Thread by @RobletoFire

Whats up Twitter.

From time to time I feel it's necessary to just spout some thoughts and musings into the ether—to just float ideas into the universe.

This is one of those times.

Over the last few years, especially the past one, alot of people assume my position on many issues—which is natural, given my status and a fledgling independent journalist.

I figure this would be a good time to go through some of those issues.

First of all, I believe in creative, open discussion—which is kinda the purpose of this thread.

I don't have all the answers, but I do believe that discussion—even disagreements—are essential to progress.

We don't talk enough. We just shut down after we find out the other voted Trump, or Obama, or whomever.

But that's what the ones in power want us bickering about—instead of focusing on how we're really getting screwes from both sides.

Until recently, I think one of the major conversations that we avoid at all costs—in any serious manner—is that of racial injustice and inequity.

That conversation can't happen, however, until there is an acknowledgement that we still have deep issues in this country.

It's not a crazy thing to say that not everyone in the land of opportunity has equal opportunity—we have an indisputable poverty problem, and it disproportionately affects minority communities.

This is by design, for numerous reasons.

First, even though African Americans have been a part of this country since it's inception (they built it), they didn't get the same advantages as white families that enabled them to build wealth, etc.

It's 1st & Goal from the 1, compared to 4th & Goal from the other teams 20.

Secondly, and because of that, after the end of slavery, African Americans were hardly free.

They were shepherded to housing projects, and forgotten neighborhoods—at the mercy of a white power structure who gave them scraps.

It's still this way.

Many inner city, impoverished neighborhoods are structured the same way:

Grocery Store, ABC Store, Gun Store, rinse, repeat.

Why? So you never have to leave. They want people to stay there.

They want to keep people poor.

The purpose is to pump as much money out of the neighborhoods and into the pockets of the predominantly white millionaires who own the land and the business.

Here's a thought: Pump money *into* these areas to build them up—increase opportunities.

Instead, the only ones increasing opportunities are the corporations who keep the power structure in place.

Example: The BLM movement has been happening for years. Politicians didn't care until Amazon did.

Amazon, and all the rest of these corporations, only started to care about BLM/Police Brutality because it became financially beneficial to do so.

They are profiting off of the suffering of some of the most vulnerable among us, and it's sick.

Police Brutality has been an issue for decades (being kind).

This is issue should've been taken seriously and fixed an eternity ago.

People are tired of seeing their family and friends murdered with zero accountability.

People can only be pushed but so far.

Do I agree with the rioting/looting? Of course not—but when I saw those images I couldn't help but think:

This is a moment in the course of society, where the disenfranchised show the establishment they are outnumbered.

This society only works because we allow it to.

I whole heartedly acknowledge that racism, both subtle and overt, is prevalent in this country.

It's also my belief that the powers that be purposefully exacerbate this to keep us focused on fighting each other, instead of banding together against them.

They, the government, are the ones that built the trap.

They wrote the trade deals that extracted all the wealth from these neighborhoods.

The CIA flooded the streets of some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country with cocaine, then locked them up en masse.

We're in the middle of a pandemic.

The government shut down your job, your kid's school (so even if you can work, there goes the 9-5).

They gave corporations hundreds of billions. You got $1,200 to last you indefinitely.

Then they went on vacation.

I'll reiterate, we're in the middle of a pandemic.

Millions of people can't afford to have insurance.

Medicare For All? They won't even discuss it.

But that military budget? We got $800B for that, no problem.

We need to be allies and realize these terrible periods of our country's past didn't happen in the biblical times—we're not even 60 years from Jim Crow.

There's still so much work to be done.

But fighting each other won't work—we need to direct this anger at our government.

There is no reason, in the "most advanced country in the world", that being born into poverty pretty much guarantees you a life of serfdom.

It's unacceptable.

We have to demand better.

We can make this country better. For everyone.

It's not gonna mean "socialism" (or whatever), either.

It just means wrestling the power over our government away from the billionaires and corporations that profit from our despair.