People are not property (#4453)

      Whether as indentured or enslaved persons or even in a marriage, people are individual beings who are not to be utilized as property. I know how the marriage vows have morphed into the concept that mostly men believe that they control their women or how business operators treat their employees as unemotional tools instead of burgeoning living partners. The mindset that capitalism and religious dogma continue to undermine the value of the individual is real and often dictates to our society that those who are advantaged or privileged have the right to subject others to their advantage without equity or respect. There is a rot within our society that places inequality above democracy.
     We see it with the republican party as they are becoming less adept at hiding their ulterior motive of contempt for anyone they see as weaker than themselves. Instead of being magnanimous when the opportunity arises they are ruthlessly cruel in order to sate their own inadequacies. Each living being is able to live as a free human being. There is no exception to this despite man made laws that give power to certain people over the will of other people. A scourge of our human species is the wrong headed notion that people can be manipulated and taken advantage of to some reward or glorification. Where our society has admiration for the worst of what humans can do to each other.
     Our current society is broken when I look around and see what we are willing to accept that crosses the line outside the definition of human dignity. Certainly there are good and great examples everywhere there are people who live to respect and give dignity to others for the sake of doing what is correct. But they are not as prevalent as the ones who seek to deny respect and dignity and look for ways to control the lives of others to fit their own illogically conceived false narration. The terms of a contract between folks in marriage and/or in business must be so that the intent and respect of each party is absolute even beyond the limited function of law.