“Rules for Thee, Not for Me”: The Gospel of Hypocrisy in America
Because Apparently, Justice Is Now for Sale
We love to act like rules are the backbone of society. We post about “law and order.” We chant about “accountability.”
We cling to slogans about fairness, equality, and freedom.
But let’s stop lying to ourselves:
Rules are only rules when they keep us in line. When it comes to the powerful, the wealthy, the well-connected? The rules evaporate like smoke.
This is the America we’ve built. And whether you benefit from it, ignore it, or suffer under it, you’re complicit in it.
The Gospel According to the Elite
You can defraud entire communities, wreck pension funds, and still land a cushy speaking tour.
You can steal millions, evade taxes, and then get tax loopholes written just for you.
You can bankrupt lives with predatory loans, get a bailout, and walk away richer than before.
But miss a rent payment? Lose your job? Get sick without insurance?
Suddenly the rules slam down like a gavel made of concrete.
We jail the poor for pennies while billionaires launder fortunes in broad daylight.
We scrutinize SNAP purchases while defense contractors siphon billions with no receipts.
We lecture unhoused people about “personal responsibility” while politicians use public office as a personal ATM.
That’s not law. That’s theater. And we’re all paying admission.
How Did We Get Here?
We didn’t stumble into this. We chose it.
We worshipped wealth as proof of character.
We confused greed with genius.
We let politicians sell us fear while they sold our futures.
We learned to hate our neighbors for being poor, sick, or struggling, but applaud celebrities who hoard fortunes they’ll never spend.
We live in a country where children go hungry, elders ration medicine, and working families drown in debt, while billionaires take vanity trips to space.
And we call that progress.
The Bias No One Wants to Admit
It’s easy to point at them. The crooked politician. The billionaire CEO. The smug hedge-fund vampire.
But here’s the uncomfortable question: How much of this rot lives in us, too?
Do you sneer when you see someone with a cardboard sign at an intersection?
Do you think “they should’ve worked harder” when someone loses their home?
Do you clap for harsher policing when it’s “those people” being policed?
Do you quietly admire someone’s wealth, even when you know it’s built on exploitation?
You don’t have to wear a crown of gold to benefit from a kingdom of hypocrisy.
If you’re silent, you’re complicit. If you’re comfortable, you’re invested.
We Care More About Crooks Than Children
That’s not hyperbole. It’s reality.
Wall Street gambles with pensions? We bail them out.
A child goes to bed hungry? We debate whether feeding them will “make them lazy.”
A politician embezzles campaign funds? They get reelected.
Elders choose between heat and medicine? We shrug and call it “the cost of living.”
We’ve built a system where the helpless are disposable, and the heartless are untouchable.
And if that doesn’t make you sick, it should.
Pearl-Clutching Time: Where Do You Stand?
This isn’t just about them.
It’s about us.
Every time we excuse corruption because it aligns with our “side.”
Every time we minimize harm because it doesn’t touch us.
Every time we watch injustice unfold and think, “Well, that’s just how it is.”
We’re reinforcing the very system we claim to hate.
So ask yourself:
Do you want justice, or do you want comfort?
Do you want fairness, or do you want privilege?
Do you want to lift the helpless, or just make sure you’re never one of them?
Because rules for thee, not for me doesn’t just describe the elite.
It describes every one of us who benefits from hypocrisy and refuses to confront it.
Drill This Into Your Soul: Hypocrisy Is Violence
Every bailout that saves billionaires while kids starve? Violence.
Every law that criminalizes poverty but excuses corporate theft? Violence.
Every shrug, every silence, every bias that lets you believe suffering is deserved? Violence.
And the only antidote is radical honesty followed by radical action.
Stop pretending the rules are fair. Stop excusing the hypocrisy. Stop participating in the theater.
Because until we do, nothing changes.
Not for you. Not for me. Not for the people being crushed under a system built to protect crooks and bury the vulnerable.
And when history writes about us, it won’t just say we were screwed.
It will say we were silent while it happened.
