Before reading, I would like to preface this with a statement: I wrote this late at night while I was basically running on fumes. If it sounds a bit too unstructured and disorganized, that would be why.
What defines a government? This question has been ever-pervasive in today’s society, yet the direction we are taking seems to be restricting the modern man’s privacy, freedom, and making things equal in the name of “justice”. (Neo-socialists, I am looking right at you.)
What examples do I have, one may ask. Think about this: the modern college process has nearly no merit based scholarships when taken in contrast to the hordes of need-based ones.
This is not the only flaw of the collegiate system, but it is certainly a very imposing one for the middle-class in today’s society. “So what if your IQ is measured at 140? Timmy here is from the slums, and even though his only redeeming quality is that he has above a 2.0 GPA (a 2.26, for your information), he happens to be the first one in his family to go to college. Guess who gets our support: the genius, or the “needy” man? That’s right: Timmy goes to school free, while you go and remain submerged in debt for the rest of your miserable life. You could have been something great, but unfortunately you weren’t born unfortunate.”
The reversal of fortune and misfortune in today’s society is a thorn in the modern man’s side. Nowadays, if one is born wealthy, only the utmost scorn and hatred is directed their way by the common man. They are sent death threats, need protection regularly, and constantly have to worry about everyone around them trying to get their hands on their inheritance.
If one is born poor, anything you do is seen as a great accomplishment, worthy of placing next to the construction of the Great Pyramids, or the discovery of radiation. To fall subject to this view is to view the poor with a pity that they do not desire. I recall, in my younger years, drawing terribly; however, the people at the “grown up table” would take these drawings and equate them to the Mona Lisa and whatnot. I hated every second of that, and my main thought was: “Wow, how stupid are they?” (Sad answer: very.) It devalues any true achievement you do, because your accomplishments are viewed relative to your age. If I were to draw as well as my third grade self in the present day, and presented it in much the same manner, I am willing to bet that the reaction would be a lot more lackluster. The same issue occurs with the modern poor. The mainstream culture respects and applauds the bulk of the hip hop industry for “getting outta the hood” and making it big; if you took a middle-class white man, he would have no method of becoming a serious contender in that genre.
To be born poor in today’s society is better than being born rich. To be a part of a minority is to gain instant sympathy from the majority, and to be part of the majority is to be relegated to the minority.
Another example: the censoring of certain political figures on social media platforms, by these big tech corporations. I do not testify to the accuracy of the aforementioned political figures’ ideas, sentiments, etc., but the fact that the mob has full, unregulated control of who gets silenced and immediately disdained is not exactly resting easy with me. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram should be completely incapable of censorship except for that which is a) commonly acknowledged illegal content (drug dealers, graphic violence, etc.) or b) commonly acknowledged indecent content (nudity, gore, etc.). Even this is pushing the limits. To grant a private corporation, which is obviously in bed with several governments across the world, complete control over who gets censored is the death of free speech. Between a tyrannical aristocrat and a mega-corporation, what real difference is there in policy?
All the attacks on the Tor network in the past is yet another proof of the modern sentiment towards privacy. Want to remain anonymous? Fuck you. Want to live untraced? Fuck you. Want to be out of Big Brother’s vision? Motherfuck you too.
Why must governments be so centralized as they are right now? Take a look at the original Articles of Confederation (pre-cursor to the American Constitution) and their model of government. There were several separated sovereign states that were part of a Confederation. The federal government practically did not exist. The local level of society could live life without thinking about the government running in the background, and were unperturbed by such social issues as race wars and homosexuality. Sure, they had issues with funding the federal government, enforcing federal mandates, etc., but with modern technology this can likely be bypassed. Smart contracts are a very promising new method of business dealings; why not utilize them in government funds? This could make a system run rather smoothly, with no third party needed to maintain order.
The federal power in the US needs to be scaled back, and individual states need more authority. The blockchain could be a solution to this.