Cartoon 903: Just

We see things through our cultural prism. We are acculturated to believe we live in a just society. We accept as a ‘priori’ [from self-evident proposition] America is just. But is this really true?

On the macro level we have misleading politicians clearly in someone’s pocket. Look at gun control. We see voter restrictions and gerrymandering to ‘game’ the system. We see obfuscation and lies in politics and the media. We see Credit Bureaus and credit scores that no one can see the algorithms that drive them. There is no way to determine their degree of prejustice or profiteering . The payday lenders are an obvious usury scheme. We see municipalities rushing to have stadiums when there is never a net gain when all things are considered. What product or service have you bought that was clearly as advertised? Look at the indentation in bottom of bottles. It is to make it appear you are getting more than you really are.

On the micro level what about the cashier that slips you the counterfeit bill that got by them? What about law enforcement? What about the laws themselves? What about mandatory sentencing and for profit prisons? Your ability to skirt the laws is in direct proportion to your finances. Have you noticed the SEC seemingly never gets a conviction with the perpetrator admitting wrong doing? This allows the perpetrator to repeatedly come back to the courts until they get the verdict they wish. Our justice and enforcement system is sieve for the powerful and wealthy. What about healthcare and student loans?

If you were able to step out of your cultural biases you would see America in a different light. The younger generation sees America in a different light as they find themselves slipping in the social order. Social media and ubiquitous communication allows a better view of the decadent Rome of our times. It reminds me of Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”. This true of America today depending on your wealth.