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American Freedom Isn't FreeAmerican freedom isn’t free. Here, freedom is something you must afford. Can you afford to be free? Can you afford to be born with dark skin? Can you afford to be born queer? Can you afford to be born to a proletariat family? Can you afford to pay for college in ways that don’t involve risking your life? Can you afford to be disabled? Can you afford to get sick and receive high-quality healthcare? Can you afford to have an angry boss? Can you afford humane treatment? Can you afford the high pain tolerance to keep yourself going in the meantime? Can you afford to speak your mind? But what about when the cops hold you up? Can you afford to pay them off and make them go away? What if you don't put your hands in the air on time? Sure, you just smile, surrender the your information, and hope they go away... But what if you reach for your wallet too quickly? Can you trust cops to refrain from verbally and physically abusing you on a whim? What if a "Yes, Officer!" attitude meant everything or nothing to police? Can you afford to get berated and beaten, bloody and bruised, and then blamed for it? What if you can’t afford to pay your tickets and pay off the cops? Can you afford lights flashing in front of your house? Can you afford brusk knocks on your door? Can you afford to be in handcuffs? Can you afford bail? Can you afford to miss work and survive the stigma of being a criminal? Can you afford freedom? Sure, you might be able to afford a gun, but so long as there are people willing to turn the other cheek to mass-suffering, not even a gun can’t save you from institutional violence. The chaos of nature does not justify the corruption of power. Any civilization that fails to guard its most vulnerable members is not truly civil. Period. Humanity, stop lying to yourself: If you must afford freedom in order to obtain it, then it’s not “freedom” at all. It's a lie. #Unreal #Poetry #America #BlackLivesMatter #CanYouAffordFreedom #PoeticJustice #PoliceViolence #CapitalismSucks Visit our shop and subscribe. Sponsor us. Submit and become a contributor. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. CommentsComments are closed.
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