Let’s talk riots. Look around. Tis the season. These riots are significant, but they were not America’s first. Hell, they were not even the first about this topic. I guess we’re just a nation of slow learners. Though I digress, my point is that they won’t be the last. Let’s be honest. America is a nation in decline. Yes, I said it, and yes, I meant it. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the points, one by one.
First of all, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way. Racial disharmony. Welll…what can I say on this topic that hasn’t already been said by folks a lot more eloquent than me? It’s been 400 years, and we’re still fighting the exact same battles. Black people are still fighting to be seen as human. We’re tired. We have run out of patience. We have run out of fucks to give. Believe me when I tell you America, in this moment, if you were on fire, we wouldn’t piss on you…except maybe R. Kelly, but that’s a different post.
Income inequality: America is about to welcome its first trillionaire at the same time that most of her citizens are working multiple jobs just to survive. In fact, the billionaire class has declared war on the working poor. “Working poor”. Can I tell you how disgusting that phrase is? I threw up a little in my mouth, writing it, but again, I digress. There’s a billboard in Times Square that is opposing a $15 minimum wage, claiming $35,000 a year is too much for unskilled labor, and I will guarantee you that the people who came up with this idea make at least $35,000 an hour. It’s sick. What’s sicker is that the middle class buy into it. I have heard otherwise totally reasonable people complain about how $15 an hour is too much for flipping burgers. Personally, I feel that if you are working full time, you should be able to afford to live without worrying about making ends meet. That is not the case in America at the moment. Most people in the USA have AT LEAST two jobs.
Since we’re talking jobs and finances, let’s talk about what happens when things go wrong. Most American families are about two missed paychecks away from homelessness. That’s 1 month, tops. Considering how Corona has affected most industries, how many people are in danger of becoming homeless right now? When I moved to New York in 2009, homelessness was definitely an issue, but it became more noticeable over time. By 2014, there was almost always a homeless person on whatever train I took. I just began to expect it. By the time I moved to the West Village in 2016, it wasn’t just the trains. It was the stairwells in the stations, the streets outside, and also outside the very expensive apartment buildings in the area. As a frame of reference, the average one bedroom apartment in Manhattan costs $2,900 a month, and it’s almost certain that there will be someone who lives (and shits) right outside your apartment building.
While we’re discussing ridiculous prices, let’s talk health care. The US has the highest healthcare expenditure of any industrialized nation. Health care in the US is so expensive, people have died from rationing their insulin. It is so expensive, people avoid going to the doctor, even when they are seriously ill. It is so expensive, insurance companies have started recommending GoFundMe as a viable source of financing your healthcare. It’s so expensive, I actually know four people who have done that.
And since we’re on the topic of things nobody can afford, let’s talk education. As of 2019, the average public school cost $21,000 per year. Unless you come from a wealthy family, that means loans. Student loans in America basically come down to the modern day equivalent of indentured servitude. Personally, I call bullshit. The fact that you have to mortgage your future for a chance at a better future is simply unacceptable. Personally, I owe about $60,000 for my grad school, and I’m NOT paying it. Consider it a downpayment for my reparations.
Given all of these problems, it’s certain that there are more riots to come. The US is a powderkeg desperately seeking a match. And once you factor in the fact that there are about 120 guns for every 100 people, you’ll see that it is only a matter of time before it explodes.
