With Great Wealth Comes Great Impunity

I’ve tried to ignore the Liam Neeson thing because in many ways I feel these people get way too much attention. However, I can’t get it out of my head. I’m trying to imagine the mind space that would cause someone to say such a thing- in an interview no less. There’s so much wrong there. Obviously, there’s the complete dehumanization of people of color; they’re interchangeable and disposable, so let’s just pick one at random to kill. However, what I find most disturbing is the total sense of impunity that would cause him to say this. Not only did he not see a problem, he probably felt brave and self-congratulatory that he said it. He got something dark off his chest. Privilege has been allowed to totally corrode our society. There’s a sort of genteel evil running deeply through it. When you add in the stunning economic inequality that until recently we’ve accepted as the natural course of things, there’s a sense of impunity that is terrifying. That’s why I’ve never understood the label “socially liberal, but fiscally conservative.” Its all part of the same gestalt. You don’t get to pick which parts you want to fix. As Lester Freeman said, “all the pieces matter.” Otherwise, you have people like Neeson who probably think of themselves as conscientious parts of the solution- possibly more so for having made this brave confession- blithely saying such horrible things.

And don’t even get me started on the Ted Talk/Davos motherfuckers, especially since Anand Giridharadas says it so much better than I.