The Death of Empathy
Who we’ve become - Alligator Alcatraz
A toddler in a courtroom with no parents or legal representation, sits at the big table playing and looking around the room. They are there to “defend” themselves for being in our country, alone. Parents gone, no one knows where they were taken or sent to. The child faces a judge and does not know what fate has in store for them. A ruling is made and the child fades away.
We forget our humanity.
And alligator Alcatraz is born.
For decades I have watched us steadily lose our empathy. Like metastatic cancer - it’s spread. The turning off of our empathy. The turning on the “other” and refusing to see the human beings in front of us. A manufactured enemy of the state.
They buy into it and forget our humanity.
And alligator Alcatraz is born.
A mother falls to her knees on the street, retching as they drag her from her child. Her husband stands by begging them not to take her. Their child crying “mama, mama, mama” over and over as he watches his mother being thrown into a van. Not too young to understand that he is losing her. Not too young to know something is deeply wrong.
So many see it, look away, and forget our humanity.
And alligator Alcatraz is born.
We do not live in a vacuum. What we always seem to forget is that what can happen to one - can happen to all.
The death of our empathy is a slow suicide.
We become so numb to the onslaught of atrocities, because to face it would also bring us to our knees, retching. And so we see it, shrug, and lose our humanity little by little.
Giving it away to the highest bidder who can entertain us. We sold our souls to the orange devil because he was loud and obnoxious and “entertaining”, never to be taken seriously. He supposedly “got” the forgotten man. He parroted who he believed the “real" enemies are and gave carte blanche to all of the racists. We turned off our empathy and became the worst versions of ourselves.
A woman clings to the tree near her on the sidewalk, holding on with every ounce of strength she has, nameless men surrounding her prying her limbs off one by one. She is silent. She doesn’t scream. She is stoic. She doesn’t fight. She sought safety with the tree. And still they took her.
They did not see her humanity.
They want us to forget our humanity.
And alligator Alcatraz was born to show us that cruelty has always been the point.
Who we’ve become is maybe who we’ve always been.
Our empathy is the thing that has kept some of us from turning away.
Our ability to see each other as whole humans deserving of life and love - that is what we cannot allow them to take.
We cannot abide the death of empathy.
We are not separate.
We Are Not Separate
They came to steal bodies from places that held no danger. They claimed it was for safety. They claimed the bodies were illegal. They claimed they had authority from on high.
I see no gods here. Only cowards with nameless faces.
I see no protectors here. Only hate filled faces.
I see no reason here. Only empty eyes and mouths zipped up.
They came to steal bodies from homes and schools and sidewalks and stores and restaurants and hotels. And the people rose up and stood in the way and said no more. You cannot take these bodies from these places- they are more than.
They are human. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, children, they are all of us.
We are not separate.
They are not dangerous. They are not illegal.
They are all of us.
We are not separate.
And you hateful nameless empty faces cannot have us.
(If you’re not familiar with Alligator Alcatraz please read here: https://apnews.com/article/florida-alligator-alcatraz-immigration-detention-trump-desantis-cc060aa6528acbd91a87ec1922578146)
Thank you, Mesa. This was brutiful. I'm so wrecked over here, and I'll take that over being hallow-eyed any day. 💔
It is hard for me to believe that I am living at a time that this is happening. 50 years from now I would love to see what is written about all that has occurred. Great post.