“What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy!”
But thanks to Reaganomics, prison turned to profits
'Cause free labor’s the cornerstone of US economics
'Cause slavery was abolished, unless you are in prison
You think I am bullshittin’, then read the 13th Amendment
Involuntary servitude and slavery it prohibits
That’s why they givin’ drug offenders time in double digits
That song slaps so fucking hard.
Yeah but the other countries are authoritarian.
Well yes but have you considered Freedom? The US is obviously the only country with Freedom, it’s even in the song.
So it’s okay.
22 years ago a little smol bean rock group put out an album only one week before some hijackers flew some planes into some buildings… here’s the lyrics:
“They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood (Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system, prison system of the US) They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood (The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system, has doubled since 1985) They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and I They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me Oh Oh All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences (Oh) All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and me They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me”
I don’t know (or really care all that much) all of system of a down’s political opinions. But this song alone, which again I gotta point out again came out September 4, 2001 literally one week before 9/11, absolutely laying bare in popular musical format the prison system of the US, the reason it exists, and that it’s just going to get worse. And it has. Very much worse. I think listening to this song on repeat at like 13 years old is part of why I always knew the American “justice” system was bullshit.
And I only mention the week before 9/11 thing because they’re literally referencing the actual reasons for 9/11 happening in this song. I think many Americans, and I was certainly one, grew up in the early 2000s entering teenage years and adulthood bewildered by the attacks because of the way the media always presented them (and still does). It’s a bit jarring as I get older to look back at media like songs and movies and see very obvious acknowledgments and understanding of what the US was doing. It’s like the adults in charge knew and then on 9/11 they secretly colluded to not tell the young people at the time the truth. And now it’s starting to reemerge in American consciousness. Those comments about America’s chickens coming home to roost (a callback to Malcolm X by Rev Wright) hit so much harder when you realize he was right, just like Malcolm was right, and most people didn’t listen because it’s easier or more comfortable to believe America is the good guy, America doesn’t do anything bad and if it does something bad it was an accident so you can’t blame anyone.
Just kind of free flowing there, but every time prisons and the prison slavery “loophole” gets brought up I’m reminded of that song.
Everybody in the north patted themselves on the back for ending slavery and said oh look how moral we are and then put a buuut in IMMEDIATELY afterwards
Even Marx got duped back then. Remember the enthusiastic letter he wrote to Lincoln? It was in the precise moment between the war getting decided and 13 amendment.
Well Marx lived in a different era, when capitalism was still cracking the remains of old feudal system
Yes, nobody blame him, just pointing out that even back then US was a duplicious shit country with excellent propaganda.
Hell even Lenin got tangled into one-sided view on US agriculture despite actually studying the sources.
Of course, private companies need goods. For prisons, that is people.
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids
Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids
I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood
(Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system, prison system of the US)
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
(For you and me)
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich
I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood
(The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system, has doubled since 1985)
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
(For you and me)
For you and I, you and I, you and I
You and I
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison for you and me
Oh, baby, you and me
Oh
Oh
All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh)
And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences (Oh)
All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh)
And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences
Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world
Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe
I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood
Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in)
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
(For you and me)
For you and I, you and I, you and I
You and me
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison
They’re trying to build a prison for you and me
Oh, baby, you and me
Should I be the 3rd guy to post soad lyrics?
I’m gonna be the annoying one here but according to the same source Cuba is one of the few countries above the US in incarceration rates (top 1 is El Salvador)
Of course the difference is, Cuba is a small, initially underdeveloped, insular, under constant CIA aggression, and sanctionned as f, while the US is supposed to be the pinnacle of human development
And most interestingly, look at how low China is, supposedly an authoritarian hell hole
I think bukeles El Salvador’s is now #1.
yeah this chart is from 2011 for whatever reason… but even tho El Salvador has a higher per capita, no one can beat the US total number
USA #1!
Wait. They say China is a close #1, not sure how reliable tho.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/262961/countries-with-the-most-prisoners/
pfft they just puffed up the numbers to win, we all know USA can’t be beat!
jk tho i didn’t know that
USA USA USA
