Mammal Stereotypes - Pigs - 26 - Page 1

Obnoxious, filthy, greedy, dirty, swine

All these aspects are due to the natural pig lifestyle (when raised on a farm rather than a feedlot) - "greedy" from the way they devour any food put in front of them, "filthy" from the fact that a pig-sty is generally a soup of mud and feces which the pigs don't seem to mind at all (this also gives rise to the saying "As happy as a pig"). The stereotype may also derive in part from Judeo-Islamic cultures, whose concepts of kosher/halal teach that pigs are "unclean" for various reasons.

"Pig" is a pejorative nickname for a filthy or ugly person in many languages. It also is a derogatory word for the police in English slang, which is why all policemen in Fritz the Cat are pigs, and why Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons resembles a pig. A piggy bank also contributes to pigs' association with greed. Examples: Napoleon and other pigs in Animal Farm.