There are insights I’ve learned through my life as a Buddhist and neurodivergent person I’d like to share on platforms, and occasionally, some contemporary topics I’d like to weigh in on for the same reason. I’ve also been encouraged by different people in the space based on what I’ve shared.
Politically I’m a Centrist, with most of my opinions being politically correct; Anti-Trump, Pro-choice and pro women’s issues in general, No problems with how people live their lives sexually or otherwise in terms of LGBTQ. I’ll vote left cause there’s no alternative, but dream of a non-two party system.
But I honestly don’t feel like sticking my neck out in the current culture. It doesn’t feel to me as if the “bad people are being cancelled”, while that does happen, it feels more to me that we’re “waiting for someone to trip up”.
And once you’re out, you’re out. There seems to be no space for people making mistakes, learning, and growing. It’s like we’re all meant to be perfect and there’s no learning curve whatsoever.
And occasionally I like to question topics or nuance views, and that just gets hit with these extremely tribalistic opinions where I’m either “with us or the fascists”, which just doesn’t reflect where I’m coming from at all.
As an example, sometimes as a neurodivergent you really can get far by developing strategies around your weaknesses, but I see people getting torched for “victim blaming” and all kinds of really strong reactions, based on them just trying to help, not at all trying to minimalize anyone’s experience as far as I can see.
So honestly I’m just staying out. Everything I’ve learned in my life has been through trial and error, being wrong and then getting wiser, and I just don’t feel safe in this culture. I feel like everyone’s waiting for you to trip up, and if I was to make a mistake, or have a bad opinion, there’s no chance to grow, it’s just instant banishment and goodbye.
Anyone else feel like this?
Edit: Upon reflection, it feels like we live in a “Suspicion Culture”.
Given the amount of disinformation, propaganda, astroturfing, outrage farming, bad faith arguments, and general hateful rhetoric that’s common on the internet, you have to be suspicious. We’d all love to take everyone at face value and consider all viewpoints, but without suspicion and skepticism you end up being inadvertently being part of the propaganda machine.
You think being curious and reflective will lead to something bad?
If you’re naive about it and treat every viewpoint as equally valid, then yes. The internet is filled with people just waiting to take advantage of curious minds. It’s why, for example, we keep having to fight anti-vaxxers no matter how much evidence disproves them. It’s why Joe Rogan became a friendly place for right-wing grifters. Its why the manosphere exists.
You need to view information suspicion and skepticism nowadays.
So in other words, you don’t trust your own brain to verify the difference between truth and lies.
That’s weird?
When presented with isolated information at face value? Hell no. You gather more information and evidence, research, analyze, then use all that to make an informed judgment. Some questions you should ask when you see a claim posted somewhere:
I kind of get what you mean, but it doesn’t really apply to me or people I know.
If you’re well educated and decently informed you can make an educated guess on the veracity of information 9/10 times before even looking it up and verifying it - which takes a few seconds these days.
I would be very careful with that assumption. People are very good at making lies look truthful, sometimes even sprinkling in a small kernel of truth to feed the bigger lie. Some even make a whole career out of it. it’s not easy to intuitively be able to tell fact from fiction like that.