There is a world that people would rather pretend never existed and never will: a world where people can do whatever they want, and no one ever comes to collect on actions. Surprisingly, the people who most believe in this world are the ones who are more affected by it, whether due to race, location, or resources. For millennia, individuals have tried to force everyone else to take on the burden of correcting the behavior of others while refusing to take responsibility for their choices. To many, this means that those who are oppressed should take on the task of “proving” ourselves to those who have proven that nothing will sate the bloodlust–or the indifference. I am appreciating how more and more of the population is demonstrating that the bill for being an asshole comes due.
A friend of mine says, “You know, everyone warns me not to burn bridges with them, but nobody considers that they might be burning bridges with me.” ICE agents have recently been fired, and forced to repay the signing bonuses that they took, and while some of them were desperate, most were greedy. Moreover, they enjoyed the power that they had over people who were doing nothing to warrant such hostility. Now, they have to find a job in an empire where the emotionally immature “elites” think robots will take over the world, and are adding as many resources as possible to that end. They have to look at everyone who told them that it was a stupid idea, and they have to accept that nobody forced them to be that evil. While I try not to condone violence, there is a sense of balance knowing that instead of being able to say “they did it for a paycheck,” they will now have to look at themselves because there is nothing else for them to do.
Simultaneously, the emperor is becoming more unhinged, and for those who still believe in the institutions, all that needs to change is the person in charge. We all know that to be a lie, but beneficiaries and sycophants want to believe that all the tyrants in the world “just needed a chance to vent and be heard.” Now, everyone sees that the “elites” are only as important as we see them–and we do see them now. As the world comes apart, racists get rich and the innocent are slaughtered. People with endless resources demand that those who are marginalized fix all the problems–but really, just the perspective of the problems. Few recognize that performative behavior that costs next to nothing will not fix real problems, but the majority is hoping that nobody notices. Whoever missed the truth of the empire in 2020 is acutely aware of it now, and a lot of choices are looking much more callous.
It takes a special kind of asshole to talk about “merit” after designing the world to weed out “the bad people,” regardless of any efforts being made. For a very long time, we have all been taught to internalize the poor behavior of others, to be “resilient,” and to “change our perspective.” Well, this is the world that develops when people are constantly told that they can do whatever they want, and unsurprisingly, nobody likes it–not when people with everything do it, nor when people with nothing do it. Turns out, there is a cost to letting the wicked run free, and letting the indifferent escape association. It will be interesting to see how the delusions are eventually broken, because the bill really does come due for being violent, and expecting everyone to “be cool” with it.
Image source is here.
