Jail politics are stupid. This is one of the very few places where racial segregation still exists in the United States. The only part of it that makes sense is to realize the inmates, for the most part, are not the brightest bulbs in the bunch. Having said that, I did meet some very intelligent people in jail, but they were few and far between. There is a tiered status system where each race has an elected first and second head. These are the men in charge who make the rules, and everyone must follow them. If you don't follow them, you get to meet the "designated torpedo". The designated torpedo, is a person the heads can order to beat someone of that race (or another race, if a cross-race "disagreement" occurs) into submission. This act is known as a "chit chat" or "taking someone to the bano". Fights occur all the time over the most insane, smallest little things. "He gave me a 2 for 1 on my honeybuns now he wants me to pay him 3 back...that's disrespectful" *bam* bano time. Really? We are going to fight over a honeybun? It happens all the time. When food extras or leftovers are given out by the detention offers, they go straight to the race heads, and while most of the other race's heads are fair to their own race, in my experience the whites/AKA "woods" kept their extras for themselves as the price of doing business and the illusion of "protection". Its crazy. We can't sit with other races at chow. We have to get any tank orders or staff requests "approved" by our race prior to submitting them. We have to ask permission to work out with another race. We were told to "mind our own race" and not get involved in scuffles or disagreements in other races. Its really a fear based system where certain people can have the feeling of being in control of other people. These are inmates, just like everyone else. The Fight Club quote often came to mind when I saw these things in action, "you are not special or unique, you are the same decaying organic matter as everything else".
Today I am grateful that I don't have to deal with jail politics and racial segregation. I'm grateful that I am free to kick it with any race I want, sit down, eat and work out with any race I want. I'm grateful that I can do all this without fear of a chit chat or trip to the bano.
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