Why Do Americans Tolerate Police Brutality?
Why Do Americans Tolerate Police Brutality?
There are many reasons, but here is a starting point:
Because the United States is a Potemkin democracy, where in practice, the citizenry has very little say in how they are governed.
How is it a Potemkin democracy?
Lack of Direct National Elections
We do not have direct national elections for federal officeholders. Our governance is influenced by gerrymandering, the Electoral College, an undemocratic Senate, and a Supreme Court where a majority of justices were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote in their first runs for office.
Manipulation of Voting Rights
Our courts allow officeholders to choose their own voters, which is frankly embarrassing and dystopian.
Legalized Bribery
We have legal bribery, euphemistically called “dark money,” campaign contributions, and lobbying.
Limited Democracy
The U.S. is a limited democracy due to constitutional design and the power of money.
Misinformation Protection
Our First Amendment treats bad-faith misinformation and disinformation as deserving of the same protections as all political speech, despite the fact that misinformation has contributed to the deaths of 1.1 million Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foundational Hypocrisy
The nation was founded on the premise of liberty and equality, yet the founders enslaved people and violated their basic human rights.
Anti-Intellectualism
As a society, we often dismiss intellectuals and deride those seeking positive change as “Marxists” or “un-American,” even though reformers are often pragmatic idealists brave enough to call a spade a spade.
Unaddressed Racism
The United States has never fully atoned for slavery and the apartheid imposed on African Americans. Any mention of their horrific treatment is dismissed as “woke” to demean their suffering.
- African Americans were enslaved for ten generations from 1619-1865.
- They suffered legal apartheid from 1865-1964.
- They couldn’t legally vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, although enforcement was inconsistent, and many faced obstacles until much later. Yet many are told to “get over it,” which is impossible when they are still treated as second-class citizens and suffer systemic racism.
Explaining Voting Rights Delays:
- The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, gave African American men the right to vote, but it wasn’t enforced in many areas until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- African Americans were prevented from voting by local and state laws and faced racial terrorism from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, backed by local government elites.
- From 1882 to 1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred, according to the NAACP. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was signed into law on March 29, 2022, by President Joe Biden. It took 120 years for Congress to pass an anti-lynching act, with Republican House members Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Chip Roy (R-TX) voting against it.
Genocide of Native Americans
The United States has never fully atoned for the genocide of Native Americans. Colonists and settlers exterminated Native Americans with disease, war, and intentional deprivation in the name of God, country, and profit. To this day, Native Americans suffer disproportionately compared to the rest of the U.S. population.
This is just a partial list, but it explains how we got to where we are today.
