There Is No Law in the Jungle—or in American Cities, Either, Thanks to the Democratic Party
AP Photo/Adam Gray
Posted For:Rotorblade
Historian Will Durant once wrote, “Barbarism, like the jungle, does not die out, but only retreats behind the barriers that civilization has thrown up against it, and waits there always to reclaim that to which civilization has temporarily laid claim.” He later distilled the idea even further: “Civilization is an occasional and temporary retreat from the jungle.”
The jungle has no law. That is precisely what makes it hospitable to predators, including human ones. Civilization, by contrast, depends on laws rooted in virtue and restraint—qualities human beings struggle to maintain for long. When those restraints weaken, the jungle advances.
I have never set foot in a true Amazonian jungle, and at my age I have no interest in doing so. Still, I enjoy the occasional jungle survival movie—the kind where ten people go in and only two come out alive, usually the man and woman who fall in love. There’s something darkly satisfying about watching smug Hollywood types meet the law of nature. Judging by how many of these movies exist, I’m clearly not alone.
Ironically, despite never having visited a real jungle, I suspect I would feel safer in one than I do today in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore, St. Louis, San Francisco, or Philadelphia—cities overwhelmingly run by the Democratic Party. Buck Owens once sang of New York City, “It ain’t nothin’ but a concrete jungle,” and that was fifty years ago. One has to wonder how much civilization remains there now—and how much will remain if figures like Zohran Mamdani get their way.
I am only partly joking. While decent people surely still live in America’s major cities, the jungle is undeniably present—and growing. Barbarism is no longer confined to the margins; it is expanding rapidly as civilization retreats. As Durant warned, the jungle is always waiting.
Near the condo where I live, there is a lush stretch of vegetation surrounding part of the parking lot. It became so overgrown that management had to cut it back to keep it from taking over the property. They did—but the jungle, so to speak, quickly returned. Management now has to do it again. Nature does not respect boundaries. Contrary to popular left-wing belief, jungles grow back far faster than people can control them.
That’s because the jungle recognizes only one law: grow, consume, dominate, or be destroyed. Take everything you can and stop for nothing. If that doesn’t describe the current state of Tim Walz’s Minneapolis, it’s hard to imagine what does. It is a jungle, and we should not be surprised. The pattern is as old as civilization itself.
Why do Democrats allow this to happen? Make no mistake—they are allowing it. This is not accidental or the result of incompetence alone; it is deliberate. The growth of chaos and lawlessness fits their long-term vision for America.
One explanation is moral. Evil people do evil things. Civilization, at its core, is the restraint of evil, and those who lack that restraint naturally enable lawlessness. Good people protect their communities from being overrun. Democrats do not, because they are unwilling—or unable—to act as civilized stewards.
The second explanation is political. Chaos creates opportunity. As the jungle expands and lawlessness becomes unbearable, decent people eventually beg for someone—anyone—to restore order. And who can stop widespread disorder except a government with immense, centralized power?
History shows that totalitarian governments often arise after periods of severe unrest or civil conflict. People, desperate for safety, surrender their freedoms in exchange for the promise of security. Barbarian uprisings and unchecked violence make that trade-off seem reasonable. Democrats understand this dynamic well.
Eventually, they will stop the chaos in their cities—but only after they are given the power they desire. As long as President Trump and traditional American values remain supported by millions of citizens, the disorder serves a purpose. Once enough people are exhausted and frightened, they will accept authoritarian control. At that point, the barbarism will be suppressed—and so will freedoms the government dislikes.
Give Democrats the level of power wielded by the Chinese Communist Party, and they will gladly use it. The jungle will be cut back, but liberty will be cut back with it. That is the price of restoring order through force rather than virtue.
This is the plan: allow the jungle to grow until only total power can stop it. History shows where that road leads. Civilization retreats, the jungle advances, and freedom becomes the casualty.
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