Can you remember when cops were called "pigs"?

[Igel]

15. Yes, that level of contempt for the cops was common among some groups in the '60s and '70s.

It wasn't pervasive though, and in many subcultures there was no contempt for the police. In many of these there's been not much of a change. It's just that as people get out and are exposed to other subcultures they can either think that they've been secluded or assume that everybody was like them at one time and others must have changed.

When I was a kid, most police were held in reasonably high regard. This was in the '60s and '70s. Nobody thought them bad, just human. I was also exposed to subcultures that despised the police. Think of it as exposure to diverse modes of thinking and judging. It seems, in hindsight, to mostly depend on whether you were part of the subculture that was responsible for the laws and public culture or if you could only respect them if you could remake both according to your own personal standards. Put bluntly.

Every group I know abuses their authority at some point. Not everybody. I've run into police, politicians, professors, school administrators, bosses, religious figures, parents, HOA "activists," teaching assistants, and pet owners who all abused their authority. General rule of thumb: Give a large enough group some authority and it will be abused. The more authority, the greater the effects of the abuse, but I'm not sure that there's a greater incidence. I assume there is because I really do think power corrupts. You can get by with more, so you act accordingly. It's one argument for making sure all power is restricted and distributed. Most people, however, may say that when the power is concentrated in "enemy" hands but when it's their guy with the badge or the political office, the more concentrated the power the better. I think that's basically focusing on the bacteria on your cornea. "Short-sighted" is an understatement.

I find that every president I've seen in office since I hit puberty has abused his authority at some point. I don't count those before I hit puberty because I wasn't paying attention and have no direct observations. Every teacher, professor, boss, religious figure, parent, school administrator, and even pet owner as well, even if they're usually reasonable and fair.