Perspectives

 

Breaking down my reality bubble has been a lifelong task.

Today someone did a really excellent job of discussing the phrase '1st world problems' in a way that caused me to stop and think about that phrase more consciously.

I stopped using that phrase a number of years ago.

Thing is, I began to realize that when people used it, they were insinuating that 'we' (N. Americans, mostly) were 'better' than other countries because 'our' problems were trivial.  When it comes right down to it, our population of unhomed people is just exactly as deplorable as it is in any other country.  But the assumption in NA is that if you don't have a home, you are unhoused due to some character failing because we are a 'rich' nation.  Therefore if we are a 'rich' nation, no one is unhoused unless they aren't trying hard enough, working hard enough.  Or, it's because immigrants have 'taken our jobs and homes'.

It's a very 'privileged' point of view, and one I began to bristle at when I heard it.  Especially coming from my own mouth.  So I stopped.

Changing one's perspective is difficult when you are inundated every day with media that tells you that *you* are special, just because you are a citizen of a particular country.

The USA continually tells their population that they are *number 1* when in fact they fall far short on many metrics that make for a 'good' country - universal health care, education, child mortality.  

Now we have the far right telling us (it isn't just the US, the far right is fomenting anger around the globe) that the reason we can't have nice things is because (pick boogie man of the week).

Their whole agenda is to divide and conquer.  The more they yell about protecting their children (from drag queens but not white dudes with arsenals), the more they yell about protecting 'family values' (from LGTBQ+), the more they explain in words of one syllable that they *need* to 'control' their children in order to 'protect' them...the more concerned I become.

If you are liberal leaning, do you know about the IDU?

The International Democrat Union.

Don't let the word 'Democrat' fool you.  They are no more 'democratic' than the Nazis were 'socialist'.

If you don't know who or what they are, go look them up.  Find out who supports them financially and who they are friends with.  What seeds of discontent are they sowing?

When the alt right screams about conspiracies, it's because they are rife with them.  Every accusation is a confession.

If you are liberal leaning, make sure that in Canada no Conservative politicians are elected - until they become truly 'conservative' instead of alt right.  

That applies for every single election you can vote in - school board, city council, provincial, federal.

The alt right is LOUD and thinks they are in the majority.   They are not.  We need to show them that they are still the minority.

Last week there was a protest against teaching about sexual orientation in schools in my very conservative town.  Approximately 120 people showed up and and yelled a lot about 'protecting' their children.  There were about 300 people who showed up to *support* educating children.

Don't let the loudness drown out more inclusive approaches to how we treat other people.  Because the far right wants to choose who is 'worthy' and who is not.  In my opinion, we are *all* 'worthy' of being treated like a human being - fed, housed, healed when sick.  

And for goodness sake, realize that the notion of being a '1st world country' is at best antiquated, at worst really inaccurate.