It's hard to buck the status quo. The Constitutional declaration that, "All men are created equal," does not really state what many leaders believe. How many brave revolutionaries have been imprisoned or killed because of their beliefs? Martin Luther King, who professed non-violence, was jailed numerous times. Gandhi and King were both assassinated. Abraham Lincoln, the president, was assassinated for freeing slaves. Our nation incarcerates more people than any other.
We have an aristocracy in this country. Politics creates aristocracy. Fame and fortune create aristocracy. Woody Allen, Bill Cosby are forgiven for violent crimes while minor transgressions by members of the masses are punished harshly. Studies show that people born into poverty will likely live impoverished themselves. We may be electing a megalomaniac for president. Popular sports figures get passes unless caught assaulting people on camera or caught murdering others execution-style.
We are not equal under the law. Just as George Orwell said in Animal House, "All people are created equal, but some people are more equal to others." Kansas public schools may be shut down. Is education only for the rich? Why are student loans not discharge able in bankruptcy while Donald Trump is a serially bankrupt person? Corporations are people. Really?
I know I sound rambling. The truth is I did something today challenging authorities And, I am nervous. Powerful people generally do not hanker to those challenging them. Being polite and deferential in our society is perceived as superior to bucking the system. Today, I tried to buck the system. I wasn't polite and I wasn't deferential and I am nervous.
Sometimes you need to just go down swinging.
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