Glossary Entry: ACAB
Quick Definition
This slogan became popular during the 2020 riots over police misconduct. It stands for "All Cops Are Bastards", a belief that stems from the presumption that no good cops exist.
When police misconduct is the focus of a story, you'll sometimes hear that the problem is just a "few bad actors", and that most of the police force is made up of good people. People who use the ACAB slogan may counter this argument by explaining that the good actors aren't really that much better, as they aren't fixing the systemic issues in their departments. In other words, one bad apple has spoiled the bunch.
Personally, I don't share this view; I think it's too simplistic to paint every police officer as equally guilty. Along those same lines, I get the impression that the ACAB slogan gets thrown around by people who want an easy way to be seen as "cool" or "rebellious" by their peers - ie, it's as performative and meaningless as when edgy teens used to say "f*ck the police".
When police misconduct is the focus of a story, you'll sometimes hear that the problem is just a "few bad actors", and that most of the police force is made up of good people. People who use the ACAB slogan may counter this argument by explaining that the good actors aren't really that much better, as they aren't fixing the systemic issues in their departments. In other words, one bad apple has spoiled the bunch.
Personally, I don't share this view; I think it's too simplistic to paint every police officer as equally guilty. Along those same lines, I get the impression that the ACAB slogan gets thrown around by people who want an easy way to be seen as "cool" or "rebellious" by their peers - ie, it's as performative and meaningless as when edgy teens used to say "f*ck the police".
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