The making of the Public Concern over Crime
“Even a direct democracy does not eliminate discrimination but simply helps to cloak the majorities conscious or unconscious wish to discriminate”--Joseph A. Fischer
This is the story of how the fear, stoked politiciansin the 1980’s, created a state where , though America makes up only 4 percent of the world's population, it holds 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The monologue that enabled the system to be created involved “welfare”. This played on the hard working Americans fear that social services were allowing people to stay lazy on the workers backs. In time this led to the promotion of the fear that serious crime in America was a major and powerful threat. The story follows with some analogies in hopes of showing how helped us become that which we should despise.
As politicians such as Ronald Reagan gave voice to the idea that the poor were simply lazy and wanted handouts, the political-economy responded. People were concerned and wanted to make sure this possible theft could go on no longer. Social service programs were then slashed. Yet the spending apparatus within the government did not go away. One area that was still politically possible to put surplus money into was crime prevention. Crime was the politician’s new theme, and the war’s on crime and drugs were born.
Crime and criminals were “everywhere”; blacks, immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, etc., even some whites were out for blood. They were to be feared and despised. Luckily for us, our politicians were in the process of saving the day. Prisons became the answer, in California even before the prison boom. Larceny, over $400.00 (a crime very few ever go to prison for (1) was added to the serious the list of serious crimes, possibly to spike up the crime index and muddy the waters. The FBI added things like prostitution to its violent crime Index. Billions of dollars of tax money poured into construction companies (to build prisons), law enforcement supply companies and agencies, and even their unions… “The real criminals hide under the cloak of the accusers.” (2)
Extremely heinous and unlikely cases were spread through the media. The warmongers thus only needed one criminal, one case, to change laws which would put thousands away for life. The media made the rule-by-the-exception--by "The Black Swan"-- seem logical. That is, logical to, after it happened once, spend millions, even billions to create thousands of victims in hopes of stopping that one other evil person that might otherwise have gotten away with it.
Plus, the tax money was there, prison guards were lured by high paying jobs in which all many ever had to do was sit in a tower, push buttons or otherwise “supervise”. In California, their Union grew to be the most powerful in the whole state—and with politicians in its pocket, some people began to realize that one does not have to actually be worth anything, nor work hard, nor serve any vital function in society in order to be given what you want.
Because as long as society is led to believe you are valuable, and worthy and do serve a vital, even dangerous, function you will be given a free pass to cheat and rob. That is, of course, if there aren’t any influential people who are hungry enough to go investigate and blow the whistle on you. The good guys never have to be questioned because, it is reasoned, that they are the good guys and good guys only good things. This job is around to be good and protect us. So it can't be bad. This dynamic opens the door for groups to be manipulating public perception in order to rob it. Oh yes they can, look at the numbers. Ask some questions, being robbed we are. They now have enough money to bribe potential detractors in shape public policy and perception
As for the people that see the truth, they’re convicts—who will listen to them? It is they who society believes are leeches and/or societal parasites. The human mind will not easily equate society’s “protectors” to be those whom actually society needs to be protected from.But parasites where many costumes--follow the money my friends, not the hand used to distract you.
California as Example
The union and its members have the media, politicians and a bill to California of nine billion a year. That is enough support to perpetuate the fears and prejudices that enable the political climate to exist as to perpetuate the buying of the Charlatans elixir.
Why do I call them charlatans? Nothing personal, but their commercials have usually been blatant lies. Their jobs are not statistically dangerous or hard (3). Second, their authority does not come from a superior truth but a superior and exclusive position which allows them to get away with their thefts and lies. They go through no comprehensive schooling. The only expertise they use are the marketing firms that promote them.
Prison guards, more so than regular police, volunteered for a job that gives them a inherent and protected right to control, harass, rob and toy with human beings. They are the top dogs—The Gestapo(though often fatter)—not the prisoners. They have the power to punish and reward the countless people forced to submit to them—and they are backed by all of America’s power as its representatives.
But the violence of America's war on the poor (which is what this is) does not contain itself to our own borders, to give one example, Felipe Calderon (4) caused 60000 deaths over sending his military into 2 cities under the guise of keeping the streets safe from drugs.
1) page 9 of Golden Gulag
2) Leon Trotsky, speaking about Stalin. A similar quote is: “ the true warmonger often finds it advantageous to be the one attacked” Page 147 of Golden Gulag
3) The most dangerous jobs in America include jobs that inmates do, but not prison guards
● Construction Laborers (something inmates do). ...
● Electrical PowerLine Installers And Repairers. ...
● Farmers, Ranchers, And Other Agricultural Managers (inmates). ...
● Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers
● Mining Machine Operators.
● Refuse And Recyclable Material Collectors. ...
● Roofers (something inmates do)
● Aircraft Pilots And Flight Engineers.
● Fishers and related workers
● Loggers (something inmates do while in camps)...These figures were pulled from http://www.businessinsider.com/mostdangerousjobsinamerica201412#1loggingworkers10
4) Former President of Mexico
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