I wish this were an exaggeration
Jun. 17th, 2025 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12What I have seen, essentially wall-to-wall across social media, for the past week:
-'Why is no one talking about [this atrocity]?'
-'Why are people talking about [this injustice and not that injustice]?' (Often two different posts by two different people, in quick succession, with said injustices reversed.)
-'What you are doing in response to [this injustice] is insufficient.'
-'If you haven't mentioned [this atrocity] on your social media, you're part of the problem.'
-'If you've mentioned [this injustice and not that injustice] on your social media, you're a hypocrite and part of the problem.'
-'You're protesting the wrong way.'
-'Protesting when it's permitted by the state isn't real protest.'
-'These protests are all a bit cringe, aren't they?'
-'You're condemning [this atrocity], but not in the right way.'
-'You're condemning [this atrocity], but far too late.' (This coming, without irony, from the same people I witnessed several years ago saying, 'it's never too late to find courage and speak out publicly against [this same atrocity].')
What I have seen, in much smaller numbers — a little fragment struggling to stay afloat in the deluge:
-'[This injustice] is an injustice for these specific reasons, and here is something concrete that anyone reading/viewing this post can do to help.'
Needless to say, whenever I witnessed the latter, I actually did the things suggested, and felt much more of a sense of agency and purpose, than when I saw the former.
(And obviously I recognise the irony of being irritated by people complaining about what they see/don't see on social media rather than trying to offer concrete solutions to the consequences of major (geo)political injustices ... and then writing a whole post complaining about what I see/don't see on social media. But I am just. so. tired.)
-'Why is no one talking about [this atrocity]?'
-'Why are people talking about [this injustice and not that injustice]?' (Often two different posts by two different people, in quick succession, with said injustices reversed.)
-'What you are doing in response to [this injustice] is insufficient.'
-'If you haven't mentioned [this atrocity] on your social media, you're part of the problem.'
-'If you've mentioned [this injustice and not that injustice] on your social media, you're a hypocrite and part of the problem.'
-'You're protesting the wrong way.'
-'Protesting when it's permitted by the state isn't real protest.'
-'These protests are all a bit cringe, aren't they?'
-'You're condemning [this atrocity], but not in the right way.'
-'You're condemning [this atrocity], but far too late.' (This coming, without irony, from the same people I witnessed several years ago saying, 'it's never too late to find courage and speak out publicly against [this same atrocity].')
What I have seen, in much smaller numbers — a little fragment struggling to stay afloat in the deluge:
-'[This injustice] is an injustice for these specific reasons, and here is something concrete that anyone reading/viewing this post can do to help.'
Needless to say, whenever I witnessed the latter, I actually did the things suggested, and felt much more of a sense of agency and purpose, than when I saw the former.
(And obviously I recognise the irony of being irritated by people complaining about what they see/don't see on social media rather than trying to offer concrete solutions to the consequences of major (geo)political injustices ... and then writing a whole post complaining about what I see/don't see on social media. But I am just. so. tired.)
no subject
Date: 2025-06-18 08:02 pm (UTC)I mean, yes, that's true and I do know that. But I have so little individual power or control over this world- I write and call "my" Republican Senators and my Representative, I voted, I encouraged others to vote, I contributed to campaigns, I amplify when there are messages about ICE being in areas of San Antonio, I contact companies when their policies are discriminatory, etc.
Anyway, I deleted her comment without responding because I'm not going to get into that conversation with her. But I do think about how to do effective but DOABLE things that are useful and practical. I don't know.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this because it has given me things to think about.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-22 02:54 pm (UTC)I have friends who come from totalitarian or authoritarian countries, and they always say that the hardest part of living in such societies is not the danger or the corruption, but the constant, wearying sense of atomisation and endless reminders of their own lack of agency (and the usual deliberate attempts of their government propaganda to encourage this mentality and encourage people to turn inwards, live their own lives, and make no connections with and feel no responsibility for other people). Anything we can do to fight back against those kinds of narratives in countries such as the US on this path towards this kind of authoritarianism is welcome — precisely the kinds of actions you were taking yourself and encouraging others to take. Anyone who says otherwise is unintentionally contributing to a future in which all people are passive, atomised, and lacking a strong sense of agency. A sense of oneself as a politically active citizen in a democracy who is part of a community of fellow-citizens is like a muscle that needs to be constantly exercised.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this because it has given me things to think about.
You're so very welcome, and I'm glad it was helpful for you.