[happytoexplain]

This seems dishonest. Surely the liberal position - on average - is the rejection of dangerous police, even if that means rejecting a large number of police officers, until the police force (nationally and/or locally) is once again a trustworthy foundation of democratic civilization? The unfortunate reality is that, when you have a class of people with authority and guns, even if only a small minority of them are dangerous, that immediately ruins the image of the whole thing until they are rooted out. Americans have historically proven that, if there's one thing they won't stand for, it's being oppressed/frightened by those in power.

[HeinzStuckeIt]

That might be the liberal position on average, but if you have a social circle that’s lefter than average, as in many metro areas, you’ll occasionally hear a desire for outright abolition of police. Not even a simple local constabulary walking the beat, as there is a meme going around that such law enforcement came out of gangs that hunted down fugitive slaves and is inherently tainted. (Nevermind the existence of such police in countries around the world that never had race-based chattel slavery.) Instead, more investment in social services will supposedly remove the need for them entirely.

But of course, whether that position or the number of people who hold it, has any real influence on gun sales is doubtful and the GP may have been a bait post.

[testing22321]

I have never in my life heard or read anyone, of any social standing, political affiliation, education or station of life discuss the abolition of police entirely.

Is this like “they’re eating dogs!”?

[rufus_foreman]

>> I have never in my life heard or read anyone, of any social standing, political affiliation, education or station of life discuss the abolition of police entirely

"Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police"

-- New York Times opinion headline, June 12, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/opinion/sunday/floyd-abol...

I can remember things that happened 5 years ago.

[testing22321]

I don’t read the NYT and likely I don’t live in the same country as you.

[eindiran]

Then maybe stop commenting about contentious topics in US politics?

[happytoexplain]

Why bring this pointless hostility to HN? Just disagree, rather than the petty internet-style sneering/gatekeeping.

[tharne]

> I have never in my life heard or read anyone, of any social standing, political affiliation, education or station of life discuss the abolition of police entirely.

It was quite literally a slogan and rallying cry.

[Timon3]

> It was quite literally a slogan and rallying cry.

It quite literally wasn't. "Defund" is a different word from "abolish" and has a different meaning. Are you not aware of that difference?

[Jensson]

Defund can mean both, many who chanted that clarified that they meant abolish. If you wanted people to not misunderstand then use a better word that is clear, since many who were on the pro "defund the police" meant abolish the police.

It is your own fault for using a bad slogan.

[Timon3]

I did not choose the slogan, so you'll have to bring up your complaint with someone else :)

Do you have a proposal for an equally short slogan that cannot be misunderstood, especially by the right-wing media machine? I don't believe that such a slogan exists, as pretty much every sentence can be willfully misunderstood.

[IAmBroom]

"You guys literally said abolish the police!"

"No, we said defund, which is more nuanced..."

"Nuance, schmuance, I'm moving the goalposts."

[stockresearcher]

Well, today in fact a town in Wisconsin officially shut down their police department [1]. This area leans Republican, so it’s unlikely that the woke mob did it; probably just couldn’t afford the police anymore. But there you go: people discussed it and then did it.

[1] https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/southeastern-wisconsin...

[HeinzStuckeIt]

I have, it’s an originally online meme that has been taken up by some of the people in my life, frankly as a shibboleth for the progressive values they want to be seen as holding. But anecdote aside, a search for "abolish policing slave patrols" will get you plenty of advocacy, e.g. [0] (as well as critique from the opposing end of the ideological spectrum).

[0] https://criticalresistance.org/abolish-policing/