Thoughts on current events
All these current events are making me feel a lot of emotions- frustrated, angry, annoyed, etc. I know I can't speak about that anywhere except here and with close friends, or I'd probably tick some people off. Emotions are high everywhere, and I don't like it or trust it. I'm talking about the BLM movement that's exploded again in the last couple days.
There are so many wrongs on both sides, emotions are running high, people are yelling at each other everywhere and inciting violence. Though, when I think about it I've yet to see anything closer to me. I just don't understand what these more short-lived social justice movements attempt to accomplish- a huge influx of people preaching and parading and forcing their ideologies everywhere, often triggered by some emotional picture or video posted on social media, then disappearing. There is no impact. There is no order. There is no one leader like in past social movements, it is chaos, it is people shouting and arguing and tangling all together in a big ball of strands, a tangled wad of hair.
I want to get involved in politics, but emotional, dramatic shitstorms like these are just not worth it for me. I agree with many of the ideas preached by these movements, but the execution is not at all done well. It's coming from people hardened to every bit of criticism, puffed with ego and morality, and endangering themselves and innocent people in a time where we already have a goddamn pandemic. I don't like how emotionally driven they are almost all of the time. Since when was emotion-driven politics a good idea? Okay, maybe that works out sometimes, but all the time?
Ramble over. I'm not even comfortable posting this here, because I know how opinionated people can get about these topics..
Replies
I'm glad you posted this. You are so insightful. You have more insight that most people my age! I've been writing my own thoughts & emotions off line, trying to make sense. I'm old enough to have 'lived through' (for lack of a better phrase) tons of protests & riots. Ultimately and sadly, protests, while bringing much needed attention to many inequities, rarely lead to a positive resolution.
Last night I watched several different news channels because they were all covering different cities. One reporter on a channel I normally don't watch said that he had spoken with a past protest leader who wished he could meet w/the current protestors to discuss which tactics are more effective (my paraphrasing, not his exact words). At first I thought that was a good idea. But then I remembered waking up to news reports of riots where large parts of cities were ablaze and looting was the activity of the day and knowing deep down inside that it would only make matters worse. imho, hurting/killing people and destruction of property are wrong and fighting wrongs with more wrongs never resolves what the protestors are protesting. We seem to be a nation of right fighters who do it wrong.
There are better, safer, easier ways to resolve inequities. If all we did was actively listen and respond with empathy; maintain or enhance self esteem and ask for help in solving the problem (then keep repeating these 3 steps), we would be far ahead of the game & have a much better chance of actually making progress. (fyi, I didn't make these 3 steps up. They are part of DDI's [Development Dimensions International] "Interaction" program that dates back to the 1980s. When practiced, they work with just about everyone. And the few times they haven't worked, I know I can walk away feeling like I did all I could, yet not blame the other.) I would add a 4th step, practice compassion for self & others. There are lots of experts who have lots of different methods. But it seems that very few either know about or practice any of them.
Some say that what we're going thru now is an opportunity to do self-reflection and allow ourselves to wake up. I see some who are doing that, but sadly, it seems that those in power are proving a theory I came up with while working in the corporate world for over 2 decades. The higher up one goes, the more disconnected from their stakeholders (i.e. internal {employees] & external customers) they get. That is especially true in politics.
Please keep writing and sharing your thoughts. You are intelligent, a critical thinker, empathetic, compassionate, loving being. You are our hope for the future. oxo