Fixing The Bug In The System

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got a little more of Alyce's adventure to share with you, today! Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
I nodded. "And this barely even scratches the surface. The color of a person's skin, or the country that they or their ancestors originally came from, can affect not only their chances of getting a job, but also where they are able to live, what schools they and their children have access to, what jobs they have available to apply for in the first place, and how society, in general, interacts with them. I've already told you a bit about how a person with darker colored skin is more likely to be treated unfairly by the police and the courts, but that's just the beginning. Like I said, this kind of unconscious societal bias colors almost every aspect of life for people with darker colored skin."

"I find it hard that your people are so willing to squander their resources that way. Especially, when the reason is so absurd."

I shrugged. "Humans can be exceptionally stupid, sometimes."

"And none of the people with lighter colored skin are willing to combat this miasma of inequality your society exists in?" asked Squid-boy.

"Some are willing to fight it. Others refuse to even acknowledge that change is necessary. And some of those become actively hostile towards anyone who points out that inequality in the system exists."

"How can they deny the existence of a problem that affects so many?" asked Yax.

"Because it doesn't affect them. And it doesn't affect their close friends and relatives. And the system the way it is allows them to have an unfair advantage over other people that they don't want to give up. It's what has become known as 'privilege' and a lot of people are heavily invested in maintaining their privilege."

"That's incredibly selfish and short-sighted of them. Allowing for the maximization of the potential of every individual benefits society as a whole, which improves conditions for everyone," observed the tall alien.

I shrugged. "I agree with you. But you also have to understand that it's hard to explain to people who have almost nothing that they are privileged, even when it's the truth. Many of the people who are the most obstinate in their refusal to acknowledge the systemic inequality are also among the poorest members of society. It's much easier, not to mention safer, for them to blame those who are even worse off than them for all the ills of society than it is for them to recognize the truth."

"Which is?" asked Squid-boy.

"That if anyone is preventing them from getting ahead, it isn't the people who are even more disenfranchised than they are. It isn't the immigrants, the poor people who live in a different part of the country, or the people with different colored skin than them who have rigged the system against them. It's the people in power, the people with money and influence, who have arranged things so that poor people never seem to catch a break. That if they really want to do better for themselves and their families, they'd be much better served by joining forces with the people they look down on and working together to make all of their lives better."

"So it all goes back to the divisions created by the power structure in your society in order to maintain that power," said Yax.

"Yes and no. There are plenty of rich people who are just as hostile about acknowledging that there's systemic bias and that they are the beneficiaries of privilege, but much of it goes back to those in power working to divide people so that they can control them. Honestly, that's something you'll find to be true of pretty much every injustice in our society."

"Will your people ever succeed in fixing that bug in the system?" asked Squid-boy.

I shrugged. "Like I said before, sugar, that's exactly the question that's being decided right now. The more people come together to protest and non-violently resist tyranny, the more likely it is that we'll be able to take back control of our government and put into place a system that's fair for everyone. But it won't be a short or easy fight, and even if we win we'll still have to be vigilant to keep the corruption from getting back in. So, it will depend on if we, as a people, can muster the necessary energy and determination, or not."