“Don’t go against the government.” is the message we hear again and again from friends and families. So I decided to look for some empirical data to support this blind trust in the government. Here’s a list of human low points and the form of government in place at the time.

— The Holocaust, democratically elected Nazi Party.

— Apartheid, democratically elected National Party.

— Chinese Cultural Revolution, Chinese Communist Party. One party system.

— USSR purge, Soviet Communist Party. One party system.

— Khmer Rouge, Communist Party of Kampuchea. One party system.

— Jim Crow Laws, Local and State Legislatures, democratic multi-party.

— Residential School atrocities, Government of the Dominion of Canada. Democratic multi-party.

— Chinese Exclusion Act, Heat Tax Act, Government of the Dominion of Canada. Democratic multi-party.

— Japanese Internment Camps, Government of the Dominion of Canada. Democratic multi-party.

— Jammu massacres, Governments of India and Pakistan, Democratic multi-party.

The list of course can go on and on. We see no evidence supporting the trustworthiness of governments, past or present, tyrannical or democratic, East or West.

If you are a caucasian heterosexual male and the government say: “We’ll protect your family, affirm your manhood and you will always be one of us.” You will probably say:”Great, I’ll vote for you.” Now imagine if you are aboriginal and the government says:”We’ll always take care of your children.” If you are a gay couple and the government says:”We’ll always look after your rights.” If you are a East Asian and the government says:” You will always be a full citizen.” Magically, the same words suddenly take on very different weight and meaning. The government is not genuinely interested in the interests of minorities or marginalized people. To quote Jessica Rabbit : “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.” Governments aren’t inherently evil, it’s just by design.

Last but not least, western governments only have a four year mandate. In between elections they can pretty much get away with murder. Giving an injection needle-wielding maniac the timeout countdown does not make it safer for everyone else around him. The current government can gamble on whatever policies to win them most votes and expect future governments to deal with the lawsuits and foot the medical bills. Again, it’s just by design.

As a Homo Sapien, I am honestly and truly embarrassed to admit this form of organization is the best we have come up with after millions of years of evolution and revolution. Are we better off than a band of baboons on the plains of Africa? At least they don’t have a head baboon running around trying to jab other baboons with a needle containing questionable liquids all the time. Has our species entered a new Low Points? Which side will you stand on?

In conclusion, governments have no credential for trustworthiness and possess very short-term memories; they bias toward the populous and they have a transient single-minded agenda. If you still trust them, I’d love to hear you out. Please leave a comment below.

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Published by ZEN WANG

Nuclear Project Engineer turned Filmmaker. View all posts by ZEN WANG