So South Dakota decided to chime in and put on full display why no one lives in South Dakota. Back in March, their state legislature passed a law stating that all public schools in the state must prominently post “In God We Trust” in a common area such as the cafeteria or a main entryway. The NPR article that was put under my snout can be found here.
This tremendous waste of time,
resources and money that will be diverted from actually educating
children will inevitably end in a lawsuit or two. The only intention
of these laws being passed is for them to be struck down in court. This way white Christians can cry victim and claim that they are
being oppressed. At this point, I guess it could be argued that they
are imprisoned in a metaphorical concentration camp of the mind.
Freedom is a messy thing. Some people
think it means “I can do what I want and you can go fuck yourself.” That is not how a society can operate unless we were all cut from
the same cloth. And that is part of the sentiment behind this
steaming pile of bad logic. Attempting to instill a love of country
and fear of god in each student so everyone is the same and more
compliant. Fuck this flag store patriotism/Hitler Youth brainwashing
bullshit. These signs are to let everyone know that the Great
American Stupid is in charge and don't you forget it.
My main concern is the weird kid that
wears black every day and sits by themselves at lunch while reading
because I am the forty year old version of that weird kid. Part of
that concern is how exactly are they going to get the fuck out of
South Dakota as soon as possible. They need to start stealing their
parents' beer money to buy guitars and one way bus tickets.
We need to compile a list of the weird
kids in South Dakota to put together a humanitarian mission to send
them music and books. Stuff their brains with the Clash, Against
Me!, Aus-Rotten and the Ramones. Let these kids know that it might
not get better out here but at least they're not alone.
I'm not necessarily thinking of a
union of weirdos to pull this off. More of a loose collection of
wayward souls. There's no way we could have meetings because none of
us would leave the house to attend.
Nonsense like this makes me wonder
where it all went sideways. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the
Midwest used to be heavily populated with freethinkers and rabble
rousers. Immigrants from other countries, no less. What happened to
the people that were instrumental in unionizing industry to make
their children think that living in a “right to work” state was a
good idea?
Indiana alone gave us the titans
Eugene V. Debs and Kurt Vonnegut. Now the state is unleashing the
likes of Mike Pence upon us all. He couldn't think his way out of a
wet paper bag that was already torn in half.
Maybe all of those cuts to education
funding over the past few decades actually had the desired effect. It didn't help that whatever funding remained was diverted from
teaching children to become well rounded global citizens to shepherd
in the future. The leftover money was dumped into football stadiums to give
them concussions. That money may as well have been set on fire.
A populace that doesn't know how to
think can be easily manipulated into going against their own best
interests. That partially explains the TV preacher and the huckster
politician. They've got snake oil that needs sold and the under
educated 'merican is ripe for the selling.
Every time signs like these go up in a
public place, it's a reminder that the dullards have the numbers and
they're waiting to see who might be brave enough to stand up to them
or who lets it slide. Letting these acts of aggression slide over
the years has given them the confidence that no one will challenge
them. Ever since that slow escalator descent into hell four years
ago, they have been emboldened so they no longer care if they are
challenged.
These signs may as well read
“Ignorance Is Strength.”
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