Recently Jamie posted a humble lament for the current state of modern America and humanity in general. I was going to post a comment on her blog to show some solidarity, but the comments window wouldn’t be enough to contain the things that had come to mind for me.
Let me end the suspense for ya. I agree with her.
Re the first item…no, the government doesn’t give a flying f*** about us. This administration never did. How else can we explain a government that would sooner side with big business than keep rat poison out of the mouths of children? A government that would sooner teach kids that contraceptives cause mental health problems?   A government that lets a city drown and still hasn’t cleaned up the mess?
Oh dear, was that arrogant of me? Ask yourself: What is more arrogant, to speak one’s mind in good conscience or to shout down those who do? Or maybe death threats beat either one.
And frankly, to let all this corruption and cruelty and incompetance hide in the skirts of Lady Liberty…that is nothing short of cowardice.
Re the second item…it’s one of the more disturbing news stories I’ve seen in a while, for more reasons than you might think. Orange County Assistant District Attorney Susan Kang Schroeder said in the article, “It shows how a group mentality can breed disgusting behavior.” And that’s true, as far as it goes. The problem is that it doesn’t go far enough.
Youth gangs and the violence they perpetrate has its roots in racism and economic injustice that has taken place over generations. And before your eyes roll up into your head, I’m not blaming America. Minority communities carry as much of the burden as anyone else, but racist violence made these gangs a necessity in the early 20th Century. Zoot Suit Riots were more than just a cool song. They were set off by acts of terror — men beaten with baseball bats into a bloody pulp, chicanas raped in the streets, cops that arrested the hispanics and let the white guys walk. Criminal gangs form in communities that feel oppressed. Until the cycle is broken from within or without, we face the tragic prospect of writing off entire families simply because they were the wrong color. Genocide can happen slowly as well as with modern efficiency.
So we’re left with one chestnut of wisdom that I’ve heard recently and often, from many, many voices:Â ” We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”