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Don’t forget the second part of what I said:
Never underestimate propaganda and peer pressure. If everyone around you acts like it is not a big thing, you won’t either.
My pet theory is that almost all stable societies need some kind of enforced normal-ness. Whether it’s being catholic and paying taxes to the king, being a cheeseburger-eating, bud light drinking, tuck-driving redneck or even being a tree-hugging wannabe-leftist academic with a bike and a mullet. Monkeys like being around people telling them they are normal. Society organises to provide a sense of “normal”. It is extremely hard to break through this, and it essentially only works if a large party of the people form a new normal.
Personally I fee l that ‘normalness’ , no matter what form it takes, shouldnt include the bombing of Yemeni, Iranians and Lebanese civilians and the deliberate depressing of wages of poor people, Or the destruction of the livelihoods of poor Equitoreal communities through climate change
Most people still see it as ‘normal’ to join the american and israeli militaries and still see iit as noormal to bomb out Yemeni, Lebanese and Iranian civilians (which is STILL happening as I type this and there has never been a substantiated uproar tto stop this)
Most people still see it as ‘normal’ that most people from the Global South get paid as if they were slaves and remain in poverty or near poverty no matter what they do oor how hard they work.
Most people still seee it as ‘normal’ just go out and about in this anti-green energy world that we have created here even though the IPCC has proven thatt climate change wil irreperably. destory every community nearr the equator and in the Global South for the next 200 years!
Please note: I chose the word “normal” for lack of a better word, and in its most technical sense only. I do not want to imply any moral judgement.
But in that sense of the word, yes, shrugging when the news show pictures of dead innocents is “normal”. Just like not too long ago it was normal to not treat black people like human beings, or a bit before that, to burn people who disagree with your religious dogma at the stake. In another part of the world, it was normal to sacrifice a poor sod every now and then to make sure the harvests are successful. And don’t get me started on the history of wars. All of this is “normal” as in, it was perceived to be just how things are by the majority.
Actually, I believe that only by understanding that normal and morally right do not necessarily have anything in common, one can understand how bad the “normal” is, and demand change. “Can’t you see this is bad and we need to do something” does not work because no, it is normal to do nothing. Creating a new normal is pretty damn hard, creating a morally better one is even harder.