[PART 1: INTERLUDE TWO (THE TRUTH)]

[EXCERPT FROM INTERCEPTED CONVERSATION #0089551]

But, you know, it just makes me wonder how many people out there are paralyzed by fear. And not in a dream or anything, either, but in real life, every day. We see these people get beat in the street over nothing, or get fucking assaulted at a party, but we don’t fucking do anything, you know? We’re just watching. And I see these people share all of these progressive posts or whatever, but in the everyday situation, when this shit really matters, they’re too afraid to step up. Maybe it’s because they’re afraid they’ll get taunted or beaten themselves, or maybe they’re afraid to challenge the status quo. I don’t know, you know, but the fact is, we’re not doing anything. We’re standing by. We’re waiting for someone else to do something, but like, if nobody does anything, then nothing changes. We don’t go anywhere

Right. Well, see, the thing is, with the way some of our systems are designed, I think it makes it hard to just step up, you know? Say, like, if it’s a cop beating up some dude in the street. What are you gonna do, walk up and stop him? And risk assaulting a police officer? Then, you go to jail. Or, at the party, what if she’s into that shit, or you know, if you go up to them and they’re twice your size, what if you get your ass kicked? Then they still got assaulted, and you just got fucking beat. I mean, I’m not saying you shouldn’t help people, but what are we supposed to do?

The problem I have with that is that it’s selfish. So what if you take an ass whupping? So what if you go to jail for a few nights?

A few nights?

The point I’m trying to make is, if we keep being selfish, if we keep standing by, what are we going to change? It’s easy as fuck to make a Facebook post over how shitty it is that police are killing people, or how fucked up rape culture is, but all it does is create a general awareness. And awareness is good, yes, but it is useless if we aren’t doing anything with it. And if we aren’t doing anything with it, then what’s worse? A world in which all of this fucked up stuff is happening and we don’t know anything about it, or a world in which we do know about it and let it happen anyways? [...] Honestly, I’m not sure I know anymore

[PART 2: AWAKE]

WE MUST ALL UNITE AS ONE
IF WE ARE TO DEFEAT THE ONE ABOVE US
WE CANNOT WASTE TIME LOOKING DOWN
BUT IF THIS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE
IF THE FUTURE JUST LOOKS DARK
JUST REPEAT THE SILENT MANTRA
THAT EVERY REVOLUTION STARTS WITH THIS:

I AM AWAKE
[repeat]