They hit “upload” like it’s nothing, like it’s just another show
Blue lights in a highlight reel, and a laugh track down below
A family’s breath caught in their throat, a doorframe splitting air
And somewhere in an office, they’re counting up the shares

[Pre-Chorus]
They call it “order,” call it “law,” call it “cleaning up the street”
But if you turn a life to content, what’s left beneath your feet?

[Chorus]
Don’t make a meme out of misery
Don’t make a joke out of pain
If power can grin at suffering
It’ll do it all again
We are more than their headlines
More than the fear they sell
You don’t get to turn our neighbors into views
And still call it freedom as well

[Verse 2]
It’s easy when the camera’s far, when the caption does the work
When “us and them” is trending fast, and cruelty feels like perk
They paint the world in monster ink so no one asks for proof
So no one sees the human heart beating under every roof

[Spoken Word | dramatic, half-time]
Listen.
A democracy is not a hashtag.
A badge is not a punchline.
Due process is not optional.
And the minute we cheer for humiliation, we train the machine to come for more.
First for them… then for anyone who won’t clap.

[Bridge]
So call your reps, show up, speak loud
Hold the line, don’t look away
Because silence is permission
And permission is how it stays

[Final Chorus | bigger, crowd singalong]
No more memes out of misery
No more jokes out of pain
We won’t let them market suffering
To rule us with disdain
We are more than their headlines
We’re the firebreak and the bell
You don’t get to turn our neighbors into views
And still call it freedom as well

The Hartmann Report

When Cruelty Goes Viral