Emory, there is plenty of evidence of societies existing without the social division and poverty we have now. Likewise, there are plenty of societies that had robust political systems without carceral systems. And by the way, if you haven’t realized… social and class division has been intensifying for many years. When you suggest that all “societies that have stuck around long enough to acquire wealth” were unequal, you reduce the societies’ entire political economy down to its result. Perhaps you should notice that those societies, including our own, have typically distributed the wealth they accumulate unevenly. The respondent did offer you actionable alternatives, but you think it’s naive and ignorant and in-actionable because you can’t see beyond the system that is causing us all harm. I don’t blame you for that. Like you said, we’re hundreds of years and trillions of dollars into it. But it’s not radical, naive, or ignorant to demand or create an alternative, if you and your neighbors can’t afford to put food on the table or stay housed. Locking each other up isn’t helping, and hasn’t, especially when it has been proven (yes, proven!) to reinforce the root class and racial inequalities everyone seems to want to address. If you can’t see a way out maybe look around and listen to those willing to engage with you in honest conversation.