Systems of Oppression, a Conversation

A friend posted this, and I answered that nobody is trying to hold anyone accountable for the things racists and slave owners did hundreds of years ago, but people who are still supporting those systems today are being held accountable for what they're doing in the present to perpetuate the problems.

I was asked what these systems are, and the rest of this is the conversation that ensued, lightly edited for the sake of readability. There’s a lot to read, but bear with me; it’s important for understanding the problem. I can back up everything I say with verifiable facts, and if you want a source for something that I don’t provide a link to, please let me know and I will post it for you. I’m going to post a limited number of links for now, also for the sake of readability.

As an extreme example of the concept in my OP, if your parents owned slaves, it's not your fault, but if you continue to own slaves, or support slavery, you are now part of the problem, so it is up to you to end the slavery, even though it wasn't your fault. To clarify, doing nothing is supporting the status quo, and if the status quo is harmful, you're perpetuating it through inaction or even being unknowingly actively supporting it.

People supporting systemic racism are a very clear example of the problem. There are many forms of oppression built into our society as a relic of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern racist policies. We've never dealt with the legacy of our country's history of slavery and genocide at all.

They misunderstood my response a little and asked, “My question to you is in this day and age how is somebody supporting slavery when it does not exist anymore or please shed light on this version of slavery you are referring to?” They got stuck on using slavery as the example.

Please read what I'm linking to, and know that I'm not trying to convince you that I'm right, I'm trying to introduce these concepts to you and give you the basic information and a starting point to do your own research. These are big problems, and I can point them out and try to explain them, but these really are big, complex topics. I'm confident that once you start really digging into this stuff, you'll agree with me, but I'm not asking you to take my word for it, all of the proof is out there.

So to start, slavery didn't end when the United States passed the 13th amendment in 1865. Chattel slavery actually persisted, illegally, until at least 1963. I'll get to the legacy of slavery a little later, but just try to accept for now that many systems that were built around slavery still benefit from the oppression of Black people today, and slavery is not ancient history.

https://www.livescience.com/61886-modern-slavery-united-states-antoinette-harrell.html?fbclid=IwAR3cm4YBDBjwv6fQ0VHDAQoD7Rcsw1cr0up6dM3L7e5FvQFk3Wydp14HaE4

Were you aware that the 13th amendment didn't actually end slavery? It just changed the rules of it.

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Slavery is still acceptable as long as someone has been convicted of a crime.

Because chattel slavery was no longer allowed, but slavery through imprisonment was, a whole industry developed around prison labor, and you know that where there's a profit motive, people will find a way to exploit the system.

https://time.com/5405158/the-true-history-of-americas-private-prison-industry/?fbclid=IwAR3pHSIIyjTz4XPeHTSbmmiljwp_94H0fPq8I5wc5gZdpOGOka3x--MOKZQ

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/origin-prison-slavery-shane-bauer-american-prison-excerpt.html?fbclid=IwAR3uDaAjM8hXJ2s75wE2mYyXMpxV8yIsT7PJUB8CyzJu5CL4VEPEIlucT3k

https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/capitalizing-on-mass-incarceration-u-s-growth-in-private-prisons/?fbclid=IwAR216YGptsRjkCKkkzTddcsoJTwoPf7TreDChODTYobHT3P4x7Awpxx3W1Q

People are not only profiting from imprisoning other people, they're selling the labor of the imprisoned people, for more profit, without fairly compensating the people doing the work (often just pennies an hour, while they charge for phone calls, soap, and other necessities) or having a say in the work they're doing or their own working conditions. That's modern day slavery. This doesn't just affect Black people, but it does disproportionately affect Black people.

"With the government paying private prison operators about $23,000 per year per inmate (keep in mind, the minimum wage is $15,000 per year), it’s a lucrative business. CoreCivic’s reported 2017 revenue was close to $1.8 billion, and a back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that with 80,000 beds supported by the government to the tune of $23,000 per inmate per year, it’s collecting about $1.8 billion annually from the government. Business is booming indeed – thanks to the American taxpayers."

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/the-cold-hard-facts-about-americas-private-prison-system?fbclid=IwAR0gNyZVdoFdtYKpoY6r-id5R1Vzb9FlWXIA9iO0HlsmkoN8i6LgN2P8dfw

https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/?fbclid=IwAR3j4zvEOeIckhoiO3SV2tpgyIW282yruMRIatAEJvUrY5lK6BcowejRJX8

Knowing that a lot of how the modern prison system functions has replaced slavery, it's important to look at the systems that keep the US having 25% of the world's incarcerated despite being only 4% of the population.

The US is the most heavily incarcerated country in the world, and a lot of that is due to a profit motive. Since this is related to crime, it's important to look at the primary cause of crime, which is poverty. We have an economic system designed to keep people in poverty, an education system that doesn't provide equal opportunities for everyone, and a justice system that has gradually criminalized more and more of everyday life, while implementing harsh sentencing standards designed to punish and keep people imprisoned as opposed to rehabilitating them.

https://psmag.com/social-justice/taking-freedom-modern-day-slavery?fbclid=IwAR04yXPlfZbaLTA8-9fZQ6vfVafhxBmcXXeG-d_qHnq_cN6I4BpCYa2_YeQ

When we look at all of those other systems, you'll see that it isn't just Black people being oppressed. We all suffer because of systems that were designed by rich people to benefit from the labor of poor people, and that Black people are disproportionately affected by all of them. There are racial disparities in the criminal justice system, poverty, wealth, income, education and educational opportunity, leadership in private industry, and a lot more, and the roots of the inequality all trace back to slavery and the oppressive systems that were built around it.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/?fbclid=IwAR3YqspcUS268QFQDzGj8sH3ecxfPRV7R4WrRDct-R-BUatrHmSPq3IE6A8

https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/?fbclid=IwAR0s9XLarqLpB9ZyoXqu0BoHfpyKbuUM9YmwZJrYV9DtuBqytY8UHFZoI-w

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/?fbclid=IwAR0gNyZVdoFdtYKpoY6r-id5R1Vzb9FlWXIA9iO0HlsmkoN8i6LgN2P8dfw

https://inequality.org/facts/racial-inequality/?fbclid=IwAR3cm4YBDBjwv6fQ0VHDAQoD7Rcsw1cr0up6dM3L7e5FvQFk3Wydp14HaE4

https://hbr.org/cover-story/2019/11/toward-a-racially-just-workplace

So, getting back to my original point, we live in a society that was built around slavery. We ended chattel slavery, but never addressed the rest of the things in our society that we didn't change. People from 200 years ago didn't build a perfect system. They gave us a good foundational document, but they were also rich white people who built a society that would benefit them, specifically, at the expense of other people. We've never, as a country, really examined the effects of that or done anything to change it. Those systems that were designed to help the white rich people still help the white rich people at the expense of everyone else, including poor white people, but disproportionately affects Black people.

It's not our fault that we were born into this situation, but what we do with it is definitely our responsibility. If we perpetuate these systems of oppression, then we're complicit. Loving this country means we should all want to make it better for everyone who lives here, and that starts by recognizing that we're not all treated equally, and that there are systemic problems because many of these systems were designed 200 years ago by imperfect people and there's a lot of room for improvement.

They thanked me for the links and asked, “My question to you is how is the average American citizen contributing to slavery (or this inequality you seem to have a hard time articulating) can you give me Some day to day examples? In my profession we have quotas for females and people of color, So if you’re a white male you’re at a disadvantage, I would like to know if and how going about my daily life is affecting someone in a negative way?”

Stopping supporting politicians who support the for-profit prison industry, or corporations using prison labor, is a good way to start. Pressuring politicians to end that system is something we can all do, same goes for trying to not give business to companies like Sprint (prison labor is used in call centers), Victoria's Secret (prison labor for sewing), or WalMart (prison labor to strip bar codes off of products so they can be resold). So you can go about your daily life and just choose to spend your money with companies that don't use prison labor, and not vote for politicians who support the for-profit prison system. This particular issue is a problem on the left and right because lobbyists donate a lot of money on both sides to get the politicians to support it, and it results in the very real oppression and exploitation of Americans. It doesn't require major changes in your life, or to take drastic action; even small changes make a difference as long as everyone makes small changes.

Fighting inequality (and it's not that I can't articulate it, it's just a big topic with a lot to talk about, and I was trying to give a big picture overview instead of just focusing on one small thing) is hard because it's built into society. The main thing that we can do is understand it, and push our politicians to change it. For things like the disparity in pay for women or Black people, it's important for companies to review the pay of their employees to see if they're paying people unfairly, and changing that if they do. Pressuring politicians to support legislation that mandates equal pay is important. Honestly, the best thing you can do to fight against inequality is make the effort to understand it and where it comes from. Making sure that everyone in this country has equal opportunities for success, and that everyone is treated fairly shouldn't be a political issue, and it sucks that people weaponize it for their political benefit.

They asked, “so just to clarify what you’re saying , systemic racism lies in the penal system that uses inmates as cheap labor and politicians that support their system, Do they only use African-American inmates or inmates of all races?”

Systemic racism exists elsewhere, too. They use inmates of all races, but Black people are disproportionately affected by it for a number of reasons; some of that is because law enforcement targets Black people more than white people, and Black people receive disproportionately longer sentences for the same crimes than white people. Black people make up 13% of the population, but nearly 40% of inmates. There's systemic racism in the systems that result in these disproportionate numbers. It would still be systemic oppression and exploitation of Americans even if the numbers were proportionate, it's just compounded by systemic racism.

In straight numbers, more white people are the victims of it, but as a percentage of population, Black people are more likely to be affected than white people, but it's still an atrocity that it's happening to anyone, and we have something like 2.2 million people incarcerated right now.

The conversation got derailed for a bit, but we resumed on a slight tangent.

Let me ask everyone in this conversation something that's not political at all. How well do you think you know American history; about the reasons the country was founded, and about the founding fathers?

They responded, “I grew up abroad and did not study American history so I welcome your education on how that affects the current situation, what do you think about the welfare system do you think that’s keeping African-Americans down or helping them?”

It's helping them, and the rest of the poor people in this country. Sure, you get a few people who abuse it, but mostly, it's very necessary. There's greater inequality right now than at the beginnings of the great depression or French Revolution. There are 40 million Americans living in poverty, and that's only the "official" determination of poverty. Functionally, many millions more are. The economy is designed to siphon wealth away from the lower classes and accumulate at the top. There's ample study data showing that strong social programs improve health, happiness, and the economy. They improve educational opportunity, and create jobs, if done right. We're already paying taxes that are used to subsidize corporations, and we pay more toward corporate subsidies and tax cuts for the wealth than we do for social programs. We have our national priorities wrong; the economy should work for the benefit of everyone, not just shareholders.

We have a self perpetuating system of legalized corruption in our lobbying industry, and it's a bipartisan problem. Whoever can bribe the politicians the most, wins, so they buy both sides. We let them donate nearly unlimited amounts to campaigns. In case it wasn't clear, "them" or “they” in this discussion are the corporate lobbyists, billionaires, and other people in power (and I’m not talking about elected officials being in power). At this point, they're so entrenched they're actually writing legislation. The history of the labor movement in America is fascinating and almost completely omitted from our primary educations, so people take for granted how hard people fought for even the scraps that we're given now. Many people have literally fought and died against corporate profiteers to get us the protections we have today, and the same corporate interests are fighting to weaken those protections. Poverty isn't an accident nor is it a moral failing of people, it's engineered.

So there's a huge class war happening, but the people controlling the narrative (the politicians being paid by corporate interests to protect their interests) spread false narratives to keep us divided, which makes us easier to control. Unless you're born into wealth, it's very difficult to attain wealth. It isn't impossible, which is why we still have this myth about this being the land of opportunity. It's literally like winning the lottery. You see lottery winners every day, but you know how unlikely it is to do that. With people escaping poverty, they see the ones who have, but think they have a good chance, not realizing what the chances actually are. The systemic racism means that Black people are hit even harder by it than white people. Black people are calling attention to the systemic racism that comes in many forms, including police brutality, but the entrenched power structures spread division by saying that the racial disparities aren't real. Black people are just asking to be treated as equals, which is something we should all want, but it's politicized and weaponized, and used to divide us. They also make us think the poor people are the problem by demonizing people on welfare, which distracts from the rampant looting (by the rich) that's happening, stealing our wealth, and our futures.

It's all about power and control. People who can't afford to take a few days off of work are much less likely to risk their livelihoods to protest or fight back against you. Right now, more than 50% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, nearly 40% would be unable to come up with $400 in case of an emergency. People in that situation are just scraping to get by. I bet you know plenty of people like that. I do, and I've been there. I still mostly, but not always, live paycheck to paycheck despite having a pretty good income, just because the cost of living is so high. People in a situation like that have no power, and when you turn them against each other, they're easy to control.

Patriotism is used as a shield to deflect from addressing the issues. Legitimate criticism is met with accusations of hating the country. The reason people in power don't want everyone looking at the history of this country is because we then have to reckon with it. This country was literally built on genocide and slavery, but in our primary education we're taught an inaccurate, whitewashed version of history. I care about the country, and want to help the country be better, we should always be striving to be better. That's something even [my friend] will agree with, even with as much shit as he likes to give me. Part of being better is understanding the injustices we have committed so that we can try to make them right, and making this a better place than we were given. No matter how good you think you are, you always try to do better for the people you care about, and you should care about everyone in your country. "I only care about mine" is a recipe for failure in a society. Average people fighting against positive change are being misled by the power structures, and they don't realize they're fighting against their own self interests. I'm not sure if you've heard the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats," but when we all do better, it's just that.

Scarcity of resources, labor, or productivity are not the problem. The wealthy are doing better than ever. Our productivity is off the charts, but wages have not increased to keep up with production. We have ample available labor. The accumulation of wealth at the very top is the problem, and it's been happening since the inception of the country. Systemic racism also was instrumental in the inception of the country. I know that was a lot, but to understand the conversation around poverty you have to understand where it comes from and how it's used as a weapon against us.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/theminewars-labor-wars-us/?fbclid=IwAR28jtrZcATYXUlISP2nKYjnPLv2nSdShEeGkrDPXOkD3iSixDgtKGQMLls

https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/11/11/243973620/when-lobbyists-literally-write-the-bill?fbclid=IwAR3VmymeoI12PTX431YomIiOBMFbSc7RzpP9t-4IKXW1RPYphBVf1PVH2R0

https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/asbestos-sharia-law-model-bills-lobbyists-special-interests-influence-state-laws/?fbclid=IwAR1I1Zzf5MgE7dU21HyG9QD9bcuMb11A1N_jvgl4CkeBZIw4fXh-sAlnNG0

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/07/6-facts-about-economic-inequality-in-the-u-s/?fbclid=IwAR3Pt8WTfAn-l6nLszN2oEMBG6W7CJKC01W8uQJAFfMmcQWp0MUAwGslVls

For a very clear-eyed view of the founding of this country, and the founding fathers, this is some excellent history. Everything is 100% correct and verifiable. It's about 45 minutes, and starts out a little dry but gets very interesting. It starts as a discussion of confederate monuments and the objections to removing them, but it's really just an excellent history lesson, and well worth watching. It'll give you a better understanding of the starting point for everything that we have today.

https://youtu.be/OwUIDNYwZRY

https://www.mobilitypartnership.org/publications/escaping-poverty?fbclid=IwAR1JrL5H5ww5CBxuU3yg2HEg2gzxrtx7ff04JrG-51Zx9qVc8fDFnXAJ3j8

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/09/12/behind-the-numbers-millions-seeking-a-path-out-of-poverty/?fbclid=IwAR3cm4YBDBjwv6fQ0VHDAQoD7Rcsw1cr0up6dM3L7e5FvQFk3Wydp14HaE4

Trump, a billionaire, gave huge tax breaks to other billionaires, making promises about what they would do. Trump didn't create the problem, but he accelerated it.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2019/09/26/475083/trumps-corporate-tax-cut-not-trickling/?fbclid=IwAR1-loit7p3wPaq8thrkRip61C0H42pwPFJVsEtjhepxZUuH1jwRvISxadE

https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2019/10/10/trump-tax-cuts-helped-billionaires-pay-less-taxes-than-the-working-class-in-2018/?fbclid=IwAR3pHSIIyjTz4XPeHTSbmmiljwp_94H0fPq8I5wc5gZdpOGOka3x--MOKZQ#3c56f0663128

https://publicintegrity.org/topics/inequality-poverty-opportunity/taxes/trumps-tax-cuts/?fbclid=IwAR1BZAYJrN6NUKXtiU_cTeblUdWQGXwcZKIqjdLBJ4ct4a5eA5OrBOydFuU

Self perpetuating systems of corruption, with poverty and division used to suppress dissent. Under all of this is systemic racism, which is just one of the overlapping systems of oppression that we face. The Black Lives Matter movement raises awareness of the systemic racism, but also the economic oppression and labor exploitation. It threatens the people profiting from these things so they try to make the civil rights protesters the enemy. Same thing happened during the civil rights movement of the 1960's. They criticize looters and rioters in an effort to delegitimize the protests, and justify state violence against them. When we address the economic oppression, and spending our own tax dollars to benefit working people instead of benefiting the rich, they call it socialism (attacks they used against social security and medicaid, which are some of the most successful, popular programs in government history). What we have now is "socialism" but for the benefit of the rich, but they demonize the poor to make the people with no power seem like the enemy.

And just so I'm clear, this isn't just a Trump problem, the system was built long before he got here, he's just very good at using the framework that he was given. He has a lot of working people fooled into thinking he's working on their behalf, but he isn't, just like the vast majority of politicians aren't. People think Nancy Pelosi is working in their best interests, but she's not. She takes a ton of money to fight against legislation that helps people, too.

I’m not trying to draw an equivalency between Trump, a white supremacist who is openly corrupt and has made a mockery of the rule of law, and Pelosi, who is just your run of the mill legally corrupt politician, other than neither are truly working in your best interest, no matter what they’re telling you.

There are many systems of oppression, and they overlap. This conversation only focuses on a few of the many structural issues. People devote their lives to studying these systems; I just hope I’ve been able to give you some additional perspective and resources to do your own research, and really start to understand the big picture.

Be Excellent to Each Other

Warren dropped out of the race, and a lot of people have feelings about it. There’s a lot of hostility flying around, and I want to address it directly. The core of this is that we can’t have productive discourse without understanding, and so much of the vitriol is just trying to silence people without listening to what they’re saying; this is as true of the angry Sanders supporters as it is of the angry Warren supporters. I don’t condone any of the negative behavior, but I understand where it’s coming from, and I want to help other people understand so we can move forward toward common goals, because we are on the same side. Please try to remember that there’s been a massive Russian intelligence psyops operation happening since 2014. It is still ongoing, with a mission to divide us. People are still responsible for their actions, but a lot of people are being manipulated.

Elizabeth Warren was a great candidate. She didn’t make it through a combination of sexism, bad strategic decisions, and other factors. She would undoubtedly have been the best president of my lifetime thus far. She was always my close second choice behind Sanders, and after Castro dropped out, nobody was a close third. My preference for Sanders is that he wants to entirely change the system, while Warren wants to fix it. Either of them have a far superior vision for this country than the one we currently live in. Warren’s supporters are sad and righteously angry that a brilliant, capable, progressive woman didn’t fare better, and that’s valid. I have criticisms of Warren, but I have criticisms of every candidate, including Sanders. I have fewer criticisms of Warren than almost anyone. I admire her evolution from being a Republican to someone fighting to protect working people, and working ceaselessly to eradicate the corruption that plagues our government; it speaks very highly of her character.

The anger that we’re seeing directed at each other isn’t about Warren. It isn’t about Sanders, either.

There's a lot of valid, righteous anger about the oppressive system in which we live, and there's a lot of power trying to actively silence it or weaponize it, so it manifests in unproductive ways. The presumption that any opposition to a progressive candidate is crooked, corrupt, or in bad faith is obviously false, but when someone sees a system that is demonstrably rigged against them, they often see any opposition to dismantling that system as a personal assault against them (they shouldn't, and it's a very shortsighted view). Frequently, that comes in support of a status quo politician who benefits from a crooked system, so they see support of that establishment candidate as crooked, too. This has been reinforced for many people’s entire lives. Even as a Xennial, I experienced a *lot* more security in my life than people born 10-15 years after me. This isn’t to say that I’ve had it easy, because I haven’t at all. I just recognize the privilege of growing up in a system that had not been eroded as much. Americans have reliably watched as moderate after moderate promised change and to fight for them, but the only change was to benefit corporate America at the expense of the marginalized. Many of them see Biden as a death sentence because he literally promised billionaires that nothing would change. If nothing changes, we really are doomed. They don’t trust Biden to fight for the issues that are literally life and death for them; he’s just another existential threat to them, and far too many people with a lot more privilege don’t seem to grasp that.

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Letter from a Birmingham jail

The income inequality in this country is at the highest point since before the great depression. 40% of this country can’t come up with $400 if an emergency happened. Many people are one missed paycheck away from poverty. People are dying because they can’t afford insulin, and the little wealth the 99% has is being systematically siphoned away from them, while social support programs are being cut. We’re watching the effects of climate change ravage the planet, threatening the prospects for future generations, while the government eases regulations. There are a lot of people who live with a constant existential fear, and it is very rational and well justified fear.

Marginalized people are disproportionately affected by these issues. This is an intersectional fight, so we have to be intersectional in the way we approach the campaigns. Understanding privilege is critically important, as is recognizing that oppression comes in many forms. The sexism that people are rightfully angry about is one form.

Sanders speaks directly and honestly to people about the power structures that are causing these socioeconomic woes, they look at his very long history of fighting this fight, and trust him to be an ally. Then, just as he’s poised for a big win on Super Tuesday, Biden wins SC (a state he was always expected to win), and between a very friendly, if exaggerated, narrative about his win from corporate media (who have been demonstrably biased against Sanders), and a sudden slew of last-minute endorsements from the corporate-backed Democratic establishment, rallying together to defeat the largest grassroots movement in my lifetime. Sure, the poor performance of Sanders’s outreach to the black community in SC had a lot to do with it, but he was never expected to win there. This is after Democratic leaders and superdelegates said they would be willing to damage the party to stop Sanders. The message that the establishment is trying to stop Sanders has been very real to his supporters since 2016, and the party has cemented that belief this year. They are righteously angry at the system that is trying to prevent real progress.

There is no debating that Warren and Sanders split the progressive vote; that’s just math. It wasn’t stealing from one or the other, there were just two good, progressive candidates, and people have varying opinions about which one is better, so they voted accordingly.

With that in mind, let’s consider the demographics of Warren and Sanders supporters. These are not criticisms, just data. We’re all on the same side, the candidates just had stronger appeal to different segments, and clearly better outreach was needed by both campaigns. Warren supporters are largely white, college educated, working professionals, 30-64 years old. Sanders supporters are overwhelmingly 44 and younger, nonwhite, non-college educated, and lower-income. He also has the highest support in the LGBTQ community. There are distinct disparities in the privilege that these groups have, and that cannot be overlooked in the discussion.

Warren supporters are righteously angry at the outcome of the election thus far and the actions of some Sanders supporters. Sanders supporters are righteously angry at an oppressive establishment, and some have misplaced their anger in targeting Warren and her supporters because they saw things that she did as beneficial to the establishment candidate, and betraying the progressive cause (right or wrong, this is how it looks to them). For them, it’s an existential issue, so they take it very personally. The offending Sanders supporters are not listening to the very valid reasons that Warren supporters are upset. They often don’t see that this is interpreted by Warren supporters as sexism, which is very real and has taken a heavy toll, or as juvenile hostility. Warren supporters who are attacking Sanders supporters are not listening to the very valid reasons Sanders supporters are angry (even if the anger is sometimes aimed in the wrong direction). Now, let’s look at that from a demographics perspective; a large, young, diverse group of marginalized people are seeing a group of largely older, white, college educated professionals telling them that because some people were mean to them online that they’re going to vote against the interests of the marginalized people. I know this is not the intent of the Warren supporters who are lashing out, but in engenders distrust and anger, largely because of the disparity in privilege and economic power.  None of this is to say that Warren supporters aren't angry at or fighting the same system. Again, we’re on the same side, and the anger is misplaced. Other Americans are not our enemy.

Some Sanders supporters see people supporting moderate candidates who aren't promising any real change as the enemy because it’s literally life and death for them. They think that people voting for moderates are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than the survival of marginalized, vulnerable people. The voters are not doing it with that intent, of course; the anger is valid but misplaced, but they also are not understanding that maintaining the status quo is maintaining a system that is hostile to the very existence of many Sanders supporters (and many supporters of all candidates, Sanders just happens to represent a lot of very vulnerable people).

We need a huge coalition to win this. Please, in your interactions with people, consider that everyone is facing a struggle with some power structure in this country. Be kind. It might not be the exact same fight that you’re fighting, but it’s connected. Try to understand privilege and how it relates to the people with whom you’re dealing. Try to understand how these systems of oppression overlap and reinforce each other. We need to work to build understanding, not attack each other. Keeping us divided is what the establishment needs to retain power. That’s why unions are under attack, it’s why grassroots movements are under attack, and it’s why the free press is under attack. Especially if you’re coming from a place of more privilege, try to understand that voting against the interests of marginalized people is seen as active oppression, and if you believe in a progressive agenda, take the time to listen to the most vulnerable people and understand what they’re saying. Remember that you cannot say that you’re an ally to someone and then vote for something that will harm them.

Everyone talks about unity until someone is an asshole to them. We’re better than that. Be patient. Be understanding. Most importantly, be kind. Build a bigger tent, talk to the most vulnerable people you know, and vote in their best interests. If you’re vulnerable, try to help your friends and family understand the direct impact these policies have on your lives. If you have more privilege, recognize it and use it. We all have to fight against a common enemy, and 99% of Americans are not it.

Be excellent to each other - Bill and Ted

What it Means When Someone Refers to "The Establishment"

Setting aside any policy specifics, I want to clear up a term that’s thrown around a lot without a ton of explanation.

“The establishment.”

The political struggle in this country is usually framed as left vs right, or Democrat vs Republican, but the truth is much more insidious. Both parties are bankrolled by the same people for the same goals. The parties may be ideologically different, but they frequently work toward the same goal, such as opposing universal healthcare, or fighting against a radical change in our energy infrastructure. Leadership of both parties are fully opposed to Medicare for All, but it’s not because they have a deep-seated belief that it’s bad for their constituents; it’s because they take a ton of money from the health insurance industry to hold that position. Sure, the Republicans are trying to strip all healthcare away, and Democrats are fighting to bolster the ACA, but they’re both fighting against universal healthcare because it would destroy health insurance profits. WalMart and Amazon donate huge sums of money to fight against increasing minimum wage and unionizing efforts. Same goes for basically every industry that’s harming the planet or oppressing 99% of us for profit.

We have to look at the power structures that are maintaining the status quo, and it’s bigger than political parties; they’re just the tools. We do live in a capitalist society, but people misunderstand what that means. I’m not a capitalist, and if you’re reading this, you’re almost definitely not a capitalist. You might think you are, but what you really are is a consumer and worker in false class solidarity with capitalists. Capitalists are the ones who can seize your possessions if you don’t pay your bills. Capitalists are the ones who can set the rates you earn on your investments. Capitalists are the ones who lead the industries. Capitalists are the ones who can crash the world economy with no repercussions. Capitalists are the 1%. We’re not even playing the same game. Capitalism is one form of power structure fighting to maintain the status quo.

Another form of an oppressive power structure is systemic racism. This country, and nearly every institution we rely on, were built by racists, and are intended to maintain minority rule. This shows in the electoral college and caucus systems where delegates are weighted to give disproportional representation to rural areas where white slave owners relied on slaves, and thus had less population for representation in elections. This shows in the design of cities where low-income people are geographically segregated from the economic centers and faced with transportation challenges, and have depressed property values that make it difficult to generate generational wealth. This shows in past practices like redlining and Jim Crow, and current policies like our criminal justice system that disproportionately incarcerates people of color. I could write an entire article about racist power structures.

There are many power structures in play that are bigger than political parties, but the obstacle to overcoming them is the same for almost all of them; money in politics. The people with money who corrupt our political system to work for their benefit.

When Sanders is talking about taking on “the establishment,” this is who he’s talking about. Sure, there’s the Democratic establishment; the corporate Democrats who are fighting to maintain the status quo, there’s the Republican establishment doing the same thing, but they all serve the same corporate donors. They’re all working toward the same overarching goal of profiting at all cost, no matter the harm to the people or the world at large. The only way we defeat them is by choosing politicians who reject that money and make decisions based on what’s good for the people.

When you hear corporate media pushing a narrative that Bernie Sanders is divisive, they’re not wrong, they’re just lying to you about who he’s dividing. He’s driving a wedge between the people and the entrenched power structures, not between Americans; that’s what the establishment is doing. A divided country is easy to control; one united in solidarity is not. Intersectionality is a topic for another post, but it’s rooted in the belief that no matter what your struggle with oppression, we’re all in this fight together. The Sanders campaign is intersectional; it’s bringing together people from every walk of life because we’re all fighting the same war. Make no mistake, we’ve been in a class war our entire lives, but the 1% has been winning. It’s time we changed that.

To showcase what I mean about the parties both serving the same corporate masters, take a look for yourself. Sure, in some cases an industry donates more to one party than the other, but they all donate to both parties, and often, in almost equal amounts. Always look at who's financing the opposition to policies that would benefit you.

Koch Industries
Pharmaceutical and health product industries
Fossil fuels
Health Insurance
NRA
Defense
Amazon
Google (Alphabet)
Apple
WalMart
Finance/Insurance
News Corp (Fox, WSJ, New York Post, Harper Collins)

I'm Angry; the Question is, Why Aren't You?

I'm angry. I'm angry almost all of the time. I'm angry because we have a fascist liar in the White House systematically dismantling civil rights protections, dismantling environmental protections, enshrining increasing inequality into law, enacting tariffs that hurt Americans, increasing our defense budget while slashing social safety net programs, normalising and praising dictators and autocrats around the world, and abusing the power of the presidency to cheat in the next election, while undermining our national security and Constitution in the process. I'm angry that we have an entire party that has wholesale sold out their ethics and morality to protect the most criminally corrupt, dishonest president the country has ever had. I'm angry that there's a neo-Nazi writing policy for the president and there were only minimal demands to remove him. I'm angry that there isn't a single Republican left in the party who is willing to put country above party. I'm angry that the Democrats have yet to realize they need to be an opposition party, and are led by people more interested in protecting their own seats and maintaining the status quo than they are in fighting against Trump. I'm angry that Democratic leadership has fought harder against progressives and progressive policy than they have against a president trying to be a dictator and the party supporting him. I'm angry that the Democratic party is so afraid of a progressive winning the presidential election that they're willing to risk another 4 years of Trump to stop it. I'm angry that there are so many Americans willing to accept the lies and hateful rhetoric that go against every value we're supposed to stand for. I'm angry that so many friends that I previously had respect for are unwilling to even engage with me about their support for Trump, and have sacrificed their integrity to support him. I'm angry that there are so many Americans who don't accept the lies and hate but are unwilling to stand up against it. I'm angry and disappointed that we don't have mass protests on the scale of Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Chile.

Since the Civil War there hasn't been a time more critical to take a stand against the corruption of our government, white supremacy, and fascism. We're at a critical moment, staring down an impending collapse of the rule of law, environmental disaster, and worldwide stability. You know I'm angry; why aren't you? If you're angry, why are you not in the streets protesting? Are you doing everything you can to stop us from going down the path we're currently on? The only way we do that is by standing strong together against the forces trying to destroy us from within. Take a stand before it's too late.

Climate Change; A look at the bigger picture

A lot of people aren't worried about climate change, or worse, don't believe in it. That terrifies me. How can you, as a human being, living on this planet, regardless of your political affiliation, nationality, or religion, see what's happening to the world around us, and not be terrified? Natural disasters are intensifying: record-breaking tropical storms, drought, blizzards, tornadoes, floods, mudslides, fires, desertification, and more. Man-made disasters are becoming the norm: Fukushima, the Canadian Tar Sands, huge oil spills reported almost weekly, fracking, strip mining, almost the entire country of Indonesia literally on fire to make way for corporate greed (seriously, read this), the Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone', ocean acidification, the Great Pacific garbage patch, the destruction of Louisiana wetlands, the draining and development of the Everglades, the Great barrier reef being used as a dumping ground, and I could go on and on.

Political leaders, religious leaders, scientists, CEOs of multinational corporations, visionary inventors, and millions of ordinary people are calling for action. Others oppose this movement in order to push their political agendas or further their greed. The Koch brothers (whose billions come from an inherited oil fortune) have spent at least $80 million funding organizations that deny climate change. Companies (largely coal and oil) which profit directly from activities that exacerbate climate change, such as ExxonMobil, pay off scientists to generate their own studies denying what's happening. Yes, there's an entire industry built around covering up what we're doing to the planet. If you're reading this, and you're skeptical about climate change, I'll be posting links at the end of this for you to do some reading. From here on, I'm going to assume that we're on the same page about what's happening, and I'm going to try to provide a little more perspective on why it should worry you more than it does.

We've all heard about sea levels rising, the global average temperature increasing, weather worsening, and lots of other very big, long-term effects of climate change, but many of us don't think we're going to see drastic effects for a long time. What many people don't realize is that the effects are already hitting us, on a global scale, and in ways that aren't receiving enough attention. The refugee crisis in Europe, and looming over Pacific island nations? Conflicts in Darfur and Syria (Syria explained in 5 minutes)? Climate change is a prominent driving factor in all of them. Environmental stresses from crops dying, biodiversity suffering, forced migrations from uninhabitable areas, and more, are adding to other regional conflicts, and making them worse. Climate change can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. This is only going to spread; we need to be vocal about it, and take action. If you know someone who thinks this isn't happening, explain it to them. Give them the resources to research it themselves, and encourage them to do so. Get involved; there are some great organizations to help you do this (350, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Idle no More, Union of Concerned Scientists, 11th Hour).This isn't going away, and we need to do something about it before it's too late.


Here are some links to get you started. Do your own research; don't take my word for it.

Africa
http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-africa-african-global-warming-role-small-crucial-crisis-solution-2008048

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22410211~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258644,00.html

Europe
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1140480/

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate

http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer-2015/europe/climate-change-impacts-and-adaptation

Syria
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/WCAS-D-13-00059.1

Refugees
http://time.com/4024210/climate-change-migrants/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/07/climate-change-global-warming-refugee-crisis

http://www.ibtimes.com/kiribati-climate-change-relocation-refugee-crisis-sinking-low-lying-island-nations-2127526

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-09-28/sinking-states

Indonesia
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/30/indonesia-fires-disaster-21st-century-world-media?CMP=fb_gu

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/erik-meijaard-indonesias-fire-crisis-biggest-environmental-crime-21st-century/

Antarctic
http://www.asoc.org/advocacy/climate-change-and-the-antarctic

Canadian Tar Sands
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/Energy/tarsands/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tar-sands-and-keystone-xl-pipeline-impact-on-global-warming/

China
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/problems/rising_temperatures/hotspot_map/china.cfm

United States
http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/

http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment

Global
http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-point-of-no-return-climate-change-nightmares-are-already-here-20150805?page=2

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/have-we-passed-the-point-of-no-return-on-climate-change/

Leadership
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/world/pope-francis-climate-technology-encyclical/

http://time.com/4050048/elon-musk-climate-change/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change

http://www.wclimate.com/world-climate-summit-2015/

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/11/world_leaders_gather_in_paris_for_final_climate_change_conference

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/05/what-the-world-thinks-about-climate-change-in-7-charts/

http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/campaigns-and-initiatives/global-leadership-for-climate-action/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

https://medium.com/@ClimateCEOs/open-letter-from-global-ceos-to-world-leaders-urging-concrete-climate-action-e4b12689cddf

http://www.dalailama.com/messages/environment/a-green-environment

Environmental disasters
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/pictures/5-recent-underreported-environmental-disasters-20140407

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1986457,00.html

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/category/environmental-disasters/

Denial
http://phys.org/news/2015-11-china-climate-poll.html

http://time.com/4102754/climate-change-us-china-pew-survey/

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/04/06/new_climate_change_poll_shows_americans_believe_in_global_warming.html

http://ncse.com/news/2015/08/new-poll-climate-change-0016608

http://ncse.com/news/2015/01/views-climate-change-among-public-scientists-0016161

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/climate-deniers/koch-industries/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/connor-gibson/charles-koch-admits-clima_b_7153084.html

http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/koch-bros

http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/climate-change-deniers/

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/revealed-exxon-secret-funding-of-global-warming-junk-scientists/

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/exxon-lying-climate-change-much-longer-thought/

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/fight-misinformation/global-warming-skeptic.html#.VjzlJrerS9I

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/07/upshot/the-limits-of-the-tobacco-strategy-on-climate-change.html

Conflict
http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/does-climate-change-cause-conflict

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/science/earth/study-links-syria-conflict-to-drought-caused-by-climate-change.html

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/syria-climate-years-living-dangerously-symbolia

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-climate-change-cause-conflict/

http://podcast.zirve.edu.tr/sandbox/groups/economicsandadministrativesciences/wiki/fa50c/attachments/0e400/Climate_change,_human_security_and_violent_conflict.pdf

http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2007/climate_security_threat_africa.pdf

http://www.irinnews.org/report/72985/sudan-climate-change-only-one-cause-among-many-for-darfur-conflict

http://www.csun.edu/~dtf46560/630/Misc/Reuveny-ClimateChangeMigration-2007.pdf

The problem with our approach to police brutality

Edit 3/7/21: My feelings on this have evolved quite a bit and there will be an update coming

The militarization of some aspects of the police force is a necessary thing, though it's being treated in the media like it's the end of civilization as we know it. Police forces have been dealing with increasingly well-armed and well-trained criminals since the '80s, and the weapons and tactics that were in use then became obsolete, and were resulting in the deaths of lots of law enforcement officers. This led to the spread of SWAT teams (which started in the '60s in LA) to more cities. A well-armed, well-trained SWAT team is an essential part of any large police force. This isn't going to change, and it shouldn't unless the proliferation of automatic weapons and dangerous gangs goes away too.

A big part of the problem that we're facing is that people need to stop confusing the issue of militarized SWAT teams with excessive police violence (and outright brutality); they're very different things. When SWAT teams are used, and how they are used is absolutely a problem. Law enforcement agencies need to have more accountability for their actions (cameras monitoring them would be a good start), and more awareness in general about the institutional racism and classism rampant in the system. Police officers have gone from being well-liked, respected members of the community to outsiders who are watching and waiting for you to step out of line.

The problem isn't the gear that specialized units have, whether it's fire hoses and nightsticks or tear gas and rubber bullets; it's racism, classism, misuse and abuse of power, lack of accountability, lack of awareness, privatization of SWAT teams, and the slow but steady criminalization of everyday life, which is a whole conversation in itself.

What can we do about this? For starters, if you're looking for a new career, go into law enforcement, work hard, have integrity, and be part of the change. Write to your city and state officials, and demand that they take measures to ensure accountability for police action, and ask for legislation to punish police brutality. Raise awareness in your local community; reach out to the police and make them feel like part of it. Speak out against the atrocities that are happening all too frequently. Very importantly, stop voting for legislators that are tolerating this. Inaction on a politicians' part makes them part of the problem. This is not going to change on its own, so take responsibility and do something.

Most police officers are good, honest, caring people, who go into law enforcement with the best of intentions. Police work is essential, dangerous, thankless work. Nobody pays attention to it (police work) until they screw up. Police officers are your brothers, sisters, parents, children, and friends. Talk to them; encourage them to act, too. Just as in any other segment of society, there are horrible people who will do horrible things when put in a position of power. Law enforcement is supposed to be there to protect you, not oppress you. Don't make them your enemy. Hold them accountable and make sure they do their job. All over the world, including here, police have had the courage to join protesters in times of civil unrest. We need to encourage them to stand up for what's right, not demonize them for their profession.

Why I can't be quiet about the Israel/Palestine conflict

I've been in quite a few heated debates recently about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Almost universally, the people I talk to fall into two categories: they either fully support Israel and think Israel can do no wrong, or they agree with me that there's a huge violation of human rights happening, and there are lots of innocent people suffering. I'm not going to go into a huge rant about what's happening there, but I do want to cover a few facts that nobody, not even Israel, is arguing with.

• Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants the destruction of Israel and doesn't care about the welfare of the Palestinian people.
• Israel helped create Hamas to counter the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah. It did this by supporting Sheikh Ahmed Yassin while he laid the groundwork for the organization, and casting a blind eye to the activities of a fledgling Hamas while it suited Israel's purpose.
• The rocket attacks that Hamas is launching at Israel are incredibly ineffective and pose very little threat because of the outdated rockets and the Iron Dome.
• There are currently 1.8 million Palestinians without electricity, running water, or sewage facilities.

Nobody is defending Hamas. When I talk about the Palestinian people, I am not including their terrorist government.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to lay out the main justifications for Israel's actions that I'm hearing, and the problems that I have with them.

Justification: Palestinians elected Hamas, and now Hamas is using them as human shields, and launching rockets from civilian areas, so it's their own fault.

Bullshit. What you're really saying is that since their own government doesn't value their lives, neither should we, and that it's okay to slaughter them and punish the population of their entire country. When Hamas was elected, the Palestinians had to choose between Fatah, Hamas, and the PFLP. Two of the three are considered terrorist organizations by multiple countries, so what was a better choice? There wasn't one. Palestinians don't have a say in the operations of Hamas, and are threatened with violence if they break party lines.

Justification: Israel needs to defend itself, and it has tolerated the attacks far longer than any other country would have.

I agree, 100%. Israel has every right to exist without being under constant attack. That said, there is no justification for the way they are handling this. The Iron Dome is incredibly effective, and the unguided rockets do very little damage even when they land. In 2013, there were only 52 rockets and 18 mortar rounds fired against Israel, with zero casualties or injuries (this was the fewest number of attacks since 2001). Israel may not be trying to maximize civilian casualties, but it certainly isn't trying to minimize them, either. In Iraq, the Marines used precision strikes and went house to house to minimize civilian casualties while fighting the insurgents. Israel is indiscriminately flattening neighborhoods.

Justification: Over the last decade, tens of millions of dollars in aid have been sent to Gaza, but Hamas spends it on tunnels and rockets.

This has to be the most feeble argument of all. Everyone knows Hamas doesn't care about the Palestinian people. There are reportedly more than 1,200 millionaires among the ranks of Hamas, and they clearly aren't using the aid money for good. That's tens of millions over a decade. The United States gives more than three BILLION dollars every single year to Israel, along with lots of weapons and ammunition. The embargo that Israel has had on Gaza is in violation of the Fourth Geneva convention (of which Israel is a signatory), and it prevents economic growth or infrastructure development. Israel is essentially forcing Gaza to scrape by as a third world country with little hope of improvement.

I don't understand blind nationalism. It is possible to love your country but hate what it's doing. Speaking out against the actions of Israel does not make me anti-Semitic, and it doesn't make me pro-Hamas. I am pro human rights.

It is your civic duty to be critical of your government and question authority. If what your government is doing won't stand up to critical examination, then it's probably doing something wrong. The US is still reeling from scandals with the NSA spying, CIA torture, and the corruption of the war in Iraq (among other things). I'm a proud US Marine veteran and I love my country, but I am not blind to, or accepting of, the evils it commits, and I am ashamed of our lack of action in preventing the suffering of the Palestinian people. If you're an Israeli, you should be every bit as critical of your own nation.

There are atrocities happening all over the world right now. The Islamic State (ISIS), North Korea, South Sudan, Burma, Syria, and more. The situation with Israel/Palestine hits close to home, and I'm taking the time to write about this because I'm a Jew, I have friends on both sides of the conflict, and my government is supporting Israel in the collective punishment of 1.8 million people.

Don't be blind to human suffering. The Palestinian people are hostages of a terrorist government and the hostile state surrounding them, and there is no justification for the extreme harms being imposed upon them.