A man is robbed, kidnapped, and driven 2,000 miles from his home. In the 20 years he's held captive, his assailant uses the money he stole and forced labor of the kidnapped man to build a successful business, the profits from which enable him to buy a mansion and several cars.
The kidnapper dies, and all of his possessions pass on to his nephew, who is surprised to find the prisoner locked in the basement.
"Please let me go free!" the victim begs.
"Of course you can go! I'm not some kind of barbarian. I'm ashamed to learn that my uncle would do this! I would never think of doing such an atrocious thing! Please, you may go at once!" says the nephew.
"Thank you, thank you!" the victim replies. "But, how will I get home? I was taken over 2,000 miles and I have nothing but the clothes on my back."
"I recommend, then, that you get a job," replies the nephew, "nothing in this world is free."
"For 20 years your uncle forced me to work to support his business, which he started with money he took from me. Without my contributions, you wouldn't have this house, your car, your business. Can you at least spare me enough of these ill-gotten gains to get me home and back on my feet? Maybe drive me home, if nothing else?"
"Well, that wouldn't be fair. I didn't do this to you, so I'm not going to give you any hand-outs to make up for what somebody else did. But... tell you what: I help those who help themselves. I'll give you a loan at slightly reduced interest so you can attend school to learn the skills you need for a job opening I've got at my uncle's -- I mean my -- company. You can pay me back out of your wages, if you get the job, otherwise you can work somewhere else and pay me back anyway." replied the nephew, who was definitely not some kind of barbarian.
"But --" started the victim.
"That's my final offer. Take it or leave it." the nephew cut off.
The victim looked at the filthy rags he'd called clothing, felt around in his empty pocket, and listened to his stomach growling before biting his tongue, hanging his head, and taking the loan.
A few years later, after he got the job, his co-workers said they thought he'd been given special consideration in the hiring process because of his history with the owner. "It's just not fair," one was heard to gripe. He was right, of course. It wasn't fair at all.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
The Fidelity of Man
Lo, every man who's born bears the same curse,
About his thirteenth year, 'twill activate,
Any lass, with the right act rehearsed,
Can steal his will; his thinking captivate.
All she must do is speak the magic words,
Twist her shape just so, gently touch him here,
He may resist at first, but it's absurd:
If she persists, his mind she'll domineer.
Through strength of will, this fate he can delay,
But o'er long term, he has just one defense,
If one begins the spell, he cannot stay;
To keep self-rule, he must leave her presence.
So if he seeks never to be cajoled,
A faithful man will flee while in control.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
I'm (We're) Obviously Not Outraged By Michael Brown's Death
I'm not outraged by Michael Brown's death. Don't get me wrong, I
definitely recognize his death as an atrocity. I am ashamed of its
occurrence in my country by my government. I would much rather that it
hadn't happened, and that things like it wouldn't happen in the future.
However, I'm definitely not outraged. I probably said, on hearing the
news, that I was outraged, but it wasn't true. If I were outraged, I
probably would have written and published something in the first few
hours of hearing about it before looking around for something else more
substantial I could do. It's been a year now, and I'm finally getting
around to finishing this draft I last edited 8/16/14.
That's not what outrage looks like. It's horrible, really, when you think of how many high profile names I could have used for this title, in just the past couple of years, and how many low profile names I could probably find if I looked. It's also horrible that Black people have to keep dying for me to remain focused on the topic of changing the system that's killing them. That wouldn't be the case if I were outraged; I'd be thinking about it all the time, not just when I read about another execution-without-trial in the news, or see another anniversary roll by without any substantial changes to prevent it happening again.
If I am being honest, for me it is merely a shame. A damned shame. Much like if I heard of a lion being poached. That's in contrast to somebody who, for instance, has to wonder every time they drive a car, shop for s'mores, call the police for protection, call for an ambulance, share a home, be out near other Black people, (to name but a few activities) whether an encounter with the police could prove ultimately fatal. For me to claim outrage would be an attempt at appropriating the moral high ground of being opposed to an injustice without either facing its effects myself or actively attempting to undo it. Exaggerating my feelings about it to position myself as "one of the good ones" cheapens the impact of everyone whose outrage is authentic.
I know I'm not alone, here. The fact that police really only gear up to contain protests in Black neighborhoods after they shoot an innocent Black person proves that nobody else must be truly outraged. The fact that even our "Progressive" politicians typically ignore the Black Lives Matter campaign shows that we don't even prioritize it on an intellectual basis. It's not something we're going to disrupt our own lives to try to change; expect no uprising from us. We know what the police do is wrong, but we have also been so successfully distanced from the people being oppressed that it doesn't register to us as our problem. We believe so firmly that this could never happen to us that we won't risk anything to protest to enforce the rule of law and the constitutional rights of Black citizens. We allow the rule of law to decay and the application of "justice" to become arbitrary and excessive because we believe ourselves unlikely to be personally harmed. Unlawful police killings of Black Americans are outrageous, but I'm not outraged. I'm complacent at best, complicit at worst.
So unless and until I actually do something that takes real commitment, I'm not going to say I'm outraged anymore even though I know I should be, and I don't think anyone else who isn't being targeted should either. Let me be clear: I'm not saying I want everyone to stop saying they're outraged; what I want is for everyone to demonstrate their outrage through action (pun definitely intended). Imagine, for instance, if everyone who says they're outraged when these atrocities occur actually took to the streets to demand national changes in police policies and additional constitutional protections. If everyone called up their congressmen with the same message. If everyone attended meetings of their political party primary to demand it be a top agenda item (Oh, or maybe something like this?). If everyone researched judges, District attorneys, police chiefs, sheriffs, and any other elected law enforcement VIPs to change police policies in their own localities.
But most of us are not outraged. Perhaps if we stop saying we are without accompanying action, we'll remember that we need to contribute more than words and really get involved in bringing social justice. It doesn't matter what I feel or think about racism; all that matters is what I do. May this serve as a reminder, to me more than anyone, that it's time to get outraged; it's time to do something, and then another thing, and then another thing, and then another thing, until #BlackLivesMatter to our society.
That's not what outrage looks like. It's horrible, really, when you think of how many high profile names I could have used for this title, in just the past couple of years, and how many low profile names I could probably find if I looked. It's also horrible that Black people have to keep dying for me to remain focused on the topic of changing the system that's killing them. That wouldn't be the case if I were outraged; I'd be thinking about it all the time, not just when I read about another execution-without-trial in the news, or see another anniversary roll by without any substantial changes to prevent it happening again.
If I am being honest, for me it is merely a shame. A damned shame. Much like if I heard of a lion being poached. That's in contrast to somebody who, for instance, has to wonder every time they drive a car, shop for s'mores, call the police for protection, call for an ambulance, share a home, be out near other Black people, (to name but a few activities) whether an encounter with the police could prove ultimately fatal. For me to claim outrage would be an attempt at appropriating the moral high ground of being opposed to an injustice without either facing its effects myself or actively attempting to undo it. Exaggerating my feelings about it to position myself as "one of the good ones" cheapens the impact of everyone whose outrage is authentic.
I know I'm not alone, here. The fact that police really only gear up to contain protests in Black neighborhoods after they shoot an innocent Black person proves that nobody else must be truly outraged. The fact that even our "Progressive" politicians typically ignore the Black Lives Matter campaign shows that we don't even prioritize it on an intellectual basis. It's not something we're going to disrupt our own lives to try to change; expect no uprising from us. We know what the police do is wrong, but we have also been so successfully distanced from the people being oppressed that it doesn't register to us as our problem. We believe so firmly that this could never happen to us that we won't risk anything to protest to enforce the rule of law and the constitutional rights of Black citizens. We allow the rule of law to decay and the application of "justice" to become arbitrary and excessive because we believe ourselves unlikely to be personally harmed. Unlawful police killings of Black Americans are outrageous, but I'm not outraged. I'm complacent at best, complicit at worst.
So unless and until I actually do something that takes real commitment, I'm not going to say I'm outraged anymore even though I know I should be, and I don't think anyone else who isn't being targeted should either. Let me be clear: I'm not saying I want everyone to stop saying they're outraged; what I want is for everyone to demonstrate their outrage through action (pun definitely intended). Imagine, for instance, if everyone who says they're outraged when these atrocities occur actually took to the streets to demand national changes in police policies and additional constitutional protections. If everyone called up their congressmen with the same message. If everyone attended meetings of their political party primary to demand it be a top agenda item (Oh, or maybe something like this?). If everyone researched judges, District attorneys, police chiefs, sheriffs, and any other elected law enforcement VIPs to change police policies in their own localities.
But most of us are not outraged. Perhaps if we stop saying we are without accompanying action, we'll remember that we need to contribute more than words and really get involved in bringing social justice. It doesn't matter what I feel or think about racism; all that matters is what I do. May this serve as a reminder, to me more than anyone, that it's time to get outraged; it's time to do something, and then another thing, and then another thing, and then another thing, until #BlackLivesMatter to our society.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Privilege
Let's imagine a world. It's a fairly simple world. Everyone is
given tokens every day to go to the local casino, and they can spend
those tokens on the games there. Some games pay out better if you're
skilled or really smart, some pay off if you put in tremendous amounts
of time, some are just pure chance. So, the most talented and dedicated
almost always do the best within their respective localities.
However, there are differences between these locations. In some, the jackpots for the games are all higher. In others, the odds are stacked in favor of the player, so most people are winners and some amass huge fortunes. In some, the players are all given more tokens to begin with, so they have much better odds. In others, the prices are all lower, giving players virtually infinite chances to win. In some lucky places, two or more of these bonuses are applied.
The end result is that there are huge differences in outcomes for neighborhoods who should be statistically equal absent their local circumstances. Within each neighborhood, the most talented and dedicated usually become the most successful, with a few others matching them through pure luck. However, the biggest winners in the country are almost invariably determined by where somebody grew up rather than what they did while they were there.
Wouldn't that be a batshit crazy world?
However, there are differences between these locations. In some, the jackpots for the games are all higher. In others, the odds are stacked in favor of the player, so most people are winners and some amass huge fortunes. In some, the players are all given more tokens to begin with, so they have much better odds. In others, the prices are all lower, giving players virtually infinite chances to win. In some lucky places, two or more of these bonuses are applied.
The end result is that there are huge differences in outcomes for neighborhoods who should be statistically equal absent their local circumstances. Within each neighborhood, the most talented and dedicated usually become the most successful, with a few others matching them through pure luck. However, the biggest winners in the country are almost invariably determined by where somebody grew up rather than what they did while they were there.
Wouldn't that be a batshit crazy world?
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