Do The Just Believe in Justice?

"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison" (Thoreau 1023). First of all, let me state a few things. First off, I love my country. Don't get me wrong. Despite the issues that I have with it, I love it. Does that mean I think it's perfect? Absolutely not. Will I voice my opinions about ways to improve it? You can bet your favorite pair of socks that I will. (Sorry, my feet are cold. A pair of warm and fuzzy socks is practically screaming my name.) This brings my to my second point. I try my best to respect the opinions of someone else, which proves to be difficult when I strongly agree to them. However, the problem with opinions arises when people try to force theirs on me. That being said, this is me stating mine, and not forcing it upon you. If you expect me to respect your opinions, I expect you to respect mine.

Thoreau's line about just men belonging in prison really struck me. He goes on to talk about how people are locked up in prison when they have already been locked out of their rights because of the law. This made me think about the recent riots in America. Oh yes. We're talking Ferguson, Baltimore, the works. 

The Baltimore Riots

The thing about the whole riot situation is that, yes, in the end, I believe the violence is wrong. But the sick thing is that the violence is needed to gain the attention of the media. Nobody pays attention to save lives. People only care about the story. I would show you a video but I'm not sure if swear words are allowed so.. 

The Ferguson Riots

Riots are horrible. Violence is horrible. But just because of some riots, the entire protesting movement was undermined. Peaceful protesters trying to change the way the country worked were pulled off of the street and thrown into jail, some even without an order to clear the streets. There is this hacking group called Anonymous. They're crazy. They released this video about the Ferguson riots. Kind of scary but kind of cool. 

I think the biggest problem in America is purposeful ignorance. Rather than address problems and fix them, some people choose to pretend like the problems don't even exist. Then, when somebody addresses them, they're tossed in jail for breaking a social taboo like demanding equality. Scary to think of, right? Those people who just want justice are the ones being deemed unjust. So what kind of twisted version of justice do they think everyone else is seeing? Do they even think we have a sense of justice?

I went to an art festival this weekend in Grand Rapids (hence my late posting) and I saw this one piece that made my heart ache. 

The piece I had mentioned

"If the young are not initiated into the village, they will burn it down just to feel its warmth." Wow. It gives me shivers down my back every time. They will burn it down just to feel its warmth. Is that what the rioters are doing? Are they so separated from normal society-not by choice-that they must burn down the city to feel warmth? Maybe. I don't know. I'm not one of them.

But what I do know is that I urge you to take a look at the world around you. If you insist everyone is equal, take an example from our school. Last year the sophomore homecoming ballot did not include a single white person on it, and going on social media, I swear it was like we declared intent for genocide or something. People were angry... why? I don't understand... what is so horrendous about being a good human being and letting people have the same opportunities as you do? Whatever. The past is the past, so lets work together to make a greater future.

Lyrics of the week: "Take these thoughts, and if they come back 'round just burn the whole place down." From Take These Thoughts by Chris and Thomas. It kind of embodies what I would feel if I were rioting for something that I believed in. "All I want is all that you possess and all I want is all that I can't get..." (to me) seems like the protesters' want for equality in the law.

To me, it seems like the Civil Rights movement never ended. It's been a constant struggle put on the back burner. Thanks for reading this crazy rant. 

America the Great, let's make you greater.