First of all, it is more than "speaking truth to power" as the idealistic refrain goes and my saying this isn't implication that I'm diminishing its utility. But what I'm saying is the formulation, "speaking truth to power", which in any context automatically entails a concession of agency, when agency is understood as that ability to apply or put into practice that which would naturally negate the necessity of the formulation and what I also mean by agency is the role that when we, even as subjects are exhibiting what in effect, fact and practice is "agency" by pushing back, which is what the work of holding the Virginia prison official accountable is, against the status quo narrative, for example the narrative that insidiously assumes that the Virginia prison official occupies a privileged professional and social position, as such is above law, which for it to exist, means we are its objects deprived of agency or to put it bluntly we are dehumanized according to its structures and purpose of subordination as defined by its constructed suppositions, that we lack and are incapable of "interests", or in clear speech we are less than, without any specific or general claims to the functional realization of our full humanness as anticipated by Virginia's Social Contract and its terms, which then naturally and consequently means we are at its mercy, without any recognizable will and capacity to present an equal counter narrative. We see this on all fronts of our treatment and relationships with the functions of the State of Virginia, irrespective of our social state and condition of being Free or Imprisoned. Now this capacity to present a counter narrative on our terms as firstly, opposition to violations of terms of the Social Contract and definitions and secondly, that reset and reminder that contrary to any immature presumptions and pursuits of supremacy as revealed as that beyond reproach insinuations resulting in a tolerance of the impunity of for example and for purposes of this work, the Virginia Prison Official as a personification of that dictatorship narrative of subordination. What we take for granted and it isn't that we are incapable of its recognition, but for a universe of reasons that this work is not the place for its scrutiny and analysis, we over look its significance while responding to its existence even as we over look it. What I'm hammering at is the fact that the question of the Virginia prison official's behavior is squarely a political one as such what we have to come to terms with is, its as all other political questions meaning," in whose interests". Who benefits from the misbehavior of the Virginia prison official, what agenda is pursued and satisfied by the dehumanization of the Virginia prisoner, in what form and manner is the exploitation of the various characterizations of Virginia's imprisonment scheme done and how is it done and maintained, these are just some of the questions we must confront and then resolve. The first thing we must and have to come to terms with is no one faction in Virginia society and the Social Contract lattice has a monopoly on answers, notwithstanding and despite the fact that we do take for granted that certain factions do and this recognition and our ability to then reclaim the narrative in its context that running a foul of law isn't endemic to a demographic, but is symptomatic of sets of relations that we all as Humans have something to say to, is part of the work.
By William Thorpe
I'm William Thorpe Virginia exiled me to the Texas prison system. I'm solitary confined at the Wainwright Unit and if you feel any kinda way about this work contact me by Securus email using the Texas prison number #2261982
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