Why are Cops called Pigs?

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Why are Cops called Pigs?

Cops are an integral part of our society. They help maintain the peace and order making sure that everyone follows the rules. They are the ones who help implement the laws that are made by the executives of the city making it an ideal place to live.

However, you still hear cases of abuse done by cops which lead them to be called by other terms. One of these terms is ‘pig., Calling a cop a pig is not really something that just recently came up. When you research on its beginnings as early as the 1800s, this term was coined to refer to cops. It was first used in London in 1829 when Sir Robert Peel took over the reins of the Metropolitan Police. The reason for this association was his love for Sandy Back Pigs that he brought in Tamworth. The pigs became known as Tamworth pigs and thus the association of the term with the police.

This term disappeared for a while and reappeared during the hippies’ movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The underground and anti-establishment culture of these people made them a target by the police which lead to a mutual dislike with each other. The term police pigs may have started its resurgence during the 1968 National Democratic Convention in Chicago wherein the group of Yippies retaliated when their protest was broken up by the police.

There are also references to the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell wherein the pigs were in charge of the farm. It may also have originated from the gas masks that police wore during the 1960s whenever they tried to break up a protesting crowd. The snout of the gas mask looked like the pig’s snout. The term pig may have been a derogatory term for the cops but they have turned it into a positive one by referring it as initials to Pride Integrity Guts.

Author: maureen

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