Do you ever get the feeling that other people view the world as though it were a photo negative?
'We don't provide enough for our poor or disabled, but THOSE PEOPLE let them starve to death in the gutter'
'We don't try to find common ground with our neighbours, but THOSE PEOPLE are actively attacking theirs'
'We aren't really offering you any choice, but THOSE PEOPLE don't get to vote at all.'
'We have sexism, racism, homophobia, but THOSE PEOPLE legislate to enshrine those things!'
'We commit torture, but THOSE PEOPLE bury their victims alive by the thousand.'
But you can't build a positive image out of negatives.
Telling people what you aren't says very little about what you are. The subtext is the most telling thing; it could be worse, so shut up. Idealism has become a dirty word, because who can afford to be idealistic in a world with so much horror?
People fall short of ideals, yes. That doesn't mean they aren't worth having, or that they should be ignored because it is hard to live up to them. The correct response to falling short of those ideals is not to shrug your shoulders and say 'well we tried but oh well', it is to strive to overcome those failings. Really work at it, not just say you will and then carry on exactly as before.
If the future is going to be better than the present, by definition, you have to believe that the present isn't as good as things are going to get. And that is, overwhelmingly, the sense I get sometimes. In fact, most people I talk to believe things are going to get worse.
Then, things DO get worse.
And nobody does much of anything.
Why would they?
That kind of negativity fits very nicely with their worldview.
Quote from: Demolition Squid on December 12, 2014, 11:09:57 PM
But you can't build a positive image out of negatives.
This. Very much this.
Great part of it is the "us" vs. "them" mentality up to a certain point.
"We" do the best we can, with all the excuses and rationalizations for doing poorly.
But "them" they deliberately are doing a shitty job, and all their shortcomings are bullshit.
QuotePeople fall short of ideals, yes. That doesn't mean they aren't worth having, or that they should be ignored because it is hard to live up to them. The correct response to falling short of those ideals is not to shrug your shoulders and say 'well we tried but oh well', it is to strive to overcome those failings. Really work at it, not just say you will and then carry on exactly as before.
Thank you.
I like this
I hope someone bumps it so I can remember to reread it and respond in more depth tomorrow.
ETA: accidental edit when I meant to quote, dammit.
Quote from: Mesozoic Mister Nigel on December 13, 2014, 05:29:17 AM
I like this
I hope someone bumps it so I can remember to reread it and respond in more depth tomorrow.
Bump
Thanks guys! I saw:
(http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/12/10/1418214785294/72bfd4c6-4b19-4039-932d-fa65df58d8f5-620x372.jpeg)
And it got me thinking along these lines. I'm glad you liked it!
BAMP
Anybody know how to get in touch with demosquid for permissions?
I like this a LOT. Thanks for bumping! If you can get in touch with Demosquid ask if I can read this please. :)
Quote from: Mesozoic Mister Nigel on December 13, 2014, 05:29:17 AM
I like this
I hope someone bumps it so I can remember to reread it and respond in more depth tomorrow.
Oh hey, look at something I never did!
I'm supposed to be grading, so of course this is a perfect time to do this instead.
So, yeah, I think the OP is getting at something really important, and if there isn't a name for this in the psychology literature, there should be.
It's sort of a blame game; "people never..." seems to make some people feel absolved of any personal responsibility. I suspect we all do this, to some degree or another, but that it becomes pathological when this is the only response to a bad situation. It sort of combines the fallacy of relative deprivation with bystander effect and shifting the blame; this response also seems, IMO, pretty closely tied to simple cynicism. It all culminates in an individual who is determined to convince everyone around them that they can't do anything to change a bad situation, because nobody cares, people are doing it to themselves, and nobody can make a difference.
It's like a form of active apathy.
Choosing to not care because *insert convenient assertion or partial fact*.