“What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy!”

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

But thanks to Reaganomics, prison turned to profits

'Cause free labor’s the cornerstone of US economics

'Cause slavery was abolished, unless you are in prison

You think I am bullshittin’, then read the 13th Amendment

Involuntary servitude and slavery it prohibits

That’s why they givin’ drug offenders time in double digits

Yeah but the other countries are authoritarian.

Well yes but have you considered Freedom? The US is obviously the only country with Freedom, it’s even in the song.

So it’s okay.

22 years ago a little smol bean rock group put out an album only one week before some hijackers flew some planes into some buildings… here’s the lyrics:

“They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood (Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system, prison system of the US) They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood (The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system, has doubled since 1985) They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and I They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me Oh Oh All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences (Oh) All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and me They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison They’re trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me”

I don’t know (or really care all that much) all of system of a down’s political opinions. But this song alone, which again I gotta point out again came out September 4, 2001 literally one week before 9/11, absolutely laying bare in popular musical format the prison system of the US, the reason it exists, and that it’s just going to get worse. And it has. Very much worse. I think listening to this song on repeat at like 13 years old is part of why I always knew the American “justice” system was bullshit.

And I only mention the week before 9/11 thing because they’re literally referencing the actual reasons for 9/11 happening in this song. I think many Americans, and I was certainly one, grew up in the early 2000s entering teenage years and adulthood bewildered by the attacks because of the way the media always presented them (and still does). It’s a bit jarring as I get older to look back at media like songs and movies and see very obvious acknowledgments and understanding of what the US was doing. It’s like the adults in charge knew and then on 9/11 they secretly colluded to not tell the young people at the time the truth. And now it’s starting to reemerge in American consciousness. Those comments about America’s chickens coming home to roost (a callback to Malcolm X by Rev Wright) hit so much harder when you realize he was right, just like Malcolm was right, and most people didn’t listen because it’s easier or more comfortable to believe America is the good guy, America doesn’t do anything bad and if it does something bad it was an accident so you can’t blame anyone.

Just kind of free flowing there, but every time prisons and the prison slavery “loophole” gets brought up I’m reminded of that song.

Of course, private companies need goods. For prisons, that is people.

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists

Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids

Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists

Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids

I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood

(Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system, prison system of the US)

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

(For you and me to live in)

Another prison system

Another prison system

Another prison system

(For you and me)

Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch

All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich

Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch

All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich

I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood

(The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system, has doubled since 1985)

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

(For you and me to live in)

Another prison system

Another prison system

Another prison system

(For you and me)

For you and I, you and I, you and I

You and I

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison for you and me

Oh, baby, you and me

Oh

Oh

All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh)

And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences (Oh)

All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh)

And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences

Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world

Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe

I buy my crack, my smack, my removed right here in Hollywood

Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

(For you and me to live in)

Another prison system

Another prison system

Another prison system

(For you and me)

For you and I, you and I, you and I

You and me

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison

They’re trying to build a prison for you and me

Oh, baby, you and me

Should I be the 3rd guy to post soad lyrics?

I’m gonna be the annoying one here but according to the same source Cuba is one of the few countries above the US in incarceration rates (top 1 is El Salvador)

Of course the difference is, Cuba is a small, initially underdeveloped, insular, under constant CIA aggression, and sanctionned as f, while the US is supposed to be the pinnacle of human development

And most interestingly, look at how low China is, supposedly an authoritarian hell hole

I think bukeles El Salvador’s is now #1.