I’ve never understood this sentiment, because obviously not all cops are bastards. It doesn’t really help call out inappropriate behavior because as soon as you pull the ACAB it makes the discussion hollow
Well we see here one cop going off the rails and attacking a civilian full force. So we might say ok just that 1 cop is a bad apple but not all of them are like that. Fair.
But what did the rest of them do? Will they report/punish/fire the bad cop? Usually that’s not what happens. They defend their own, which makes them complicit.
By saying ACAB people are stating that community police, highway patrol, detectives, cyber, specialist forces are all bastards. It’s a ridiculous statement that doesn’t help address anything. So you need to address specifics, gather themes and drive that agenda (e.g. police response in crowd control is excessive and should be condemned).
ACAB is pointless and simply an attempt to evoke emotion.
Sure, I agree peer accountability is also important. This comes down to education, training, and culture. But let’s not all pretend that in our workplace we pull up everyone. Let’s not also pretend that what my peer does is equal or representative to what I do
If your peer does something on purpose that kills another person do you call them out and push for accountability or protect them?
Cops protect each other, nearly every time. When they don’t its either b/c its so egregious or the evidence is so overwhelming that protecting them is worse than accountability.
Police are the violence enacted by the state to protect capitalist interests.
While they incidentally help in sometimes solving crime, this is not and never was, their true purpose.
Making sure the proletariat do not gain class consciousness and making sure power can not shift from capital is their job.
When people say ACAB it means that because they are tools of the capitalist elite they cannot definitionally be anything other than bastards who are ignorant of class consciousness or are willing participants in their own abuse at the hands of capitalists using them because it gives them some kind of proxy power.
That’s an interesting take and one I categorically disagree with… but heck share some more. Can you explain what exactly a police officer does to ensure there is not a power shift ?
How do you think the proletariat class does not have awareness that they are a lowest class worker who is trading their time for profit? What does a police officer do day to day to impact this, seeing as your sentiment is police incidentally help sometimes from this I take you mean a majority of police work is for capitalism.
I would have thought if there was such a strong focus on protecting capitalism, they would for example be strongly enforcing illegal tobacco, they are not.
Most protests that I am aware of are generally around environment, human rights. I haven’t seen a protest around proletariat low SES rights, why do you think that is?
Keen for your thoughts
Can you explain what exactly a police officer does to ensure there is not a power shift?
To be clear I’m talking about the structure of the police. If you’re asking me what individual officers do day to day to maintain power structures I’d point to any example of racial profiling, use of force, selective enforcement and the concept of property protection.
I ask you, who benefits the most from tax payer funded security for private property protection?
How do you think the proletariat class does not have awareness that they are a lowest class worker who is trading their time for profit?
This is reasonably self evident through the rise in right wing political parties who are voted for by people against their own self interest and who advocate for the externalisation of the problems with capitalism by blaming a subset of the proletariat, ie migrants.
How do you explain the rise in inequality and decline in living standards if not for the failure of our current economic system?
What does a police officer do day to day to impact this, seeing as your sentiment is police incidentallyhelp sometimes from this I take you mean a majority of police work is for capitalism.
Yes, police are tools of capitalism.
I would have thought if there was such a strong focus on protecting capitalism, they would for example be strongly enforcing illegal tobacco, they are not.
I think you’re conflating capitalism with commerce or the economy. Protecting capitalist interest does not entail protecting markets it’s instead ensuring the power of society is maintained by those with capital. A specific example would be the lack of consequences for those people involved with Epstein.
How do you explain those lack of consequences if capital does not equate to power and police are beholden to those interests?
Most protests that I am aware of are generally around environment, human rights. I haven’t seen a protest around proletariat low SES rights, why do you think that is?
The fundamental cause of human rights breaches and environmental destruction is capitalism so there is a strong argument to be made they are one and the same. However if you reject that, I would ask whether you’ve never heard of a protest for workers rights? Were you alive during the Occupy Wall Street protests?
Finally, ca you conceive of a world without police forces in their current form?
Oh, so literally all cops are bastards.
Yup.
I’ve never understood this sentiment, because obviously not all cops are bastards. It doesn’t really help call out inappropriate behavior because as soon as you pull the ACAB it makes the discussion hollow
Well we see here one cop going off the rails and attacking a civilian full force. So we might say ok just that 1 cop is a bad apple but not all of them are like that. Fair.
But what did the rest of them do? Will they report/punish/fire the bad cop? Usually that’s not what happens. They defend their own, which makes them complicit.
By saying ACAB people are stating that community police, highway patrol, detectives, cyber, specialist forces are all bastards. It’s a ridiculous statement that doesn’t help address anything. So you need to address specifics, gather themes and drive that agenda (e.g. police response in crowd control is excessive and should be condemned). ACAB is pointless and simply an attempt to evoke emotion.
Sure, I agree peer accountability is also important. This comes down to education, training, and culture. But let’s not all pretend that in our workplace we pull up everyone. Let’s not also pretend that what my peer does is equal or representative to what I do
If your peer does something on purpose that kills another person do you call them out and push for accountability or protect them? Cops protect each other, nearly every time. When they don’t its either b/c its so egregious or the evidence is so overwhelming that protecting them is worse than accountability.
Now you are lying about what happened.
A person was beaten up, not killed. The evidence is overwhelming that they weren’t killed.
People should not be beaten up for no reason, there should be accountability.
Cops kill people all the time, my argument has no lies.
Bastard or naive. Though these bastards will make naive ones leave or become one of them
Police are the violence enacted by the state to protect capitalist interests.
While they incidentally help in sometimes solving crime, this is not and never was, their true purpose.
Making sure the proletariat do not gain class consciousness and making sure power can not shift from capital is their job.
When people say ACAB it means that because they are tools of the capitalist elite they cannot definitionally be anything other than bastards who are ignorant of class consciousness or are willing participants in their own abuse at the hands of capitalists using them because it gives them some kind of proxy power.
A tankie who has conveniently forgotten the Stasi. What a surprise.
That’s an interesting take and one I categorically disagree with… but heck share some more. Can you explain what exactly a police officer does to ensure there is not a power shift ? How do you think the proletariat class does not have awareness that they are a lowest class worker who is trading their time for profit? What does a police officer do day to day to impact this, seeing as your sentiment is police incidentally help sometimes from this I take you mean a majority of police work is for capitalism. I would have thought if there was such a strong focus on protecting capitalism, they would for example be strongly enforcing illegal tobacco, they are not. Most protests that I am aware of are generally around environment, human rights. I haven’t seen a protest around proletariat low SES rights, why do you think that is? Keen for your thoughts
Can you explain what exactly a police officer does to ensure there is not a power shift?
To be clear I’m talking about the structure of the police. If you’re asking me what individual officers do day to day to maintain power structures I’d point to any example of racial profiling, use of force, selective enforcement and the concept of property protection.
I ask you, who benefits the most from tax payer funded security for private property protection?
How do you think the proletariat class does not have awareness that they are a lowest class worker who is trading their time for profit?
This is reasonably self evident through the rise in right wing political parties who are voted for by people against their own self interest and who advocate for the externalisation of the problems with capitalism by blaming a subset of the proletariat, ie migrants.
How do you explain the rise in inequality and decline in living standards if not for the failure of our current economic system?
What does a police officer do day to day to impact this, seeing as your sentiment is police incidentallyhelp sometimes from this I take you mean a majority of police work is for capitalism.
I would have thought if there was such a strong focus on protecting capitalism, they would for example be strongly enforcing illegal tobacco, they are not.
Most protests that I am aware of are generally around environment, human rights. I haven’t seen a protest around proletariat low SES rights, why do you think that is?
The fundamental cause of human rights breaches and environmental destruction is capitalism so there is a strong argument to be made they are one and the same. However if you reject that, I would ask whether you’ve never heard of a protest for workers rights? Were you alive during the Occupy Wall Street protests?
Finally, ca you conceive of a world without police forces in their current form?
Then why are there police forces in Communist countries? What was their purpose there?
Don’t understand, or disagree? Do you really want to discuss the nuance and history of this subject here and now?
Feel free to discuss all the history you want, labelling every person is just pointless, because it’s factually inaccurate.
Whew. Thanks for making this easier.