No Justice, No Peace
AlterNet brings us the story of a poetry professor in a small college in the Northeast who decides to recycle old manuscripts and becomes an object of suspicion.
Because of my recycling, the bomb squad came, then the state police. Because of my recycling, buildings were evacuated, classes were canceled, the campus was closed. No. Not because of my recycling. Because of my dark body. No. Not even that. Because of his fear. Because of the way he saw me. Because of the culture of fear, mistrust, hatred and suspicion that is carefully cultivated in the media, by the government, by people who claim to want to keep us “safe.”
—Kazim Ali: Culture of Fear
Please read his words. He has useful questions.
Jeremy on No Justice, No Peace on May 07, 2007 at 06:28 PM
I like what one of the Alternet commenters said: why didn't he confront the "suspect" himself? The problem wasn't just being suspicious, but failing to figure out whether the suspicion was warranted when it was perfectly possible. No, we're supposed to "trust the authorities" and let them handle everything. But the authorities are idiots!