personal vent - politics
I don't often use LJ to vent about political stuff, but today ... I'm done. I am so totally over being called a "snowflake" and a "libtard" and other sneering epithets because I care about what happens to strangers whom I will never meet.
I'm tired of having my priorities questioned when I post stuff on FB or twitter about the kids separated from their parents in the US or the refugees on Manus. I'm totally sick of people responding with "there are kids in your town who I bet need help, do you do anything for them?".
I admit I'm not super person and I can't help everyone on the planet. But where there is incredible pain and suffering being caused for no other reason than some dickhead wants to appear "tough on immigration" or whatever other f*cked up political agenda they're following, then I can at least speak out against that.
I am fed up to the back teeth with being told I'm a moron because I believe that the white people living in my neighbourhood are not the only people who deserve to be treated with consideration and respect.
I say it's time to take our planet back from the far right. Not just by being outraged (which is exhausting) or by marching (which is fine occasionally, but not every week) but just by trying, every day, to be a little bit kinder to everyone. And especially to people who don't look like us. To smile. To say 'hello' or 'good morning' or even 'g'day'. To let people we see on the street or sit next to on buses, trains, subways, know that we see them as fellow human beings.
That's my resolve. Will it solve the huge and immediate problems we face? No. But hopefully it will do a tiny bit to help build up the foundation of respect and good will that we're going to need to drive back the current tide of fascism which is always based on fear and hatred.
Okay - vent over.
Hope you're all having a good day.
.
I'm tired of having my priorities questioned when I post stuff on FB or twitter about the kids separated from their parents in the US or the refugees on Manus. I'm totally sick of people responding with "there are kids in your town who I bet need help, do you do anything for them?".
I admit I'm not super person and I can't help everyone on the planet. But where there is incredible pain and suffering being caused for no other reason than some dickhead wants to appear "tough on immigration" or whatever other f*cked up political agenda they're following, then I can at least speak out against that.
I am fed up to the back teeth with being told I'm a moron because I believe that the white people living in my neighbourhood are not the only people who deserve to be treated with consideration and respect.
I say it's time to take our planet back from the far right. Not just by being outraged (which is exhausting) or by marching (which is fine occasionally, but not every week) but just by trying, every day, to be a little bit kinder to everyone. And especially to people who don't look like us. To smile. To say 'hello' or 'good morning' or even 'g'day'. To let people we see on the street or sit next to on buses, trains, subways, know that we see them as fellow human beings.
That's my resolve. Will it solve the huge and immediate problems we face? No. But hopefully it will do a tiny bit to help build up the foundation of respect and good will that we're going to need to drive back the current tide of fascism which is always based on fear and hatred.
Okay - vent over.
Hope you're all having a good day.
.