Even though “police
officer” and “cop” have the same literal meaning, they each trigger a different
connotation. The phrase, “police officer,”
usually triggers a positive connotation. When one hears, “police officer,” he
thinks of one who demonstrates integrity, loyalty, leadership, and kindness;
many people not only respect police officers for who they as a individuals, but
also for their notable roles and positive impacts within the community.
On the contrary, the word, “cop,” usually
triggers a negative connotation. Many
people feel that “cops” are cruel individuals whose goal is to cause a negative
impact on others’ lives; in reality, cops are just doing their job and trying
to make sure each individual within the community is safe. For example, when people
are at a party and someone screams, “Cops are coming!” everyone gets scared and
hides. These people typically do not realize that law enforcement officers show
up at parties to make sure everything is okay and to make sure that everyone is
safe. What many do not realize is that “cops,” like “police officers,” are normal
people: they wake up every morning, they have families, and they have hearts.
I agree with you that cop has a more negative connotation. Cops pull people over and give them speeding tickets. People might want to be disrespectful towards a cop, whereas people hold police officers in high regard. Police officers arrest the guy that broke into your house and make the community a better place. You explained the difference between the two very well.
ReplyDeleteI like how you directly talk about how the two words trigger negative and positive connotations. You do a good job of supporting this with the expected characteristics of a "police officer" while also giving the expected reactions of people to a "cop." The two words certainly trigger different connotations, and I agree with your blog. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThe word police officer is certainly received better than the word cop even though they are the same. For me when I think of cop, I think of someone to run from not necessarily call when I am in trouble like a police officer.
ReplyDelete