means that all cops are bastards. And if one isn’t a bastard yet, they will become a bastard or be kicked out/killed by the bastards.
It doesn’t mean cops can’t do good things or that a good person can’t become a cop. It just means all cops inherently and inevitably participate in a broken system and those that try to fix it will end up being targeted.
We can have a nuanced take while saying ACAB.
The Choirboys is a drop in the bucket.
It’s a phrase that explicitly denies any possibility of a nuanced take, or any possibility of reform or anyone good attempting to change the system from the inside. It indiscriminately labels everyone who takes a job to enforce laws globally. It’s crass and I hate it. And no, I’m not a cop
It also says you can’t change the system from inside. This article is about that. I think that’s proven by themselves.
There are certainly cases where internal reform attempts fail. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I see ACAB as a counsel of despair- it’s basically saying that it is intrinsically impossible for the rule of law to to be maintained in a fair, equitable and humane way.
I don’t expect to change anyone’s minds. I’m just explaining why I dislike it.
And you also see windmills as giants, but that doesnt make you correct, or compelling.
I see it explicitly as a call to reform. If all cops are bastards, the only way to not have bastards as cops is reform. And if the reform works, the phrase dies.
I agree it’s a combative phrase, but that’s part of the point. It’s a call to action
I agree that it’s a call for reform and that reform is needed. I just it damages the chances of successful report.
If a force or its regulators are trying to get to grips with corruption, they are going to want to ask questions like ‘to what extent is corruption a problem’ or ‘in which departments is corruption worst?’ ‘All cops are bastards’ is a problem.
You have stories like this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66842521 I think there are cops who are trying - and succeeding to make it better. ‘All cops are bastards’ is basically punching those reformers. It will also put off good people who do want to enter the force, because why would you, if it makes you a bastard?
Sorry, would “99.9% of cops are bastards and because of reactions like this the tiny fraction that aren’t are entirely irrelevant” be better? It’s a bit of a mouthful.
ACAB
Yes it would be better, because it would at least require people to think. But hey, if nuance gets in the way of a good slogan, we should jettison it in favour of simplicity.
They mean the same thing honey. The tiny portion that are “good cops” are unfortunately 100% irrelevant because of shit like this. If they’re not able to actually cause change, which they are not, whether or not they exist doesn’t matter because they may as well not.
You’re being intentionally dense. You know it. I know it. Everybody here knows it.
No they don’t sugar. They are miles apart. One says the small number, but I would hope increasing number of cops who are fighting for reform and justice are bastards - fuck ‘em.
The are police globally who believe in justice and are working effectively to make changes.
It’s not me who is being intentionally dense
As you continue to entirely miss the point
Found the cop
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