A Colony in a Nation

by Chris Hayes

But as a principle of self-governance, particularly of American self-governance, “do what the cops say” is a pretty strange unofficial motto. This great land of ours, this exceptional beacon of liberty, was founded by men who, to borrow a phrase, refused to comply. Who not only resisted lawful orders but rebelled against the government that issued them. Colonists chased the king’s officers through the streets, caught them, beat them, tarred and feathered them, and wheeled them through town for all to mock and shame. As distant as it may seem now, that’s our national heritage when it comes to “lawful orders.”

Presented with a challenge to its power, an illegitimate regime will often overreact, driven by the knowledge that all they have is force.

Despite the fact nonwhite people are disproportionately the victims of crime, the criminal justice system as a whole is disproportionately built on the emotional foundation of white fear. But then, that isn’t surprising. American history is the story of white fear, of the constant violent impulses it produces and the management and ordering of those impulses.

White fear emanates from knowing that white privilege exists and the anxiety that it might end.

This instinct to level down—Circulate the mugshot! Censure the judge! Get tough on crime for privileged white boys!—rather than level up is a core feature of American justice.