Edmund Burke, a central figure in conservative thought, is sometimes quoted as saying, “By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation.” Burke understood the intricate connections between seemingly minor disruptions and the potentially damaging effects they could have on society if not adequately addressed.

I wonder how he would react to a recent video taken in the depths of a New York City subway station. In the footage, an individual approaches what appears to be a homeless person, taking refuge under a sizable grey blanket. The clip has a peculiar, threatening quality, a foul ambiance, and an ominous menace. (READ MORE: Five Quick Things: Blue Cities Drown in Joe Biden’s Flood)

The cameraman, attempting to rouse the homeless individual from his sleep, utters a sharp “Yo!” — and then, our anxieties materialize. Nearly 20 fat city rats scuttle from the grimy covering, racing towards the tracks before vanishing into the darkness. Here we have it, the complete encapsulation of progressive-run urban America in an 18-second TikTok video with over 8 million views.

Is this what New Yorkers want: rats hibernating against the warm underbellies of society’s most vulnerable and shattered citizens? Of course not. (Kathleen Corradi, NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ recently appointed ‘rat czar‘ must be working overtime on this case. Or maybe not.)

Painting New York As It Is Felt

The decline began when the Giuliani/Bloomberg Pax New York era ended in 2013, paving the way for the hats-and-horns bacchanal of the Bill de Blasio clown menagerie. He immediately abolished stop-and-frisk, NYPD arrests plummeted, the city surrendered to incivility, and the criminal class began to operate like it was 1989 all over again. The decline continues under the Adams administration, and a turnaround seems unattainable.

The American painter Georgia O’Keeffe once said, “One can’t paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt.” Since 2014, the city has felt uneasy. Something is in the air — weed smoke. (That is the first thing you hear from visitors. “The place reeks like a Dead show!”)

Then there is the rest of the atmosphere: the homeless (of course) and the migrants loitering, the turnstile jumping, the trash, the electric scooter fires, the now ubiquitous double-parked cars on fire hydrants, the optional nature of red lights and stop signs, and, of course, the shoplifting, the bail reform, and early-release programs. How would O’Keeffe have painted this dystopian milieu? Would she capture the sense of unconditional surrender to scofflaws? What colors would she use to communicate the casual and systemic disrespect the city seems to have toward its law-abiding citizens? Would her precise brushwork render the textures contributing to the aura of lawlessness and demoralization on the psyche of the city’s regular Joes? (READ MORE: AOC’s Leftist Sabotage Is Coming Home to Roost)

To live and work in New York today is to navigate a constant white noise of casual lawlessness. Law-abiding citizens often feel like they are playing the mark in a two-bit street corner progressive shell game with no chance of winning. Their frustration is accurate and warranted; they don’t want to be a mark, a fool, a sucker. They’ve done everything right: saved money and paid their rent, taxes, student loans, and mortgages. They wake up in the morning, go to work, stay married, and raise their children. But they still feel exploited. Pursuing the path of righteousness often seems like a fool’s quest. This realization strikes when they’re forced to wait 10 minutes under the soul-crushing glare of CVS fluorescent lights until a rightly disgruntled 20-year-old temp worker unlocks the Plexiglass safe for the privilege of purchasing a 15-pack of Gillette Mach3 Razors for $49.95 while three masked kids make off with $999 worth of swag.

The conscientious majority is sick and tired of this “progressive” policy shell game they’ve been forced to play. They feel devalued, knowing that the powers that be sympathize more with the rebels and rogue elements than with them. They understand that the game has no rules, pure Calvinball. If you protest and call for civility, you’ll be dismissed as a racist, retrograde, Bible-thumping reactionary bigot. Rather than being rewarded, you’ll be ridiculed for calling out the emperor’s nakedness. This soft censorship has normalized criminality, increased political and social resentment, and eroded standards of civil comportment. (READ MORE: United Airlines CEO Receives Backlash Over Drag Performance)

Burke’s poignant warning and the disturbing video create a near-perfect metaphor for New York City’s recent decline. The rats, embodying the city’s soft-on-crime leftist policies, seek warmth from the body heat of the homeless man, who represents the victim class. When the truth is revealed, they hastily scurry into darkness, leaving the man to fend for himself, rendering him no better off, and leaving the average citizen disgruntled and demoralized. A necessary and proper reevaluation of these policies is crucial, as this disruption will only further intensify an already bifurcated city that seems to be run by the mischief of rats.

Pete Connolly writes about culture, politics, and general chaos at Something More Than Paternity. His work suggests more thoughtfulness than he actually possesses.