Do you ever have this experience? THE NUT Day after day; you attempt to use social media to discuss food, inequality or any other important social issue - and none of your friends ever respond. So you just carry on, believing that your friends think of you as that nut activist; until one day, a friend stops you on the street and says, I really appreciate the information you share. Keep it up! And you walk away, stunned and confused. Why is that? Why are so many people so afraid to take a public stand and why do those of us who do, often feel like lone nuts? THE TYRANNY OF POSITIVE THINKING Bright Sided by #BarbaraEhrenreich is a paradigm shifting read about how much our belief systems have been manipulated to serve those who willingly and deliberately take advantage of others. In essence, there has been some very calculated bundling of our values systems. WHAT IS ADMIRED IN OUR CULTURE For example, most people would combine grit, determination and relentless positivity together into an admirable set of qualities. But relentless positivity is not a substitute for realism. In fact, its often an escape from realism. POSITIVITY AND REAL, MEANINGFUL ISSUES A positive person actively avoids the baggage of anything negative that can bring them down. That means far too many serious issues that affect us all: Inequality Pollution Climate Change Abuse Changing the world takes work. Hard work. Not being afraid to fail, until one day; you succeed. It also takes compassion - and genuinely caring for the welfare of others. NICENESS DOES NOT EQUAL GOODNESS Gavin De Becker is an internationally recognized security expert and an authority on predators. One of his most important messages is to always be on the lookout for nice. Niceness does NOT equal goodness. It is a deliberate social strategy - not a quality of being - and it is the number one strategy employed by predators to gain the trust of their victims. Often coupled with niceness, relentless positivity whether presented in New Age, Evangelical, political or organizational settings; is all too often the opposite of honesty, accountability and any efforts towards meaningful change. #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS #BringBackOurGirls is a perfect example of false activism. It seems like everyone has now shared this hash tag with one another - and America feels great about it. But what is actually being done for these young women - and many like them? Sadly...not much. But because the very serious plight of these young women was reduced to a feel good social media hashtag campaign; most Americans have felt they have done the duty, and moved on to the next trend. The last thing on earth Americans want to hear is the real truth about what is happening to these girls and others, the corruption in Nigeria and how the complexity of international politics prevents their rescue. And beyond that, why it is so dangerous for girls and young women to become educated in their countries. That kind of focus and inquiry - is just too much. **** VIVA THE ACTIVISTS! If you are an annoying activist day after day, I admire and commend you! Because in this world, all too often dominated by positive thinking, it is a courageous thing to speak the unpleasant truth! ***** VIVA THE PROBLEM SOLVERS! Activism is a great first step, but the other unsung heroes of our culture are the problem solvers. These are the people who are actively working to solve the very serious problems of our day. These individuals realize that we cant just think positively and things will magically change. There are out there, often in the muck of either politics, policy, law, agriculture or commerce; participating in tedious, arduous, laborious, dirty tasks that can make a difference - if more people would just pay attention. **** THE POTENTIAL OF SOCIAL MEDIA Social media is the greatest opportunity for communication and change the world has ever seen. WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME Social media has incredible potential, yet it has been co-opted to encourage all of us to be relentlessly positive with one another. Most flattering photos Vacations Accomplishments Cute and/or entertaining posts That is what we see on each others timelines - and to be nice, we like it. So Facebook promotes it - and soon that is all the content that we ever see. What everyone likes. Relentless Positivity = Billions Social Change = 0 WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS DOING TO US Remember what international security expert Gavin De Becker says about how predators manipulate others? Niceness does not equal goodness. It is a deliberate social strategy. When we are afraid to speak the unpleasant truth, or discuss those who are seeking real, meaningful solutions to difficult questions; what are we becoming? Is it really worth it - to be relentlessly liked? (Links provided in comments)
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 17:16:04 +0000
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