The closer I get to oppressed people, the more genuine people are. Not saying I'm some perfect communist, but giving up on generic white people has made my life so much more livable.
Same, I realized I am not a misanthrope, I just hate overdesirables.
I'm really intrigued. What does overdesirables mean? It sounds like a new word to me.
I think it’s just the opposite of undesirable
ah, thank you
China holds up most of my hope for the world tbh. Eliminating a man-made desert, actually doing something with renewables, making new kinds of nuclear reactors that are good somehow, curing a type of diabetes apparently, building hospitals in 7 days during covid, so much more good news from there.
Elsewhere there's also nuggets of hope I think. There is a genocide going on in Gaza, yes, but it had been building up to it for years beforehand and it appears the cup is finally running over. Israel is picking fights with Hezbollah and losing. The houthis have scared away the US navy. The us empire isn't as dominant as it once was, it is being pushed back and it is being pushed because it can't push back, not because it is choosing to withdraw.
Apart from that the weather is nice outside and I like the feeling of grass between my toes.
Where can I read more about the man-made desert thing?
I don't know if this is the desert I originally read about, but here's one at least https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_Us_Desert head down to "desertification" The one I read about had begun developing as a desert in the 1700's due to overgrazing, but this one really developed in the 1900's also due to overgrazing
Right now is one of the best times in history to be part of a vulnerable segment of the population, in terms of being able to find people who respect your humanity and will treat you as a person wotlrthy of living and respect. We're not the majority yet, but we're more and louder than ever before.
As the state becomes less able to help the marginalised despite public opinion changing, people step in to fill in the gaps. People like us. Like some kind of dual power or something.
It can’t last forever. Sooner or later it will end, one way or another.
Perhaps in the world's destruction it will be possible at last to see how it was made. Oceans, mountains. The ponderous counterspectacle of things ceasing to be.
Humanity will not survive the heat death of universe. But even if we are not going to last forever, we should do our best to make our peers' and our followers' lives as good as possible!
The rest of the 21st century will not be dominated by the west, specifically the United States. And there’s really nothing they can do about it.
Not in the spirit of the thread, I know, but they could murder everyone.
Only by nuclear means, which is still possible, but so long as we don’t cross that bridge then western domination cannot be done by conventional forces. If we do cross that bridge however then there really isn’t anything to worry about anymore, so in essence there’s no reason to be a doomer in this case.
General:
Personal:
roughly one fifth of all countries now have marriage equality
:agony:
FWIW The Netherlands was the first in 2001, so we came a long way in 23 years.
I feel like it's good to learn some history. Not to get all Pinker-esque "this is the best time in human history" but humans have lived under far, far, far worse repression (I'm particularly thinking of late-1800s Tsarist Russia) and overcome those obstacles to organize & overthrow their oppressors. Our problems are solvable. Reading October by China Meiville was a bloomer moment for me.
This is all fine and well until you understand how horribly the sick have been treated for, well, all of it, and this current moment has not managed to inspire much confidence in me that this is changing or will change. Have you read And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts? Insulin is “affordable” and “accessible” as of the 1980s because the Walmart guy’s friend got diagnosed with type 1- when’s the last time you ever thought about diabetes aside from whatever shock headline you read about Covid giving it to you? Please tell me of any inspiring historical record of disability justice and the contemporary reaction to it because it’s all extremely depressing to me!
October by China Meiville was a bloomer moment for me.
Good general history book for people trying to learn about the period but struggle with how dense it can be at times
Not trying to crap on you or anything but my impression was the opposite, he very much went for the narrativized style of history that felt it could be easily adapted to a TV series. I don't think it got too bogged down in details, names, and places.
trying to learn about the period but struggle with how dense it can be at times
lol yeah I also read this as "how dense the book can be at times" even on second glance. I don't think of periods in history as being "dense" but it makes sense now that you point it out
Meh I just got back from a complete psychotic break down. The job I was meant to get keeps getting delayed. I’m going to have to go school to learn something I have almost no interest in just so I can hopefully get a slightly less shitty job.The world is really shitty right now. The only advice I can give is that you’re not alone.
I see a good chance Israel and the UK both cease to exist during our lifetimes.
Remember that submarine that blew up and killed some rich people that was pretty funmy
This article gives me hope: https://thecradle.co/articles/blind-and-deaf-how-israel-lost-the-north
Holy shit that's amazing
The author’s blog is great, IMO. There’s a link to it as the original source of the Cradle piece.
Genuinely made me feel better.
We are living in the last days/months/etc of the US empire and imperialism as it stands, this is a set course due to conditions. They're going full mask off fasc with all the destruction it brings as a lashing out of the dying shitbeast. All we need to do to win is spread the word, survive and help each other as able.
Aside from the whole "if you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by" stuff, one of the things that keeps me going is both the most (existential) bloomer and most doomer thing simultaneously:
If there is no reason to carry on then likewise there is no reason not to.
If we consider opting out as the final response to meaninglessness and despair then what does it matter if you push that timeframe out by an extra day? It's not like it's going to matter come the day after tomorrow. Wash/rinse/repeat.
This has been my mentality through every suicidal episode I’ve ever been through so I get it, but…man, there really ought to be a better motivator than this in order to find a meaning in living, ya know? Oblivion sure feels more welcoming to me than another ~50 years of struggling with incurable chronic illness and assuredly continued institutional/societal abandonment despite any reasoning through it.
Yeah, I feel that.
I think that the next step beyond that is creating a life where you have things that you care about and are working towards.
Gardening, pets, relationships, skill-building, contributing to movements or organisations - it's going to be dependent upon your interests, needs, and capacity but if you have things that are counting on your or that you are building towards then they will keep you going in a way that's more positive than Camus' coffee.
Might be worth refocusing on the smaller things in life that enrich it personally while detoxing from stuff like mainstream media that serves to drag you down and feel helpless in the face of it as well.
Doing mutual aid work feels nice. It feels like the US' power is waning faster every week. I don't know what else really. I just don't want to give up, I guess. I'm a true believer and I think that by continuing to live I can help others and maybe lay one or two bricks of the cathedral that is communism (best amber rant ever)
A better world is not only possible, it is achievable.
i joined a socialist org for mass politics hopium, and also did enough networking in anarchist/mutual aid circles to find a couple promising direct action projects
It’s undoubtedly fucking rough out here - where I find my hope is in the work to build a different world. Joining an org has been the best thing to combat my hopelessness - like being in community with folks working to make things better and getting to contribute has given my life a purpose it was missing. Not to say it’s easy or perfect but i hear the call of the void much less - the world is still so heavy but it is more bearable. ❤️
A place for optimism, relentless positivity, anti-doomerism, and snuggle sessions.
We're all in this together, and a better world is possible!
This is now also a space for organizing tips for our collective survival as we confront climate change and everything else. Still no doom-posting. We're here to work together, support each other, and boldly face the future.
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