The NY Post is a fucking rag (edit your tweet, guy), but I saw this article on TWITTER yesterday that was about as shocking as (spoiler alert) finding out Santa isn't real. If you're interested in the actual study: CLICK HERE
I loveee the replies to the Post's tweet.
The term "woke" has been hijacked and destroyed by the conservatives that wants to keep everybody divided so the ruling class can continue its reign of terror, but to me and the dictionary, "woke" means to be aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).
I don't know how anybody could not be depressed after realizing how fucked up society and humanity are. Yeah, we're the bad guys for thinking a housing crisis, racism, sexism, homo(and trans)phobia, income inequality, ignorance, rampant gun violence, and countless other systemic injustices are awful determents to the human experience. Sorry for having empathy and a soul! We didn't need a study to know that people aware of the most significant social challenges aren't exactly thrilled. How can you see unhoused people, especially VETERANS, and not get fucking bummed? What happened? How did that person (or people) get there? I think about that all the time. I easily could've ended up homeless with some of the dumb decisions and lack of funds. I know I'm privileged to have the safety net that I do (thanks, Daddy), and most people aren't so lucky. With our military's extravagant budget, our Vets should be the most taken care of, and unfortunately, that's not even a little bit true. Unless you're wealthy, it feels like everything is designed to fuck you over. There's a reason Trump openly says he loves the uneducated and those morons eat it up like their morning grits. Our country is so brainwashed that there are actually people (like tens of millions of them) who actively vote against their own interests. If my grandma (who's on social security) is still alive in November, she's gonna vote for Trump.
Universal healthcare is a no-brainer; virtually every other developed nation has it. The minimum wage should be the minimum needed to survive. You can't afford a decent place in most of the country on $50,000/year, forget $7.25/hour. Corporate greed is out of control. Monopolies are alive and well, just under different names---like six companies control everything! YES, this is going to upset some people
Sure, I was undoubtedly happier (but still depressed) when I was younger and didn't pay much attention to social issues or really anything besides my friends and sports. I mean, I supported gay rights from a young age and considered myself a liberal growing up, but I was growing up aka stupid. There's a reason the phrase "ignorance is bliss" exists. Do you think I really understood the roots of the 07-08 recession when I was 16? I was busy being heartbroken over the Pats going 18-1 and tryna kiss girls (unsuccessfully). Also...kids (usually) don't have bills. That probably has something to do with it too.
Just because you're unhappy about how things are doesn't make you a bad person or wrong---quite the opposite. You're showing you care about others and want a more just society. More people should care; the world would 1000% be a better place. I actively try (on my IG stories) to introduce information to people who otherwise would never see it or change their point of view. Believe me, I know change isn't easy. I used to believe all the lies too.
I used to shit on "social justice warriors" constantly. Hell, they're a significant reason I created this website. Luckily for me, through the writing process and the reflection required, I took stock of myself and the systems around me and realized my mistakes and the systemic issues that impact us all. I'm incredibly ashamed of who I used to be, but I'm also wicked proud of my growth and development. It didn't happen overnight, but being an adult in America peeled back the curtain, so yeah, I'm "wOkE." Now I've seen for myself how many "higher-ups" don't know what the fuck they are doing and how many institutions I held in such high regard are actually the root of these issues. It's high-key devastating, so yes, I can understand why "woke" people aren't exactly Richard Simmons when it comes to positivity.
It's tough to come to grips with your flaws and the role you play (sometimes inadvertently) in multiplying the issues plaguing society. Like a lot of people my age, I used to rely on sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. tropes in the name of "making people laugh," and it's had me analyzing myself for years. Am I even funny, or was I just parroting the fucked up, low-hanging jokes I'd seen countless times on tv and movies? I believe nothing should be off-limits in comedy but there's a difference between a joke and hate speech. Hurt people hurt people. Kids say FUCKED UP stuff. I hear it daily at work. Let's not forget our frontal lobes weren't even close to developed! We're all works in progress, and life is already challenging enough. When you realize the systems in place to maintain power, control, and oppression, it can fuck with your head. I tell my shrink all the time that one of the most complex parts of dealing with my depression is figuring out what percentage is a chemical imbalance vs. general bummed-out-ness from the situations we deal with. Yeah, dude, I'm depressed that I'm probably never gonna be able to afford my own home, that women don't have fucking autonomy over their bodies, and Nazis are making a bigger comeback than 90s fashion. It's depressing as fuck that public schools are underfunded and under attack (in more ways than one). You're a fucking sociopath if it doesn't bother you. Worrying about nuclear war, the climate crisis, gun violence, etc., can make you pretty damn anxious. Learning about redlining or the prison industrial complex is a major vibe assassin. How can I be happy knowing the students I teach aren't given the same opportunities as others a few miles away because of the town where their parents or guardians live? Who's happy being underpaid? Who's happy being taken advantage of? Who's happy when they realize the dreams sold to them as kids were lies? The real question is, why don't more people care? Given the state of things in the world's greatest country on Earth (and Earth in general), everybody should be depressed! It's never too late to open change for the better.
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