day no. 16,737: prison culture

"If the capitalists are allowed to erect their constructive capitalist community, I speak quite seriously when I say that I think Prison will become an almost universal experience. It will not necessarily be a cruel or shameful experience: on these points (I concede certainly for the present purpose of debate) it may be a vastly improved experience. The conditions in the prison, very possibly, will be made more humane. But the prison will be made more humane only in order to contain more of humanity... We no longer lock a man up for doing something; we lock him up in the hope of his doing nothing. Given this principle, it is evidently possible to make the mere conditions of punishment more moderate, or—(more probably) more secret." — G.K. Chesterton, Utopia of Usurers

When we equate prison with inhumane conditions, we allow ourselves to be imprisoned by luxuries. If we think prison unpleasant simply because of its ambiance, we will think it suitable if someone lights a candle. 

In short, the State has made slavery more humane in order to enslave more of humanity.

Free room and board, internet access, education, exercise, etc... all have become the standard accommodations of convicts and all of them are now being offered by the State to citizens. These, however, are the razor wire fences going up all around us. A bill passes, an amenity is added or upgraded, a check point is installed. We have watched the walls go up around us like a frog in a warming pot. The prison is under construction and the watchtowers are being installed. Snipers are now climbing the stairs. And we are enjoying movie night in the yard.

When we take the warden's coin we become the warden's men.

Free stuff does not produce free men. Freedom is the ability to fend for yourself. The fact that these words conjure up an image of scrounging only goes to show how catechized by our wardens we have been. The freedom to fend for yourself is the same as the freedom to prosper. Yes, it could fail. But it might not. Prison may guarantee that you never go without a roof over your head or a meal on your plate, but it does so at the price of guaranteeing the roof will never be yours and the menu will never be up for discussion.