Most people seem to have a particular brand of irresponsibility wherein they avoid their own problems by distracting themselves with those of others. It can work out semi-okay even, under some conditions like a spouse caring for someone who also cares for them in return, though ofc it’s not ideal in the sense of not taking care of yourself. But very little in life is ever fully “ideal” so… I’m saying that at least this form of mental unhealth isn’t as damaging as e.g. doing drugs can be.
And it can be predated upon by the unscrupulous. Which technology allows to happen quicker, and with greater reach (breadth of those affected) and depth (if everyone around you believes in something, then surely it couldn’t be “false” now could it?) than was ever possible before, even with organized religion (e.g. Catholics seem to listen more to Faux News than to the literal Pope).
i.e., listening to those “in charge” is actually a good thing, and democracy is also a good thing (if implemented well), but listening to idiots who inflame tensions subverts those good processes, and converts the outcomes to very bad ones. This is why I fear that democracy itself might be about to fail, at least as practiced in the USA - not just bc Trump said that people would only have to vote for him once more and then they’d never need to vote ever again, but bc regardless of whether he wins, there is a huge segment of the population (something like 42%, although due to the Electoral College manages to control the entire outcome) that is pushing for that, and will continue to do so on the next ballot, and the one after that, etc. Plus digs their heels in every time they lose to control outcomes either way - e.g. the government shutdowns holding the budgets hostage.
So I am glad that you are responsible, and quite frankly even the idiots are trying to be, as they vote how they do bc their self-chosen leaders told them to, but we all have blind spots, some far more than others.
Most people seem to have a particular brand of irresponsibility wherein they avoid their own problems by distracting themselves with those of others. It can work out semi-okay even, under some conditions like a spouse caring for someone who also cares for them in return, though ofc it’s not ideal in the sense of not taking care of yourself. But very little in life is ever fully “ideal” so… I’m saying that at least this form of mental unhealth isn’t as damaging as e.g. doing drugs can be.
And it can be predated upon by the unscrupulous. Which technology allows to happen quicker, and with greater reach (breadth of those affected) and depth (if everyone around you believes in something, then surely it couldn’t be “false” now could it?) than was ever possible before, even with organized religion (e.g. Catholics seem to listen more to Faux News than to the literal Pope).
i.e., listening to those “in charge” is actually a good thing, and democracy is also a good thing (if implemented well), but listening to idiots who inflame tensions subverts those good processes, and converts the outcomes to very bad ones. This is why I fear that democracy itself might be about to fail, at least as practiced in the USA - not just bc Trump said that people would only have to vote for him once more and then they’d never need to vote ever again, but bc regardless of whether he wins, there is a huge segment of the population (something like 42%, although due to the Electoral College manages to control the entire outcome) that is pushing for that, and will continue to do so on the next ballot, and the one after that, etc. Plus digs their heels in every time they lose to control outcomes either way - e.g. the government shutdowns holding the budgets hostage.
So I am glad that you are responsible, and quite frankly even the idiots are trying to be, as they vote how they do bc their self-chosen leaders told them to, but we all have blind spots, some far more than others.