>I kind of lean on a similar construction with respect to the
>idea of "freedom" as it seems like you're putting together
>here, but sometimes I have a hard time articulating it in a
>way that engages people in the way I want.


Imma try to parse it out with a few examples.

The "Justice System"

This country, on paper, has one of the strongest, fairest court/jury trial systems in the entire world. Just think of the ideas around being tried by a jury of your peers, you're guaranteed an attorney if you can't afford one, being considered innocent until proven guilty, keeping juries protected from being victimized by defendants, how the jury pool is chosen etc etc

But that's not how it REALLY works, especially for Black people...public defenders often railroad us or are in cahoots w/the DA to cut terrible deals, jury duty is avoided by many smart,intelligent folks, or don't reflect the actual "peers" of the defendant (i.e. an all white racist ass jury for a Black defendant), Black defendants are almost always assumed to be guilty and have to prove otherwise, jury selection process is often tainted and biased

and we haven't even TOUCHED the prison system, which does not even attempt to rehabiliatate anyway and uses them (mostly US) for slave labor of for-profit companies and sets us up to return by politicizing "reentry" programs...

do we need to talk about the death penalty and who usually dies? or the racist/sexist and corrupt constructs of bail bonds (bounty hunters anyone?), parole, probation, prison guards, clemency hearings, pardons?

i'm already exhausted....i cant do a few more examples...writing that out just made me angry and sad...

other examples anyone else is free to examine are:
Voting
Public Education
Healthcare
Housing
Employment

anyway, you get the drift. we fake free.

d