To Be Shocked by ACAB Jewellery?

[SluggyMuggy]

I started work this week in a shop. Today I was rota to work with a part time staff member I had not met before. The young woman who turned up was friendly and worked hard. She was wearing that said ACAB and I asked what it meant. I was expecting her to say it was a gender identity that I had not heard before. Instead she said it meant All Cops Are B.....DS.
I was take aback. I have never heard this saying before.

AIBU to be shocked that there are necklaces that say this? Or has everyone else seen this before and I am unobservant?

I’m not surprised at all that it exists (ACAB is a pretty common abbreviation although more for graffiti than jewellery) not appropriate for the workplace though!

I've heard about the phrase and abbreviation before (only within the last few years), but never seen it in jewellery. I suppose few things are shocking these days, but it does seem tacky and obnoxious. Only a very foolish and inexperienced person would honestly believe it to be true, so it's most likely worn only for shock value.

True, she is young, so maybe this is a rebel statement more than anything.

ACAB is old school rebellion 😂 I’m surprised you haven’t heard it before, pretty sure it’s been around since at least the 70s

ACAB has been around for a while so I’m not surprised it’s popping up on jewellery etc. I saw it on a tote bag once.

Also look out 1312

It's a very longstanding acronym, traditionally tattooed across the knuckles of young men who end up repeatedly in and out of prison.

So it's quite shocking that an apparently respectable young woman has it on a necklace, she probably thinks it's a protest against the minority who are sexist, racist or homophobic thugs.

I prefer to think of it as meaning 'All cats are bastards', cos it's true .

ACAB has been around for years. It smacks of student politics to me.

Totally unsuitable for work.

Well, it's not very Mumsnet but it's hardly new. My father is 85 and I remember as a very small child hearing him sing "I'll sing you a song and it won't take long: all coppers are bastards!"

I grew up in a mining area so it wasn't uncommon at all to hear this. The modern "ACAB" American variant isn't original.

Agree with others - this is an old phrase, but the jewellery aspect is new.

I do not manage her, so I do not care. That is for the manager to deal with.

I find this is the catchphrase of those who are criminals or as Pulp sang about are rich 'tourists' who are playing the politico game.

Definitely been around since the 70s and possibly decades before. So it's embarrassingly passé, not to mention immature.

Can almost guarantee she'd be straight in the phone to those bastards if she was the victim of a crime though