The true role of government (i.e. power) is to perpetuate itself. Regardless of what ideology it dresses itself with, that is its goal and function. Not to serve the people it governs, not to protect them, not to further their wellbeing, health, and happiness etc. This applies to all governments/governing systems, though there is a spectrum of heavy handedness upon which they exist.

I’m not saying that’s how it should be and I’m sure there’s an exception or two out there. There are systems that are more permissive/open and subjectively more optimal to live under (I wish I lived under a better one) but the same still applies. Benefits/rights for the public typically need to be forced from the system or the benefit/right itself must somehow ultimately serve and benefit the overall system more and/or aid in its perpetuation.

So, the answer is, you’re supposed to care about whatever your heart cares about because none of the people in power give a single shit about the children or any of the people they govern. The Iranian government does not care, the US government does not care, the Israeli government does not care, none of the European governments care etc. Giving a fuck about the faceless masses is not their function. Maintaining and increasing their power, control, and wealth is.

I literally had no idea who he was until the campus videos of the shooting hit Lemmy. I’m in the US but don’t regularly follow US media sources because gestures vaguely. Lemmy is also my only social media at this point, everything else has been deleted, so when something pops up here, I go digging through the Guardian or El Pais to get an idea of what’s going on.

I will say, I had the absolute delight of taking all the wind out of my deeply religious and conservative coworkers sails by innocently asking, “who’s Charlie Kirk?”, when they were discussing a moment of silence idea and a poem one of them wrote about him. Of course I knew who he was at that point, but I enjoy being an agent of chaos in a small southern town lol (send help!).

5 years! We’re not really sure of the exact date cause ADHD² lol we go with October cause shopping for Halloween decorations was our first date 🎃