From time to time on T-shirts, or even directly on the bodies in the form of tattoos, no, no, and a strange abbreviation ASAB flickers. What kind of abbreviation is this, resembling either the name of a football club or the designation of a Middle Eastern terrorist organization? What does it have to do with our realities and why is it gaining popularity in Russia and other countries of the near abroad?
Original English decryption
Firstly, this abbreviation does not consist of Cyrillic letters. “All Cops Are Bastards!” - categorically affirm residents of English-speaking countries who are always dissatisfied with the actions of law enforcement agencies . Not all, of course, but only those who had the sad experience of dealing with the police. The punctures on the chest, back or arms (as an option, on the fingers, letters on each, except for the big one) “scary” abbreviation, football fans, students burning cars and hooligans, breaking glasses, express their disagreement with the policies of the authorities that do not give them “ turn around in full. ” So, we can say about ASAV that this is a cry of the soul of the rebels oppressed by the police. “All the cops (they are cops, they are“ pharaohs ”, they are also“ cops ”) are bad people” - these four English letters “ACC AB” are roughly deciphered. But there are other options ...
From the point of view of the police themselves
Knowing how ASAB is deciphered, one could assume that the American cops and British "bobby", seeing this inscription, are terribly upset or, in extreme cases, terribly angry. It is possible that some representatives of law enforcement agencies react in this way, but for the most part Western “cops” are not as stupid as their eternal opponents - violators of the law think (not without reason the word has a common root with “mentality”, that is, mind or thinking). And the smart man considers humor to be the best answer to any rudeness. The British police have their own opinions on what the ACAB means. “All Cops Are Beautiful,” for example, which literally means, “All police officers are beautiful.” Or "Always Carry A Bible" - "Always the Bible with me."
ACAB in art
In 2012, a very good Italo-French film “ASAV” was released. The tape shot by the director Solima talks about the problem of the relationship between state power agencies and the rest of society, revealing it as if from the “inside”. The main character is a policeman, and not a simple one, but from the special forces, an analogue of our riot police. This picture added popularity to the four-letter abbreviation. The main advantage of the film is its honesty, although sometimes violent scenes hit over the edge.
Can I still say about ASAV? That this is a song of the seventies of The 4-Skins, however, most listeners managed to forget this rather noisy composition.
There is an abbreviation in modern rapper, punk and other protest compositions that promote personal freedom on the verge and beyond permissiveness.
ASAV at us
The creators of wall compositions in the style of graffiti in our country often use these letters to enhance the dramatic effect of their works. In the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the countries that formed on its ruins, the relations of hooligans with the police-police were also not easy, which found a wide variety of expressions, from inscriptions on the corners of houses to tattoos. Esoteric abbreviations appeared, understood only by “initiates”, former prisoners and those who were explained their meaning. And given the ever deeper penetration of the English language into our everyday speech, one should not be surprised that instead of the phrase “All cops are Kazly!” some ardent young man - a football fan - having served a fifteen-day administrative punishment for hooliganism, scribbles four Latin letters ACAB on the wall. What this means, he literally in the language of Shakespeare may not reproduce, but he will convey the meaning in his own words.