SOAPBOX TIME
I hate how many times I read things like "nobody cares about the world" and "humanity is the virus" and "our species is too inept/evil/selfish to survive" online. I almost never see anyone talking about the many, many people who are doing incredibly hard, complex, good work
Then I log off, and run into, say, someone who provides occupational therapy for disadvantaged factory workers. Or someone whose job is to produce citywide heat maps that lead to regulations that cool specific areas. Or someone who scrutinizes health care in mental health settings. Or or or
There's a world of people who aren't debating the basics (pollution bad, climate change real) but are taking action at incredibly complex levels. And I mean there's a WORLD - there both US- and non-US-based solutions. There are massive victories. Heroes. And I don't see this work reflected online
And this scares me deeply. Because we're so disconnected, and our standards are honestly so low and don't reflect the range of possible solutions. When I read things like "NOBODY CARES ABOUT ISSUE X" I feel like it's understandable yet insulting to the people who have been doing this work forever
It's reasonable to be mad at the world! I am! But, on a personal level as (in my case) a climate activist, I get tired when people ignore the work rather than pitching in, and yet it's NOT THEIR FAULT because they are getting absolutely no coverage of positive actions. Online is so skewed. The end
Online is super skewed. I find it helpful to remind myself that online is the safest place to shoot off a feeling of despair and feel seen. And we don't necessarily see all the hope bc it's harder to put into words (especially if you don't want a lot of cynical responses). Lots of steam.
Yeah, I try to remind myself of that. I just get so tired bearing the brunt of everybody's "we're fucked" statements all day, and I feel like I can't be the only one, and it feels so insulting to community activists
