One approach I've found that deals with the fear culture quite well is contempt. Sounds horrible, I know, but it works ever so well for stopping the fear from getting you personally, and it infects others so that the fear leaves them.
Look upon those who brought us into war, into economic collapse, into the current state of affairs as... well, almost subhuman. Humans who chose the worst path, knowing it was a bad, dangerous, stupid and wrong path (all evidence suggests this is true). Don't ever fear them, or believe the fear the spread. Get on with life, encourage those around you to get on with life, and treat the fearmongers as idiots, simpletons, and ideological trolls.
It occasionally requires arrogance and bitterness, but by god it offers a much better lifestyle and comfort level than fear ever could.
(This is not to say that unemployment is not a massive problem and on the rise, or that UK and USA haven't antagonised a lot of very angry people, but these things can be accepted and worked with rather than reacted to with mindnumbing terror)
Sorry for the long comment. Thompson was a remarkable man, and we all miss the further contributions he could have made.
No worries for the long comment. It was thought-provoking.
I've gone through periods in my life of feeling deep, dark contempt for large masses of humanity. I think anyone with eyes, and a functioning brain probably has. And yes, it certainly works very, very well as a buffer to how much the fear gets to me. The only problem I've run into personally is that it tends to make me a pompous ass.
I do try not to be an ass. Try. d-:
Who knows, maybe it's time that I started being less nice and more of an ass. At least for a while.
Look upon those who brought us into war, into economic collapse, into the current state of affairs as... well, almost subhuman. Humans who chose the worst path, knowing it was a bad, dangerous, stupid and wrong path (all evidence suggests this is true). Don't ever fear them, or believe the fear the spread. Get on with life, encourage those around you to get on with life, and treat the fearmongers as idiots, simpletons, and ideological trolls.
It occasionally requires arrogance and bitterness, but by god it offers a much better lifestyle and comfort level than fear ever could.
(This is not to say that unemployment is not a massive problem and on the rise, or that UK and USA haven't antagonised a lot of very angry people, but these things can be accepted and worked with rather than reacted to with mindnumbing terror)
Sorry for the long comment. Thompson was a remarkable man, and we all miss the further contributions he could have made.
Reply
I've gone through periods in my life of feeling deep, dark contempt for large masses of humanity. I think anyone with eyes, and a functioning brain probably has. And yes, it certainly works very, very well as a buffer to how much the fear gets to me. The only problem I've run into personally is that it tends to make me a pompous ass.
I do try not to be an ass. Try. d-:
Who knows, maybe it's time that I started being less nice and more of an ass. At least for a while.
Reply
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