Even though racism used to be institutionalized I think it's important to bring up that the "racism" has really just begun to boil down to class warfare. The classes are not as they were in the past though, with plebians, peasants, serfs, and then nobles and lords and the rich, and then divine rulers. Now that global communication is a thing it is starting to separate into classes divided by personal interest and ways of life. These ever broadening disagreements between said classes is leading to an arms race between those that believe in it and can afford it. The general public is so spoon fed care and money that taking care of yourself is no longer a personal responsibility, someone else can and will do it for you. Not only that, but they want it to be that way at the expense of freedom. Everyone wants more rules because they are afraid, but they don't realize that the more rules there are, the worse things get. Look at the police, look at the equipment they get. You really want to relinquish your rights to guns and trust that the government is going to do the right thing? Living and thriving are an expectation now, people don't realize unless they've been through severe poverty or military training just how much taking care of yourself is pertinent to survival. Society is fragile, it could all be lost in a minute--what can you do then? You should be able to rely on yourself and the people you trust, but many don't recognize the challenges of survival. Now that lawlessness is most of what we know, people will turn to hurting others to live rather than come together to make something happen. As is a popular theme in today's "music", everyone is out to "do them", to get their slice of the cake, and "fuck all the rest".
If by matter of law-making you keep dividing yourselves between criminals and "honest citizens" then what does that tell others about your trust, about your faith in that humans can be capable of good? That we can live as a community? The more laws, the more you teach your constituents to break the law because it is practically impossible not to. All of a sudden lawlessness and all it entails becomes cool, it's a fad. Now toting guns for the sake of imposing fear, dealing and using drugs, living like a rock star, above the law or simply able to buy yourself out... it's all cool. It's even accepted among large groups of people and required to even be a member, and not just gangs. Fear and loathing start to overwhelm the populace, and rather than doing what's tried-and-true--stopping, analyzing the situation, thinking for yourself, finding a better solution, it's abandoned. Guns used to be a regular part of our lives when America first came to. We have all this nostalgia of "better days" when we could trust our neighbors not to be freaks, sadists, or rapists. If there were any, they were quickly exposed and dealt with. Now, whether that is the reality or not, those freaks, sadists, and rapists all exist in our heads as the very people living next to us, trying to do the same thing as you or me: make a living. They feel, they hurt, they sweat, they bleed, but nobody around them cares about them or their problems, people instead care about "causes" and donation funds. Don't get me wrong, donating to a cause is a great thing, but everyone in the world seems to be getting the shaft here because we don't even wave, say high, make eye contact with, or even acknowledge the existence of many of our human brothers simply because we fear what they might do, at least if you live in the city. In more mid-western and some southern communities this doesn't seem to be as much the case, but it's working its way in there. How can a person believe they can do the right thing if no one else believes in them? It's easy in our rather small circle of life that we feel like the whole world is against us, and it doesn't have to be this way. No one wants to take a stand and be the better person, to show mercy, to be genuinely good when that might really be all it takes. I fail at this myself quite often, but I realize it and am trying to change the kind of person I am. The world may not be any better off because of it, but at least I know what I was doing was what I thought was right. For the longest time I didn't even believe "right" existed, that it could be a thing, but I know now that I am wrong, and if others could see it to, maybe we could all live together someday and not tear each other apart.
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