[hrimfaxi]

These people carry guns and can kill you on the street and they can't take getting called some bad names?

[throwaway173738]

Yes, exactly. Try calling a cop a “pig” to their face. Or breaking up with a cop. Or just say no to something they’re asking you to do.

“Not all cops” and all that, but enough of them are like that that you have to be really careful how you engage with them.

[lwkl]

> Try calling a cop a “pig” to their face.

At least where I live in Europe you aren't allowed to insult people and you can get fined for it. Be it a police officer or a any other person.

[ryukoposting]

I cannot imagine living in a place where I can't tell someone what I think of them once in a while.

[maest]

You can tell them they are doing a shameful job or that you disagree with their actions or whatever.

You just can't _insult_ them like a 6 year old on a playground. Why is the ability to do so valuable to you?

[eudamoniac]

It is viscerally against my cultural upbringing for the government to make illegal a verbal insult, it seems like an incredible overreach. I'm genuinely culture shocked hearing this. I'd be no more shocked hearing that it's illegal to dye one's hair.

[maest]

Fyi, insults are illegal in the US, under certain conditions, under the fighting words doctrine.

[malcolmgreaves]

The first thing you described is an insult.

[maest]

No, an insult implies insolence, rudeness, condescension, insensitivity. You can communicate a dim view of someone without being rude.

[nirava]

being fined != physical, possibly fatal violence with body-cam turned off and irrevocable immunity

[anon84873628]

I do agree with you and the other comment in this vein. I have very little sympathy for these officers.

However, there are different situations. For example, I imagine this person is not very surprised or upset to be called "dyke" in a verbal altercation. That is different from sitting in a quiet courtroom, knowing it is being filmed, watching a popular video where your gender identity and expression is repeatedly insulted.

Let's say the officer was black, the defendant was white, and made a video with lots of racist stereotypes. Would we think that was funny and cool? Would we be surprised if the black man had a breakdown in the courtroom watching it? We wouldn't even be having this conversation.

By all means, call cops pigs, liars, thieves, idiots. If you want to be racist, sexist, or call them pedophiles, I'll defend your right to do so but not be as sympathetic.

Otherwise we're just the hypocritical liberals as the right wingers accuse...

[runako]

> say the officer was black, the defendant was white, and made a video with lots of racist stereotypes. Would we think that was funny and cool? Would we be surprised if the black man had a breakdown in the courtroom watching it?

This is very common in the US? Common enough to be a minor plot point in a current cop show (Cross), which is to say the audience will be familiar with the material. Also explored in e.g. True Detective. No, the Black cop does not get to break down in court while being racially taunted. Either on TV or real life. This is expected by all to be a part of doing his job.

[anon84873628]

So? Even if the officer doesn't live up to our emotionally resilient ideal, it doesn't mean the stereotyped insults are any more acceptable.

And to the genesis of this thread, it doesn't mean I must believe the tears are fake.

[hrimfaxi]

I agree with you on the sentiment—I don't think it's cool to use racially charged terms or otherwise in degrading ways. That isn't to say my sympathy is lost. When you feel powerless you reach for power in any way that you can and trying to make someone feel bad for who they are is low-hanging fruit.