this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2024
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That's a nice story and all, but what happens when your wife is an immigrant and your neighbors all decide to "do something about it?" Or they just say nothing as the federal goons come to deport them.
There are incalculable ways for this to NOT pass for millions of us. Saying this too shall pass is some privileged bullshit.
First of all, I’m not going to apologize for attempting to comfort anybody. There is no privilege in that.
Secondly, I get you’re mad and scared/worried (or whatever adjective you prefer for how you’re feeling right now), but let me assure you that I am not your enemy. Do not follow in your neighbor’s footsteps; focus your anger where it belongs: the establishment, and billionaires. They are the threat. Not you or me.
Just want to call out, there is harm in false comfort. Building a false sense of security and optimism can encourage people to not take preventative actions. Not every storm blows over.
Every storm blows over; just like each person reads my story differently.
My intention was to acknowledge that things outside of our control can and do happen, and that they can wreck our lives in various ways. It was also meant to demonstrate that panic and thoughtless reaction are not the best courses of action. Through thoughtfulness, and community, any disaster can begin to heal. In no way should that diminish anybody’s struggle.
Is it a ~~perfect~~ good analogy? Not for everyone; maybe not even for anyone. But yes, the storm will subside eventually. The question is whether or not the damage done can be repaired.
Do with that what you will.
I mean, to take an extreme example: the Holocaust. Yes it eventually ended, but the damage was massive. The people who were in concentration camps didn't have the luxury of just riding it out and knowing things will get better.
I understand that people can come together, but there are also people with more negative views and intentions coming together as well. There may come a time when you need to fight for what you believe in or even flee for safety. Unrealistic optimism can lead people into a very false sense of security by building a bubble that's is oblivious to an impending event that could impact them.
The storm may pass, but people may die. Telling those people now that everything will eventually be ok is doing them a disservice.
Fine. Fair enough. I just feel there is a better way to comfort people than misleading them.
The better takeaway is that he put in a bunch of hard work, and so did his neighbors. Help out if you can, reach out for help if you need it. MOST of us are in the same boat, even if we don't realize it.
Or maybe people trying to give each other comfort and hope.
You're still responsible for taking whatever measures you feel necessary but lets not attack people trying to help.
You're not entitled to harm people on your side, we've done that for the last decade and all it's gotten us is a fractured ideology with a hundred different camps of people bitching about minor differences in what progressive things are good or not, and allowed a monster to get elected because nobody cares about trying to make leftists happy anymore. Lash out at someone else who actually deserves it.
Fucking hell, this is why we'll never have nice things. Our side is just as emotional but not quite dumb enough to unify and focus on one target.