If you see something, say nothing
If you see that your country is being torn apart and crushed by the 1%, let it go. Ignore it. Really. Find someone who has less power than you, and tear apart or crush them. It’s a long shot, but you might join the 1%.
If you see that…
…the richest 1% own 42% of the wealth, and the poorest 90% hold only 23% (1)
… the slice of the national income pie going to the wealthiest 1% of Americans has doubled since 1979 (2)
…400 Americans have more wealth, $2 trillion, than half of all Americans combined (2)
…if inflation is factored in, a person with a minimum wage job in 2014 would make 24% LESS MONEY than the same worker in 1968 (1)
…African-Americans comprise only 13% of the U.S. population and 14% of the monthly drug users, but are 37% of the people arrested for drug-related offenses in America (3)
…the National Academy of Sciences report that last few decades of US imprisonment policy have been racist, ineffective, wasteful, and destructive way to reduce crime that is largely due to social and economic disadvantage (4)
…the 2003 US invasion of Iraq inspired terrorist recruits from around the world (5), and the US war in Iraq generated a sevenfold increase in the yearly rate of fatal jihadist attacks (6)
Say nothing. It’s all good. All hail the Donald — he will say something, right?
Dr. Josh R Klein, 2/21/2017
References
1. Leyba M. State of the Dream 2017: Mourning in America [Internet]. Boston, Durham: United for a Fair Economy; 2017 Jan [cited 2017 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.faireconomy.org/dream17
2. Schwartz L. 35 Mind-Blowing Facts About Inequality. AlterNet [Internet]. 2015 Jul 13 [cited 2015 Dec 22]; Available from: http://www.alternet.org/economy/35-mind-blowing-facts-about-inequality
3. 11 Facts About Racial Discrimination [Internet]. DoSomething.org/Volunteer for Social Change. [cited 2015 Dec 22]. Available from: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination
4. Travis J, Western B, Redburn S. The growth of Incarceration in the United States [Internet]. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2014 [cited 2015 Oct 21]. Available from: http://www.vtlex.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/18613.pdf
5. Mueller J. Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them. New York: Free Press; 2006.
6. Koehler RC. Quiet War, Sleeping Nation [Internet]. Common Dreams. 2016 [cited 2016 May 13]. Available from: http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/12/quiet-war-sleeping-nation
