2w ago

Only The Best People

204 comments

Without a doubt this is the worst part. It was an immediate and irreversible swing from being an optimist who believes in the good of people to the complete opposite. I now believe humanity is fundamentally flawed and will destroy itself.
Watched too much Star Trek as a kid I guess.
- I used to think similarly. The outright hatred, apathy, hostility... its sickening.
  But I stand by Mr. Rogers' message. Look for the helpers.
  Humanity has always grappled with its angels and demons. No fictional evil could ever compare to the cruelty and apathy of real humans being real shit. But despite all that, humans keep trying, and have always kept trying.
  This isn't the worst it's ever been. This isn't even the worst it's been here. This isn't even the worst it's been, here, in living memory.
  If you know someone over the age of 60, you know someone older than the civil rights act.
  Even in a life where discrimination wasn't possible so much as it was fundamental in society, John Lewis and MLK Jr. still had faith in humanity. They still believed in its potential. They still had faith in the face of all of that hatred and ignorance. Faith that a better nation and a better future could be forged in their lifetimes.
  And you know what? They were right.
  Even today, with all of these threats to return to a time when America was "great"... even now, this is still a better nation than the America of 1963. That is undeniable truth, and it is in large part thanks to heroes like them.
  If they could believe in the potential of humanity, I think it's arrogant of us to disagree.
  
  I really do appreciate the words and the sentiment. I would normally agree but right now my faith is still shattered. I think there are good and amazing people, who have done magical and wonderful things. I just think that small and petty tyrants are more common and more indicative of humanity as a whole. That the righteous have to look up from underneath the bootheel of those who deserve to be crushed under one themselves. Instead, those type get to run the show, and obviously always have.
  This weekend has been bad mentally. I hope I can find some optimism again. I’m just so tired of expecting the worst and being proven right.
  
  "John Lewis and MLK Jr. still had faith in humanity"
  Those guys were under the boot heel, and had no direction but up. I'd be more optimistic for the future of humanity if they were white dudes with everything to lose, agitating for an oppressed minority.
  
  That's the entire point. They were under the boot heel, but still looked up.
  To suggest that a bunch of agitated white people would be more inspiring than those historical heroes is... it's beyond words. It really is.
  Those white people did exist, for the record. But most of them would have a lot of unkind words about you idolizing them and minimizing black heroes.... because white people did that constantly even at the time.
  Please reconsider... everything.
  
  You completely missed my point. I wasn't minimizing your heroes, and I'm not American. We don't all think like Americans. Please expand your world view....
  
  How exactly did I miss your point? Was it the part where I linked a list of agitated white people with something to lose, who were fighting for an oppressed minority? Was there some other point that I missed?
  Did you read about the agitated white people who were shot and killed defending oppressed minorities? Did that give you more faith in humanity, than stories of Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lewis?
  I really cannot stress this enough: please reconsider everything. For someone who doesn't think like an American, you sure are talking like one.
  My entire point was that if people who were "crushed under the boot heel" could still be optimistic about the future of humanity - could still successfully improve the future of humanity - then you can too.
  But you, instead, want to hear about white people.
- I once proudly said "when the internet is cheap and easy, everyone will have full access to all information and it will be effortlessly easy for people to stop believing falsehoods and it'll start a swing towards reason!"
  I just want to hug teenage me.
  
  30-yo me was just as naive. Jesus, what have we done.
- To tie star trek into an admittedly foolish level of hope: I believe there was a catastrophic war and social failing that, eventually, led to their pseudo-utopic future... right?
  
  Well it was WW3. Which started there in 2026. Sooo.. good news?
  
  Wow, that's kinda on the nose, isnt it?

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