The real reason that so many people are flipping out about the imperial collapse is not about how extreme the changes are, but because the differences have exposed the lies that held the foundation of the empire. No, farming is not done magically by a bunch of hippies in overalls, and small family farms have been gobbled up by corporations for years. Under no condition were the reportedly smallest ethnic group positioned to be the largest drain on the economy, because math. Billionaires had no interest in fixing the problems that their actions created; they just want to enjoy power without responsibility while continuing to be sociopaths, regardless of how much “charity” they have offered. All of these conditions existed, but too many beneficiaries and sycophants lied to themselves, making the collapse of their worldview more painful.
Most Black people are not surprised that beneficiaries and sycophants are behaving this way because we have told people for years that short-term gains with high collateral leads to destruction. Our efforts to combine destinies were met with derision and discord, and unsurprisingly, people are still shocked that we have stepped back from the conversations. As I have been saying for the past few months, sometimes continuing to believe that people will get better is delusional enabling, not real collaboration. Finally, the people who thought constant theft, harassment, and violence were just part of “playing the game” are realizing that a society built on destructive behavior eventually destroys itself. There were plenty of warning signs from plenty of groups apart from us, but when people convince themselves that those suffering under imperial machinations were “being dramatic,” no language in the world can help.
What would changes look like? For starters, all the hoarders need to give up their booty and stop demanding tax breaks for their chump change–like, yesterday. Education needs to rely on reputable methods, not a corrupt system full of emotionally lazy half-adults that demand the right to hint that “white is right,” and sadly, nobody in this country is equipped to manage that task. Moreover, all municipal governments who continue to manipulate and punish the poor need to lose their legitimacy, and the real estate “industry” needs to cease to exist. Golf is an obsolete sport, and it is past time for the grass, water, and labor to be devoted to growing food, not stroking the egos of the emotionally immature.
Are these ideas crazy? Cancer diagnoses from the companies that pollute the environment bankrupt families, but some of the members of the families still have to work for those companies to pay such bills. Not knowing how to read is an acceptable standard for students graduating from high school. People who have never lived in a community or talked to a single resident can decide that a poor community can be bulldozed to the ground while other strangers can get rich from the wreckage. Students can attack each other online, enabled and abetted by psychopathic parents, to the point of causing their classmates to self destruct. None of that is rational, and maybe in the new year, people can grow up and stop making excuses for allowing pain for strangers in the name of the status quo.
Chasing A Dying Empire 