It’s ironic that while we wear masks for success in the outside world, men on the inside wear tough guy masks for self-preservation in the brutal prisons you describe. It’s like a masked ball that can only end badly unless our society comes to its senses.
It’s also ironic that while the Barbies (and Kens) of the media world were spooning out “those sickly sweet spoonfuls of cough syrup” to the masses, I found guys in my prison classes who spit the stuff out. They were already deep into books, thinking critically, often in opposition to the status quo.
“Has anyone heard of Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment?” I recall asking in a patronizing way I now regret. “Yes,” said a quiet middle-aged man, “I’ve read all his works.”
Thanks for that honesty and vulnerability. We are in an identity crisis more than ever and I feel the parallels with your story. I have a post on sovereignty too that relates to the mechanisms of the prison industrial complex. It’s called Doctors....https://open.substack.com/pub/sinatana/p/identify-yourself_its-required?utm_source=direct&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Grace to you!
Brave and forthright. Thanks for sharing your story.
It’s ironic that while we wear masks for success in the outside world, men on the inside wear tough guy masks for self-preservation in the brutal prisons you describe. It’s like a masked ball that can only end badly unless our society comes to its senses.
It’s also ironic that while the Barbies (and Kens) of the media world were spooning out “those sickly sweet spoonfuls of cough syrup” to the masses, I found guys in my prison classes who spit the stuff out. They were already deep into books, thinking critically, often in opposition to the status quo.
“Has anyone heard of Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment?” I recall asking in a patronizing way I now regret. “Yes,” said a quiet middle-aged man, “I’ve read all his works.”
And off we went!