Reading through some of the posts regarding the attitudes of those in society toward ex-offenders, I was reminded of a list I wrote a while back to answer a question for myself. What is society? Or rather what is so-called 'normal' society that we're all supposed to aspire to reintegrate into?
This is the list I came up with, I'd be interested to hear (read) what others think on this topic. Grab a coffee, here goes:
Care workers who abuse their charges.
Care workers who steal from those they care for
Parents abusing their children (beating, burning, kicking, throwing and even killing)
Parents sexually assaulting children (stealing innocence)
Children abusing children (bullying)
Neighbours abusing neighbours (snobbery, boundary disputes)
Internet trolls revelling in the death of others
Men and women abusing infants
Axe and machete-wielding nutcases on our streets
Ignoring democracy
Parliamentary corruption
Corporate greed
Health misdiagnosis leading to deaths
Corpses buried in gardens
Teachers behaving inappropriately
Students being violent toward their teachers
Clergy abusing children
Covering up deaths of babies in hospitals
Pranks, booby-trap wire against cyclists
Road rage
Mental health insensitivity
Mental health suffers roaming the streets
Email death threats
GPs abusing patients
Axe murderer seeking fame
Sportsmen jailed for sex-related crimes
Celebrities
Civil Servant corruption
Police corruption
Binge drinking
Fighting on the streets
Knife crimes
Racism at work
Radicalisation in schools
Social services failures
Random, unprovoked violence
BBC corruption
Veterans prosecuted
Veterans sleeping on the streets
Children going hungry
Poverty
Mindless vandalism
Nightmare neighbours
Drunk drivers
Government waste
Ignoring someone in need (stepping over an unconscious person)
The political correctness that denies comfort to children (a plaster and hug if they fall down)
Bullies at home
Bullies at work
Teenage suicide
Veteran suicide
Institutionalised discrimination
This is compiled from news reports, newspaper stories, TV programmes and similar public domain information. If we, as ex-offenders are encouraged to know ourselves and to seek change, then we can't fail to wonder where we are supposed to direct our energies to affect the changes that are supposed to 'turn around' our lives.
I just began to wonder what part of the above are we, as ex-offenders, supposed to ASPIRE to join?
Any thoughts?