Imagined conversation between slave owners and the Founding Fathers (hell, it could have been internal dialog in Thomas Jefferson’s fat melon):
Slave owner: Hey, I bought these slaves. So they are my property. Here’s the receipt (hands over toe from one of the slaves as proof of ownership).
Founding Father: Well, gentlemen, we can’t argue with that.
I mean, it wouldn’t make any sense at all since most of us already own slaves.
We bought them. We own them. Ipso facto, they are our property.
Nobody dare challenge us on this.
If you do, and you try to suggest that personal/private property isn’t highest on the rung of really important things, and that human rights supercede property, then you might just have two first names (e.g., Benedict Arnold).
Don’t tread on us. We have snakes and muskets. Plus wood teeth (which weren’t wood) and fake hair just like our current president.
If you look at the history of the United States of America (no longer a real thing, by the way), you will see a theme that threads its way through our origin back when the first settlers came along all the way through now.
In short, personal property reigns supreme in this country.
Ideas like Eminent Domain, bankruptcy, right of way…all are prefaced that property is really important.
Look today at the protests going on around the country in support of Black Lives Matter and the Women’s Marches.
When things go haywire, and property gets damaged, the blame game goes into high alert. “I’m all for people protesting until they start damaging property.”
Hell, dude, NOTHING ever changes in this country until some blood is shed, or–GASP!–some property is damaged.
It’s the only way to get people’s attention.
I mean, if a cop kneeling on a man’s neck for eight minutes didn’t change anything, what the fuck will?
Right after that wretched event, people took to the streets to protest police brutality (read: MURDERS). The protests were peaceful. Black Lives Mattered.
For a minute (on the grand scale).
But then the riff raff came to town in the dark of night. We saw with our own eyes WHITE PEOPLE setting shit on fire.
And then the white people started whining about property. PROPERTY! IT’S being destroyed. HOW COULD YOU?
Look, I’m not down with destroying anything. But I’m smart enough to know it’s the only way to get people’s attention.
Consider attention gotten.
Your move, property owner.