Henry Rollins: America's Real Safety Net Is Drugs, Alcohol, Cheap Food and Free Porn [View all]

[G_j]

http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-americas-real-safety-net-is-drugs-alcohol-cheap-food-and-free-porn-8392156

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 AT 4:30 A.M.
BY HENRY ROLLINS

Since the inception of America, as much concept as actual thing, the poor have been despised by the rich. It is an adversarial relationship that has not relented from then to this moment.

This antagonism and the agony it engenders is not only our collective story but informs much of our behavior now. No matter who you are or how you’re living in this country, it has saturated your life.

A lot of good things have happened in America, but many of them were attempts to neutralize or correct some incredibly awful things that eventually became so egregious that enough people stood up. Rarely has there been a spontaneous act of kindness. There were presidents like Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson who went hammer and tongs at change and tried to improve things. While they weathered a ton of harsh criticism that persists to this day, their accomplishments are monumental but rare.

Since I’ve been alive, the country has operated like a stick-shift car, driven by someone who has no idea how the parts work. There’s been a lot of damage without a lot of movement to show for it. For many wealthy people, the poor are, for lack of a better term, a pain in the ass.

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