I’ve had a feeling for a while now that people are ruder now than they were before the pandemic. I did some googling and turns out I’m not crazy or alone in thinking people have gotten ruder and more aggressive over the past few years. The articles chalks it up to stress from the pandemic and the economy and other global situations, but I think it’s deeper and more complicated than that. I don’t think stress is a valid excuse to be rude to strangers who don’t deserve it, even when I’m really upset or stressed out I don’t use a random service industry employee, or any random undeserving stranger, as my punching bag because that’s deplorable behavior.
I think one of if not the biggest contribution to the rise of rudeness comes down to people spending years inside getting little to no in person socialization and spending massive amounts of time online, and social rules online tend to be different than social rules in person. Online it tends to be more normal and acceptable to be aggressive and hostile to strangers, usually because there’s not the same consequences (it’s hard to punch someone through a computer screen) and also it’s easier to not feel guilty about bad behavior when someone is just words and pictures on a screen, it tends to make the hostility and aggression spilled on others not feel as “real” or “bad” as treating someone like that in person. (and I’m not saying this is okay, I really think as a society we should address and work on the ease and acceptance of being a total raging sack of shit to strangers online) But I think if people spend years spending massive amounts of time online and little to no time actually in person with other people, it’s going to affect their sense of how it’s acceptable to behave and treat other people as they adopt the social norms of the internet.
I do like the point this article makes that rudeness and aggression are contagious. It is a social contagion, the more you’re rude and aggressive to others the more tense and upset they’ll feel and start behaving rudely and aggressively too. The good news is, kindness and courtesy are also contagious.
“why would we make plans in front of you if you weren’t invited?” babe i was left out of everything growing up, i need 100% confirmation you want me there or i simply will not go
work is disabling; disability is class-enforcing. adjust ur ideological paradigms accordingly
Can someone elaborate?
sure!
work is disabling
physical labour is a literal strain on your body. historically this has been a given of certain forms of labour, eg, even before the official recognition of disability, mine workers in many parts of the world received disproportionately high wages compared to other jobs because it was understood that your body would break down by the time you were 40-50 and you wouldn’t be able to work anymore. the high wages were for supporting you after that, but they were only present where unions had been able to force this demand on bosses; there’s a reason mine working has historically been a common form of slave or indentured labour. this example is an obvious one (and one i wouldn’t want to rely on for various reasons) but if you’ve worked stocking supermarket shelves, or cleaning, or as a barista, or as a farm labour, you will know that being on your feet for hours on end, the repetitive movements required to complete tasks, the strain of constant attention, these all take their toll
work environments are stress inducing and long term stress has both physical and mental effects. it can change how you approach other people, how you regulate your emotions, how you relate to social settings. stress can produce strains, it can produce headaches, it can produce tightness in muscles that are can cause injury
when you need to work to provide food, rent, clothing for yourself, you are not as able to protect yourself from health and safety risks. you are more exposed to disease and to other health risks, depending on the job, and you are less able to effectively rest and recover, thus increasing the likelihood of long term complications
disability is class enforcing
being disabled is expensive. simply getting healthcare at all can be prohibitively expensive for many people. this is not even to mention mobility aids or other specialised equipment. you may have to spend more on specialised diets or accommodation. you may need to hire personal assistants or other forms of labour to complete certain tasks for you
there are less jobs that you are able to work. you are less likely to be able to work long term. you are less likely to be able to work longer hours, and your partners may also have to work shorter hours to care for you. you are more likely to be forced into precarious employment or onto benefits which, which available, are pitifully small
you are more likely to face job discrimination and more likely to face housing discrimination. the housing you are able to get is likely to be more expensive
you are more vulnerable to abuse, either domestic, or in public, or by the state. this is increasingly the case if you are Black or a migrant or a woman or trans or homeless, etc, and it’s increasingly the case the more poor you become
this is not a complete list, it’s just what i could think of off the top of my head (and i just woke up too lol). i hope that clarifies some of the factors i am thinking of here. feel free to ask if there is anything that is unclear
Hey. Why isn’t the moon landing a national holiday in the US. Isn’t that fucked up? Does anyone else think that’s absurd?
It was a huge milestone of scientific and technological advancement. (Plus, at the time, politically significant). Humanity went to space! We set foot on a celestial body that was not earth for the first time in human history! That’s a big deal! I’ve never thought about it before but now that I have, it’s ridiculous to me that that’s not part of our everyday lives and the public consciousness anymore. Why don’t we have a public holiday and a family barbecue about it. Why have I never seen the original broadcast of the moon landing? It should be all over the news every year!
It’s July 20th. That’s the day of the moon landing. Next year is going to be the 54th anniversary. I’m ordering astronaut shaped cookie cutters on Etsy and I’m going to have a goddamn potluck. You’re all invited.
Hey. Hey. Tumblr. Ides of March ppl. We can do this
I think so much of the outlook over fandom would change if many people treated it like it is: a goddamn hobby.
A fandom group is no better nor more revolutionary than a knitting club. It can replicate any real world biases and discriminations and it can also be used to raise money/group people towards causes. It can foster connections that will turn to actual real political action or it can just be a gathering of people who don’t know much about each other outside of it.
It can be lovely to experience when you’re surrounded by a lovely group and it can be hell when the group is full of cattiness and pettiness . It can be inclusive or it can be exclusive when you’re surrounded by bigotry.
Because it’s a group of people - it’s going to have problems. And when there’s a conflict or people are pointing shit out, it needs to be solved so its members aren’t spit out in the sake of “avoiding drama”. Because it’s a group of people, it’s not automatically changing the world in a blaze of self grandeur. Because it’s a group of people with a common hobby, it can impact its members lives for the better and give them a space to express themselves.
Fandom is a goddamn knitting club. It’s not this inherent great, subversive force of good nor this den of evil that’s traumatisizing the children. Chill out.
