Just a friendly reminder: Thanos is a fictional character. Racism can't be eradicated with the snap of a finger. It's going to take effort to change how things were up to now. And time to put in that effort. And steps to get there.
If someone who hasn't been an ally before tries to be an ally now, negating their effort because they weren't always an ally isn't productive. They were wrong in the past. They can't go back and be right. They're trying to be right now. Let them try. You might get an ally where once you had an opponent. Block them from trying, though, and you'll most likely get your opponent back.
If what someone does right today doesn't erase all the wrong someone else did yesterday... well, that's the way this all works. Change happens over the course of a period of time. What matters is someone did something today towards making a change. With momentum, more people can be doing right than are doing wrong. But momentum takes time. And people.
Which brings us to: if someone takes a step in the right direction, don't disparage it because it's only one step. Of course it's one step. No one is saying it's anything more. But getting anywhere always and forever starts with one step. If someone stops after the first step and never takes another, then you have a legit complaint about someone half-assing it. But chastising someone who is trying to walk the right path because they aren't running full stride from a dead stop is counter-productive. Hound someone for why they don't have a longer stride and they'll stop trying to walk where you want them to go.
Whatever challenge faces people, there is always a vocal contingent who demand change but then hypocritically seek to destroy any progress being made. These people attack anyone who takes action because it isn't far enough, or good enough, or fast enough out of the gate. They are in fact advocating that no action be taken, because no action can meet their criteria of instantaneously fixing the problem. By seeking to tear down anyone who is trying to better the situation, this contingent in fact blocks any real change from happening. Real change takes effort. And happens slowly. And in all cases must start with that critical first step in the right direction. All things that this contingent is vehemently opposed to.
Make efforts to change. Support other's efforts to change. Call out hypocrites who seek to block change while pretending to champion it.
p.s. There is a lot wrong with this world. A lot. But like a To Do list, we have to focus on one item at a time. If we need to wash the dishes, and gas up the car, and go grocery shopping, we can't just stand there staring at the list. We have to pick an item, and do it. Then we can move onto the next. And if while making a dent in the dishes and the car and the groceries we remember we also need a haircut, that shouldn't stop us from getting to the dishes, car, or groceries. Again, add it to the list, and it will have its time to be a priority.
Bringing up all issues that need to be dealt with on this great blue-green globe of ours really just serves to dilute the discussion of what is before us and what are we going to do about it.
Right now, police brutality is at the top of the list. No one is saying it's the only thing on the list. But right now, it seems pretty damn important to do what we can to save the lives of people. When we start making some progress there, then we can get to what else we've screwed up that we need to fix.
If someone who hasn't been an ally before tries to be an ally now, negating their effort because they weren't always an ally isn't productive. They were wrong in the past. They can't go back and be right. They're trying to be right now. Let them try. You might get an ally where once you had an opponent. Block them from trying, though, and you'll most likely get your opponent back.
If what someone does right today doesn't erase all the wrong someone else did yesterday... well, that's the way this all works. Change happens over the course of a period of time. What matters is someone did something today towards making a change. With momentum, more people can be doing right than are doing wrong. But momentum takes time. And people.
Which brings us to: if someone takes a step in the right direction, don't disparage it because it's only one step. Of course it's one step. No one is saying it's anything more. But getting anywhere always and forever starts with one step. If someone stops after the first step and never takes another, then you have a legit complaint about someone half-assing it. But chastising someone who is trying to walk the right path because they aren't running full stride from a dead stop is counter-productive. Hound someone for why they don't have a longer stride and they'll stop trying to walk where you want them to go.
Whatever challenge faces people, there is always a vocal contingent who demand change but then hypocritically seek to destroy any progress being made. These people attack anyone who takes action because it isn't far enough, or good enough, or fast enough out of the gate. They are in fact advocating that no action be taken, because no action can meet their criteria of instantaneously fixing the problem. By seeking to tear down anyone who is trying to better the situation, this contingent in fact blocks any real change from happening. Real change takes effort. And happens slowly. And in all cases must start with that critical first step in the right direction. All things that this contingent is vehemently opposed to.
Make efforts to change. Support other's efforts to change. Call out hypocrites who seek to block change while pretending to champion it.
p.s. There is a lot wrong with this world. A lot. But like a To Do list, we have to focus on one item at a time. If we need to wash the dishes, and gas up the car, and go grocery shopping, we can't just stand there staring at the list. We have to pick an item, and do it. Then we can move onto the next. And if while making a dent in the dishes and the car and the groceries we remember we also need a haircut, that shouldn't stop us from getting to the dishes, car, or groceries. Again, add it to the list, and it will have its time to be a priority.
Bringing up all issues that need to be dealt with on this great blue-green globe of ours really just serves to dilute the discussion of what is before us and what are we going to do about it.
Right now, police brutality is at the top of the list. No one is saying it's the only thing on the list. But right now, it seems pretty damn important to do what we can to save the lives of people. When we start making some progress there, then we can get to what else we've screwed up that we need to fix.
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