But that mirage I mentioned? It’s there shimmering in the distance, convincing those who pine that the brutality is proof that they are WINNING.

And the spiral from there … well, take a look at *gestures widely* all of this.

Anyway, like I said, not fully formed. But it’s something. /end

Brutality is undeniably easier than excellence.

For those who would gain power by way of subjugation, this is a win-win.

For those who pine for excellence (or even proximity to it) this is a lose-lose. BUT … /6

And so brutality becomes a stand-in for excellence. And with our collective short memory, our masochism, our persistent inability to understand our own inherent worthiness, we come to accept that it’s the brutality alone that we should strive for. Nevermind the excellence. /5

And the thing about that is:

If excellence excuses brutality …

If brutality elevates the excellent (at least by way of pushing down, if not pushing up) …

Then brutality can be seen and even accepted as proof of excellence …

And excellence can easily become nothing more than a mirage … /4

And that in and of itself is quite a startling revelation. But allow me to go a step further. This is not a fully formed thought, but I think it’s important enough to record here: It seems to me that many of us have been duped into believing that brutality is proof of excellence. /3

One thing that seems very, very relevant to understanding our current moment: the way excellence can engender brutality if you don’t intentionally guard against it. And that guarding against it is not a singular effort, but rather a communal one. /2

The image

I mean, Spartz’s fellow Hoosiers are doing the same at the state legislature level. We live I a conservative hellscape in Indiana. So I’d like to say I’m surprised, but …

guess that's what the "red" stands for.