I know this is going to sound like such a middle aged suburban woman rant, but I just learned of the murder of Johnny Wactor. He was the actor who played Brando Corbin on General Hospital. I know I’ve already lost some people thinking, “Who cares about some soap star?”. Well, I do. His family does. His co-workers and friends do, but that’s not really the point.
Johnny Wactor was murdered by someone trying to steal his car. Eight months ago Tyler Christopher, another soap star overdosed, and month earlier Billy Miller, another soap star committed suicide after a long fight with depression. This may seem like a stupid thing for me to be worrying about. They are just famous people doing famous things and ending up dead. That’s always happened. I get that.
The difference is, that it used to be just that. Growing up I knew how Elvis, Marylin, and many others overdosed. I knew that John Lennon, and Marvin Gaye were both murdered. These were just facts that people understood were part of being famous, but today it’s a fact that is part of everyday life.
Johnny Wactor wasn’t murdered because he was famous. I doubt the man stealing his car knew who he was. Violent crime rates today are actually on the rise for the first time in the last 70 years. Not surprisingly this is during the same time that the government has stopped charging people for drug related crimes. What is even less surprising is that drug overdoses have skyrocketed since the government stopped charging people for selling drugs. It’s almost like selling drugs, and taking drugs are not victimless crimes.
I don’t know when people started thinking that it’s perfectly ok to go out into the world and get other people, usually mentally unwell, depressed, anxious, or actually disturbed people addicted to substances that are just going to cause more damage to the already impaired brain. I don’t know when people stopped realizing that once addicted those same depressed, anxious, and disturbed people would go out an cause more problems in society.
No, we as a society can’t punish those who want to damage the rest of us for the sake of a few dollars.. no we have to accept everyone as they are. It’s not the drug dealers fault that they sell drugs. We shouldn’t punish them. Don’t judge the drug addict, we shouldn’t do anything to change their situation, it’s their choice to sell themselves on the street, or go rob people for a fix.. who are we to say no.
Society has become a haven of villainy. Big cities have turned away from the city on the hill and towards Gotham. The more vulgar. The more deranged. The more angst ridden the better.
Mental health problems have become a badge of honor in society today. 1-in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year, and that’s not including things like gender dysphoria which the government has suddenly decided isn’t a disorder anymore.. just totally normal. Suicides and drug overdoses now overtake the number of adolescent deaths, well beyond car accidents. The only one higher is gun deaths, and that’s because it includes all the gang violence that is sparked primarily by teens selling drugs to other teens.
The government is literally killing our kids with kindness. They are taking away the bail system. They aren’t prosecuting non-violent drug offences, which means selling drugs to people who will later go out and commit the violent crimes to get money for said drugs, or the dealers themselves will later commit violent crimes in order to retain their “Territory”.
Here’s the thing. Acceptance isn’t kind. Acceptance isn’t love. Allowing people to harm themselves and others is not helping anyone. We need to take control of our society again. We need to stop enabling the Jokers of the world, and making them out to be the victims. They are not. We need to lock up those who cause harm to our society in order to protect the vulnerable. We have to stop praising the “brave” people who are just “living their lives” endangering other.
Kids today are being poisoned. They are being poisoned with ideas. Poisoned with drugs, and poisoned by a society who claims to want to help. Helping means stopping bad behavior and rewarding good. Not the other way around.
Katrina Michelle Russell 