Doomscrolling and commenting in echo chambers is not engagement, it’s the way the system traps you. Being merry at Christmas, then helping your neighbour and building community so that you can set a mansion on fire together is engagement.
Jokes aside though, let’s say you live in Europe (this is a European platform, so let’s default to that). Here is the way to get engaged:
https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/
Look at the Stop Killing Games initiative. You can do what that guy did. If you don’t feel that you can shoulder that level of engagement, then just get your ID, go through the list on the website, and sign the petitions you think are worthy. Takes almost zero effort, zero money and it makes a difference since these are legally binding petitions. Tell your friends, coworkers and family too.
Then go find out what political parties are campaigning around you, find one that is closest to your vision of society, and help their activists trudge through the snow to get people out to vote next time. Or if you don’t feel like trudging through snow yourself, just brew a bunch of hot tea and take it out to them to make them feel supported.
Go join an union.
Or go volunteer, or at least donate to an organisation that does something good. Put your time or money into something worthwhile. You can plant a tree or buy a combat drone, depending on your priorities, but everyone is taking donations, and every little bit helps.
You can acknowledge that shit’s fucked, and still be happy in your community. In fact, building and sharing that happiness is the biggest way you can help stop this. The people doing this, and the people supporting them are not happy people, and one of the biggest reasons they are doing this are because they are not happy people.
Defeatism helps no one, but it would be nice if people, once in a while, recognized the scale and severity of the multiple problems humanity is facing without being dismissed as doomers. Organizing to solve problems doesn’t work if you can’t name them.
I think climate change is a good example where it’s not socially acceptable to discuss the problem in terms that capture the severity or the small margins there are for effective actions. Much effective actions against climate change are not ”politically realistic” (eg banning animal farming, eliminating private car ownership, building railways, walkable cities, redistribution of resources). Thus, to not be put in the doomer box, you basically have to subscribe to the ”realistic” option of tech optimism (ie, we will be saved by continuing to burn more oil because it will lead to unimaginable breakthroughs that make us unaccountable to the laws of physics).
I’m exaggerating, but I think you get the gist. The the demand that discussions to be ”constructive” takes a lot of the most realistic options off the table in favor of protecting the status quo at all cost. I’m less worried about overt climate deniers at this point – at least they don’t confuse the issue – but more of the neo liberal climate ”believers” that insist on doing nothing or deferring doing something, lest it disturb the oil or auto industries.
If solving climate change keeps coming in the guise of chopping down rain forests to build highways to make it easier for oil people to get from their private jets at the airport to making deals while schmoozing with the political elites, then doomerism is the only rational take on the issue.
Commenting and doomering is not being engaged. Interesting you assume I am not because I’m not a doomer. You should probably self reflect on those feelings.
Awareness is not doomerism. I’m plenty aware of everything going on. It also doesn’t mean that I’m here saying the world is shit and going to shit and that everyone should feel miserable.
Drop the word doomerism. It is meaningless and unhelpful. At most it it used by the emotionally stunted who can’t accept negative feelings to negative stimuli. Its a derision for those who like to put lipstick on pigs and go dancing.
It also doesn’t mean that I’m here saying the world is shit and going to shit and that everyone should feel miserable.
The world is lovely, getting better every day and we should all feel happy and proud of what we’ve accomplished! /s
Way to normalize dystopia. Shit’s fucked. You should not be happy. You should be engaged.
Yeah, but doomerism doesn’t help engagement.
Doomscrolling and commenting in echo chambers is not engagement, it’s the way the system traps you. Being merry at Christmas, then helping your neighbour and building community so that you can set a mansion on fire together is engagement.
Jokes aside though, let’s say you live in Europe (this is a European platform, so let’s default to that). Here is the way to get engaged: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/
Look at the Stop Killing Games initiative. You can do what that guy did. If you don’t feel that you can shoulder that level of engagement, then just get your ID, go through the list on the website, and sign the petitions you think are worthy. Takes almost zero effort, zero money and it makes a difference since these are legally binding petitions. Tell your friends, coworkers and family too.
Then go find out what political parties are campaigning around you, find one that is closest to your vision of society, and help their activists trudge through the snow to get people out to vote next time. Or if you don’t feel like trudging through snow yourself, just brew a bunch of hot tea and take it out to them to make them feel supported.
Go join an union.
Or go volunteer, or at least donate to an organisation that does something good. Put your time or money into something worthwhile. You can plant a tree or buy a combat drone, depending on your priorities, but everyone is taking donations, and every little bit helps.
You can acknowledge that shit’s fucked, and still be happy in your community. In fact, building and sharing that happiness is the biggest way you can help stop this. The people doing this, and the people supporting them are not happy people, and one of the biggest reasons they are doing this are because they are not happy people.
Defeatism helps no one, but it would be nice if people, once in a while, recognized the scale and severity of the multiple problems humanity is facing without being dismissed as doomers. Organizing to solve problems doesn’t work if you can’t name them.
Naming problems is okay. Do that. Name them. Try to find solutions. That doesn’t make you a doomer.
Telling other people to not be happy, and be engaged without pointing to a specific problem does.
All I’m saying is that Big Tech and AI bots peddle and foment defeatism. Look at climate change propaganda if nothing else.
I think climate change is a good example where it’s not socially acceptable to discuss the problem in terms that capture the severity or the small margins there are for effective actions. Much effective actions against climate change are not ”politically realistic” (eg banning animal farming, eliminating private car ownership, building railways, walkable cities, redistribution of resources). Thus, to not be put in the doomer box, you basically have to subscribe to the ”realistic” option of tech optimism (ie, we will be saved by continuing to burn more oil because it will lead to unimaginable breakthroughs that make us unaccountable to the laws of physics).
I’m exaggerating, but I think you get the gist. The the demand that discussions to be ”constructive” takes a lot of the most realistic options off the table in favor of protecting the status quo at all cost. I’m less worried about overt climate deniers at this point – at least they don’t confuse the issue – but more of the neo liberal climate ”believers” that insist on doing nothing or deferring doing something, lest it disturb the oil or auto industries.
If solving climate change keeps coming in the guise of chopping down rain forests to build highways to make it easier for oil people to get from their private jets at the airport to making deals while schmoozing with the political elites, then doomerism is the only rational take on the issue.
Commenting and doomering is not being engaged. Interesting you assume I am not because I’m not a doomer. You should probably self reflect on those feelings.
You should reflect on your labeling anything with an ounce of awareness as doomerism. It is weird.
Awareness is not doomerism. I’m plenty aware of everything going on. It also doesn’t mean that I’m here saying the world is shit and going to shit and that everyone should feel miserable.
Drop the word doomerism. It is meaningless and unhelpful. At most it it used by the emotionally stunted who can’t accept negative feelings to negative stimuli. Its a derision for those who like to put lipstick on pigs and go dancing.
The world is lovely, getting better every day and we should all feel happy and proud of what we’ve accomplished! /s
And now you’re just insulting me, so I’m not going to respond further.