There was a time when people openly debated whether individuals of certain races had souls (and even today, some still question whether certain religions “have souls”). Through deeply flawed and dysfunctional thinking, those with power granted themselves rights over others—rights that cannot legitimately be given away. Generations later, people stood together to free human beings whom society’s worst actors had dehumanized and claimed ownership over. Many sacrifices were made in support of freedom.
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(illustrative)
Jerry learned about
the struggles of the past
and the one's some
face today. The
story of this generation
and the next has
not been fully written.
He desires people to think
about prior choices and
how to avoid repeating the
bad ones.
He encourages healthy
adaptation through
learning; even in
difficult environments.
He understands
why we swear the oaths we
do and the importance
of believing in them. |
Yet even after emancipation, some courts undermined those gains by rewarding landowners and social insiders who intentionally eroded those freedoms. These actions were products of their time, but they should still provoke deep reflection. The lessons of that era continue into the modern age, particularly when hate quietly enters decision-making—whether openly acknowledged or not.
The Story of the Clan: A Philosophical Thought Experiment
The Story of the Clan is a philosophical learning narrative that explores how segregationist beliefs can reappear in modern forms, targeting certain religions, races, and out-groups. In this thought experiment, unwritten and implicit codes of hate prove more powerful than codified law. This is not accidental; it is the result of years of compromising.
In this story, nearly anything can be manipulated to reinforce the idea that “out-group” members are pseudo second-class citizens—people without meaningful rights of recourse, to whom sacred principles no longer apply. With no effective safeguards and open protection for those who cause harm, the system collapses under the weight of its own social and symbolic distortions. (Symbolic here refers to how the subconscious processes others and assigns—or denies—responsibility toward them.)
Allegations in this narrative range from sexual misconduct, to endangering children for personal gain, silencing whistleblowers by following them home, and targeting religious minorities to remove them from “their land”—despite the fact that many have lived there far longer. The issue is not history but perceived entitlement. These behaviors escalate into repeated attempts at open aggression designed to inflict physical and psychological harm. At that point, institutional failure becomes complete as nefarious actors seek to avoid accountability or profit from wrongdoing. Greed and corruption frequently intertwine with hate.
When Partisanship Overrides Purpose
Imagine a society where generational promises are discarded and political norms make deeply illegal acts functionally permissible. One of the risks of extreme partisanship is that it abandons the middle ground which should be our center. In such an environment, the very purpose of society is thrown aside, and hate becomes collectivized among individuals who are easily manipulated into scapegoating others for their problems.
History has already shown us the damage caused by ignorance, dehumanization, and moral blindness. In this hypothetical, harming others to enrich an in-group becomes normalized. Self-proclaimed “elite” members boast of power over others while openly mistreating them and encouraging others to do the same—creating social rules such as “you can’t talk to the victims” or “being their friend is uncool.” The victims have done nothing but behave politely, yet the clan system repeatedly rewards inappropriate and harmful behavior.
Even after severe harm to innocent people, perpetrators feel entitled to their actions, confident they are shielded by corruption and courts aligned with clan interests. In this story, they are correct: immunity is known, smirked about, and exploited through backroom deals that shield correction. Violations of human and civil rights cannot be ignored, nor should the damage caused by dark-triad traits be dismissed.
The Silver Lining: Oaths Still Matter
Despite coordinated efforts to harm, there are still individuals who believe in their oaths. Most officials and citizens do—especially when reminded of them—though they are often constrained by more toxic members within institutions. In the face of extreme backsliding, victims choose to challenge wrongdoing peacefully and persistently, not for recognition, but because they know it matters for the next generation. They have responsibilities where others have neglected theirs.
They ask for nothing and expect no protection, understanding how misuse of power operates at the unwritten level. They stand calmly in the presence of hate and corruption to strengthen the safety of others and brighten their future. Those who engage in wrongdoing do not represent the majority of public servants, many of whom act with integrity—but these failures occur precisely where systems break down. We owe it not only to the victims but also to those who work with integrity to strengthen these institutions as much as we can.
Victims, Accountability, and Institutional Repair
Intentionally created victims—often treated as second-class citizens—continue pushing for healthier institutions and a brighter future for everyone, including the children and grandchildren of those who harmed them. Good is rarely rewarded in systems that embrace corruption but that doesn't change the need to continue to encourage a higher moral order. Still, these individuals care enough to learn from history, understand risk, and insist that societies improve by strengthening what works and correcting what does not.
The misuse of institutional authority only weakens those institutions. When those entrusted with responsibility fail to meet the higher purpose of their roles, others step in to reinforce the foundations they neglected.
As victims come forward and failures in clan-aligned courts become visible, more officials and citizens begin to understand the truth. Hate-based narratives weaken, and the full scope of wrongdoing becomes clearer—including sweetheart deals granted to those caught in misconduct. A different future begins to emerge, grounded in moral awareness and accountability. The rewards of doing what is right slowly become visible.
Shared Values and the Cost of Silence
Standing for shared values is as important today as it was in the past—not only for justice, but for economic stability and a truly indivisible society. History teaches us what happens when good people are silenced, rights are undermined, and distorted consciences justify nearly anything without checks and balances. Manipulation, hate-based rumors, coordinated retaliation, and the misuse of taxpayer money against whistleblowers are signs of systemic failure, no matter how some attempt to rationalize them.
When these behaviors are normalized, low trust becomes the rational response. Two systems of justice emerge—one for insiders, another for everyone else. The same problem found in history repeats itself because it has not been truly resolved only pushed out of conscious to resurface again from failures to learn.
True North and the Fifth Wave of Hate
The written and unwritten rules of society must align with true north. If we claim to believe in certain values, we cannot tolerate clan courts or enrich those who benefit from them. The emergence of a “fifth wave of hate” in this philosophical series represents a final lesson—after which understanding must be consolidated into wisdom.
Accountability may or may not arrive, but the system itself is on trial. Give hate an inch and it takes a mile. If clan courts give it yards, it will take entire roadways. The tragedy is that those most despised by hate groups are often the very people trying to prevent worse outcomes—urging accountability before stronger leadership arrives and reverses the damage.
The Final Question
The central question remains: when the curtain is pulled back, do the perpetrators recognize their actions as an honest reflection of their values? Are they willing to own what they believe and what they have done?
The victims understand their sacrifice and what is at stake when values are treated as decoration rather than obligation. Hate, when normalized, endangers generations. The freeloaders of our rights feel entitled despite never having helped earn or protect them.
The final irony is this: those who dehumanized others ultimately undermined themselves. They mistook immunity for justice. But no amount of backroom deals or institutional protection can outrun the long tail of justice. No individual, institution, or authority is immune to change when society deems that change as necessary for their health.
Doing what is right strengthens society. Doing wrong steals from the next generation to satisfy the unquenchable appetite of a few. As Plato’s Allegory of the Cave reminds us, when people are shown a higher truth, their reaction reveals who they truly are.Allegory of the the Cave
What do you think?
“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” Plato
