Political events making me unhappy and angry

[Paraiyar]

The social construct of political correctness is nothing new. I did a college class presentation on PC back in the 80s.

I feel like it's got a lot worse in the last decade. I think the Tumblr people may be the pinnacle of it.

 

[Oldyoung]

I struggle with the same thing. Especially when it comes to how nature is mistreated/mismanaged. Chopping down the rain forest so some fat cat can have more money? So worth it..

But I try coping by remembering that while there is a lot of bad stuff happening in the world, there are things that are getting better. Poverty is falling for one.

 

[TheSkaFish]

How do I learn not to let these events get me down (I won't go into what they are or my opinion on them). It is really making me darker and taking away most of the hope I have for the future. I sometimes wish I could be apathetic like a lot of my generation but I don't seem capable of that.

Hi. I had the same feeling as you about political and socio-economic topics. It would make me feel angry and dark, but also pessimistic and hopeless. It made me feel like it was pointless to try and do anything with my life.

I didn't want to feel like that for the rest of my life, so I decided the best thing to do would be to turn off the news, avoid reading newspapers, and avoid Internet news as well. I also feel it's for the best that I avoid discussing these topics too. There's always going to be another political or socio-economic situation, another politician or businessman or some other person that says or does things that get me angry, so I might as well try to be ignorant of it. I can't get mad at what I don't know. I remember when I was a kid, I didn't know about any of this stuff. I focused on things that I liked, things that caught my interest or made me feel good. I've been trying to return to that childlike state of mind.

 

[ABrokenMan]

Such is the result of reaching adulthood. You have to deal with things you could never understand or process as a child.
Whether or not you choose to ignore them is your own decision. Personally speaking, I would vastly prefer connecting with someone who is well-aware of all things going on, not somebody who chooses to shut them out.

 

[TheSkaFish]

Such is the result of reaching adulthood. You have to deal with things you could never understand or process as a child.
Whether or not you choose to ignore them is your own decision. Personally speaking, I would vastly prefer connecting with someone who is well-aware of all things going on, not somebody who chooses to shut them out.

I'm just saying what's worked for me and what I've seen work for others. A lot of political and socio-economic news is about things that most people can't do much about, except become angry or afraid - both of which can interfere with a person's ability to get things done and their happiness. And if all a person can do with that information is become angry and afraid and feel powerless and discouraged, then I feel like it's better not to know.

For example, the recession. The more I knew about it the worse I felt. It got to a point where I pretty much gave up on life. Now, I look back and realize that if I'd avoided the news about it and just focused on improving my life, there is no doubt in my mind I'd have been doing better today. Not only that, but I'd realize that some of the issues that made me feel so angry and powerless before would have been solved.

If something doesn't do you any good, then maybe cutting it from your life is for the best. The happiest and most successful people I know also seem to be the least political.

 

[Despicable Me]

If something doesn't do you any good, then maybe cutting it from your life is for the best. The happiest and most successful people I know also seem to be the least political.

Personally I'm not very fond of the "ignorance is bliss" philosophy.
You may find this philosophy to be easier on your emotions, but personally I've found that people who cater to this philosophy find no depth in life. They might seem happier and more successful but really all they are is fooling themselves for a while. The skeletons in their closet tell a different story. Of course there is also a fundamental difference between 'ignorance' and 'simplifying' your life. So those aren't to be confused.

Anyway, there is nothing inherently unhealthy about feeling pain or anger. Emotions need to be felt sometimes. They can be unhealthy if you let those emotions steer your life, but simply feeling them is not an unhealthy thing.

I think what is truly unhealthy is believing that you're not good enough to do anything about the problems in the world around you. I believe we all have that power within us. That is our reality. We have the power to create change. It is a limited amount of power, and we cannot change everything and some problems may be bigger than just us, but the great thing about living in a society is that we are never truly alone.
Those of us here might feel that we are alone, but I think that is precisely because we know that we are never alone and yet we still do not feel heard or wanted. And that is one of those times where the power to create change becomes very useful.
But of course we must recognize that power first if we are ever to use it properly.

Anyway, I don't really like where this topic has gone since my last post. I keep trying not to read it, and trying not to post. I'm doing a very bad job of that.

 

[lonelyfairy]

I can relate... I feel so helpless sometimes about the current politics here in Europe (*cough* Cologne) because I can't do anything about it. Especially as a young woman. It's definitely not only Germany's "issue", it has spread like a virus to almost everywhere now. There's so much I would like to say in this thread about it but I want to be neutral with the choice of my words since this particular subject is very sensitive and make many to show their temperament in fire (krhm.. me too). It just makes me really mad, scared and helpless here, sigh...

 

[Paraiyar]

I can relate... I feel so helpless sometimes about the current politics here in Europe (*cough* Cologne) because I can't do anything about it. Especially as a young woman. It's definitely not only Germany's "issue", it has spread like a virus to almost everywhere now. There's so much I would like to say in this thread about it but I want to be neutral with the choice of my words since this particular subject is very sensitive and make many to show their temperament in fire (krhm.. me too). It just makes me really mad, scared and helpless here, sigh...

If it's any consolation I believe Europe in general will be forced to act sooner rather than later and that this will be resolved. There is also a lot I would want to say that might upset people further towards the Left of the political spectrum but I'm not up for the drama right now.

 

[lonelyfairy]

I can relate... I feel so helpless sometimes about the current politics here in Europe (*cough* Cologne) because I can't do anything about it. Especially as a young woman. It's definitely not only Germany's "issue", it has spread like a virus to almost everywhere now. There's so much I would like to say in this thread about it but I want to be neutral with the choice of my words since this particular subject is very sensitive and make many to show their temperament in fire (krhm.. me too). It just makes me really mad, scared and helpless here, sigh...

If it's any consolation I believe Europe in general will be forced to act sooner rather than later and that this will be resolved. There is also a lot I would want to say that might upset people further towards the Left of the political spectrum but I'm not up for the drama right now.

Yes, it really can't continue in this way anymore. It's insanity...! I hope you're right but I also hope that it won't be too late when they finally find a good solution because then we are really screwed here in Europe.

 

[Paraiyar]

Christ it keeps getting to me that this was a planned attack. It isn't just any normal attack, it was sexual terrorism and everyone has to start recognizing it. Sorry to get this thread going again but this has me feeling almost darker than I've ever felt.

 

[BeyondShy]

Christ it keeps getting to me that this was a planned attack. It isn't just any normal attack, it was sexual terrorism and everyone has to start recognizing it. Sorry to get this thread going again but this has me feeling almost darker than I've ever felt.

Of course it was a planned attack and why this is not being looked at like this is incomprehensible.

And I do not get why the media and the police tried to cover up what happened to these women at the hands of these refugees. I can understand why politicians tried to cover it up because that is their first instinct. Cover up and deny.

Well you can not deny or pretend this did not happen. There was about 500 reported attacks that night. That's 500 too many.

 

[user 115627]

And I do not get why the media and the police tried to cover up what happened to these women at the hands of these refugees. I can understand why politicians tried to cover it up because that is their first instinct. Cover up and deny.

It's rather simple - which makes it no less depressing though. The police is state-funded so it answers to the government and its politicians first, not to the people. And the German media (at least the big time publishers, major newspapers etc.) have a lot of influence on the leading politicians and they back each other up. Hell, our counselor is personal friends with the owners of two mass media corporations.

 

[Paraiyar]

Some nine months or so later and I'm not sure if I've made progress in this area or not. I've definitely got better at focusing on my individual goals but I still get worked up over events in the world. Somehow it's just difficult for me to accept that I have no control over these things.

 

[Meaw]

"I see people living and dying on the streets. I see people unable to afford food for their children or homes. I see people unable to afford toys for their kids to play with. People unable to afford medicines or treatment they need just to feel healthy or survive. I see pregnant teens and even adult women having abortions only because they know they cannot afford to have a child, not because they don't want it. I see generations of family members all crowded into a one or two bedroom apartment. I've seen people resort to violence and selling drugs only because it was their only opportunity to do something with their lives. I've seen people murdered in cold blood only because they lived in or were from the ghettos, in the wrong place at the wrong time, or said or did the wrong thing to the wrong person.

And that's just what I've seen.
That's not even taking into account places around the world where people starve without food, and have no clean drinking water. Where they have to steal to survive and still starve. Children who watch their parents die because they sacrificed the little food they had so that their children would not starve that day.
These are things I know are happening.
And we cannot forget war. Wars where we send people to die and send people to kill. And for what? To fight an "enemy" whose reasons for war might be just as well justified, if not more so, as those supposedly there to "protect" us? Screw that. The world is not so black and white. And in war innocent people die all the time. No one seems to ever truly acknowledge that.

And you know what else I've seen? ******** in suits, with more money than they'll ever need, arguing over whether or not its right to give these people what they need to survive. Idiotically arguing over how to help them when the answers are so freaking obvious. Right there in front of them. But they'll never admit it. These people do not actually want to fix anything. They do not really care if anyone starves. They do not care if people die.

How can anyone be truly happy when all of this is happening, everywhere?
I know I can't be."

Despicable me. I have no idea whether you will see this, but I hope so. I needed to read that. I really, really needed to see someone else was unable to close their eyes, unable to ignore the real problems. All your posts in this thread have been brilliant, sad, and hopegiving. Thank you so much.

Of course people should not be terrorized or harassed or anything, but people need more help, not more problems or limitations. They need explanations and not punishments, and if they do something wrong, no matter who it is, they need consistency to know it was truly wrong, like they were told, to maybe realize that. And the victims, no matter who, need to see the bad ones get their punishment. And no, in my thoughts, this is not contradictory. You should not punish someone for something no one ever cared to tell them - you should for things they don't care about after knowing. If someone is wronged, it needs to be seen, and it needs justice. Not an altered justice due to "special circumstances" (which have appeared in some legal cases).

People have to stop taking their favored way out of everything. They have to stop abusing trust. They have to stop not educating, not sharing, not caring. This world makes me sick. Shave the ridiculous salaries off of the politicians and other likeminded (likewalleted) people. Use that to help the ones with nothing. Use that to explain things to people, to not let them fall, to prevent as much as possible before it happens.

Never give in to fear or comfortability. Never give in to money.

 

[Bubblebeam]

Despicable Me and Meaw, you guys sound like my spirit siblings in this particular regard. I have a thousand reasons for my depression, but one of them is all the wrong in the world. Not just the obvious things that may come to mind, but also the things we might not think of. Things that aren't common knowledge because the corrupt media hides it from us. Things that are twisted to spin a wrongdoing around on somebody who is innocent. I'm sure you guys already know how the list goes on.

This sounds silly, but it sort of explains how deep I go with thinking. To save money just recently, we've been buying whole chickens instead of just the breasts. I'll often feel bad for all the wasted food in the world, but especially meat. Seeing that one little body reminds me of the thousands of others stocked across all the supermarkets, and I'll say a little mental prayer that the chicken we bought was treated kindly especially at its end. Then I'll make sure to use every part so nothing goes to waste; to help me feel that the life wasn't taken in vain. Again it sounds silly, and some people hold little regard for such animals, but I can't help but see a little soul in every animal, big and small. It's something as insignificant as cooking dinner for me that can start a long trail of thoughts and then eventually depression.

 

[Paraiyar]

I was reading about a case in Austria where an Iraqi refugee raped a 10 year old boy at a swimming pool and had his conviction quashed because he claimed it was a sexual emergency since he hadn't had sex with his wife in four months and didn't know that the boy didn't consent (as if a 10 year old could consent to begin with). And to think that he was being given free swimming lessons to help him integrate. What a joke.

 

[dd11]

You are kind of missing what I am saying.

But, i find it curious that on this board, if you say to "live your best life", that that is considered "selfish".  Interesting.

Well, you kind of missed what I was saying, too.

It's fine if that's the way you want to live. Doing whatever you can to be happy, but at the same time trying to help everyone around you. I think that's probably a good way to live, too. I'm not saying you're selfish for doing that. You didn't really make that clear it is what you meant.

In any case, none of that helps me. I can't even close my eyes anymore without seeing someone who needs help. It's not something I can stop thinking about because it's not something that I want to stop thinking about.
How could I? People are hurting. People are dying. They are all around me.
I can't simply pretend that isn't happening. I cannot forget something like that.

And it's all because of them. It is all because of these governments and these politicians. These people who only pretend to care about others. These are people who do not allow people like me in to change things. These are people who do not even allow people like me to be represented. These are people who willingly send people to their deaths.

And I am simply supposed to ignore that? I am simply supposed to pretend it isn't happening?
No matter how long I do what you suggest I do it never makes me happy. In fact living this lie and telling myself it is fine is exactly why I am here. It isn't fine!
This is exactly why I am so miserable. This is exactly why I want to be miserable. I can allow myself to be happy for a moment, but I cannot allow myself to be truly happy until this problem is resolved. Until everyone is free.

You suggest we cannot change things, but I do not think that is actually true. One day things are going to change. They have to. This is the day I have been preparing for. The day I must prepare for. I cannot do anything else. I cannot think about anything else. I believe we should all be preparing for that day. It is going to come whether we are ready for it or not.

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Sorry... I let this topic get to me. I think I need a break for a while.

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Well, that isn't what i actually said AT ALL.  If you are reading my posts thinking i am saying, live a selfish life and don't help people, then it's no wonder you go about upset all the time.  That isn't what I said.  You seem to be inferring your views of life onto my opinions.  I am heavily involved in politics.  I am heavily involved in the community.  I do help people.  But, i can step back from politics without feeling pissed and angry every second of the day.  Those who can't might need to disengage from it on some level. 
   In no way did i suggest we cannot change things.  You can change SOME things on some level.  I have helped push thru a lot of change in our local school district.  I have helped change some kids lives with my coaching.  I have fed and clothed neighborhood kids who have derelict parents who have spent umpteen days eating dinner at my house and staying over because mom is not around.  You simply are choosing to read things into what I did not say.  Obviously, i cannot make every point in a paragraph on a message board.  Geez.

 

[Meaw]

"This sounds silly, but it sort of explains how deep I go with thinking. To save money just recently, we've been buying whole chickens instead of just the breasts. I'll often feel bad for all the wasted food in the world, but especially meat. Seeing that one little body reminds me of the thousands of others stocked across all the supermarkets, and I'll say a little mental prayer that the chicken we bought was treated kindly especially at its end. Then I'll make sure to use every part so nothing goes to waste; to help me feel that the life wasn't taken in vain. Again it sounds silly, and some people hold little regard for such animals, but I can't help but see a little soul in every animal, big and small. It's something as insignificant as cooking dinner for me that can start a long trail of thoughts and then eventually depression."

Bubblebeam, I am not religious, but I still do exactly the same thing. I am not good at eating a lot, though, so I use to split them with mother or brother. I do care about those lives. I do worry about how they lived. I do wish it was as meaningful and good as possible, even if it won't change it all being over. I have the "mental atheist prayer" as well. They all do have their souls, they have all felt. And yes, the small things do start a lot of thoughts. Sometimes, the small things that are wrong can be just as annoying as tha big ones :/

 

[Meaw]

"I was reading about a case in Austria where an Iraqi refugee raped a 10 year old boy at a swimming pool and had his conviction quashed because he claimed it was a sexual emergency since he hadn't had sex with his wife in four months and didn't know that the boy didn't consent (as if a 10 year old could consent to begin with). And to think that he was being given free swimming lessons to help him integrate. What a joke."

Explanations before about right and wrong. Help when he arrived. Judgement (such as prison and paying money to the boy, preferrably to the wife too) when he broke the laws.

The problem is not in the people, it's in the individuals and the system failing to see that a crime is a crime no matter whether "he kicked first" "she wore a skirt" or whatever other stupid excuse someone would have. The problem with a harsh justice system is people being judged for things they did not do. The problem with a loose justice system (like in the country I live in) is too many never being judged for their faults. Both irritates me a lot.

 

[Paraiyar]

"I was reading about a case in Austria where an Iraqi refugee raped a 10 year old boy at a swimming pool and had his conviction quashed because he claimed it was a sexual emergency since he hadn't had sex with his wife in four months and didn't know that the boy didn't consent (as if a 10 year old could consent to begin with). And to think that he was being given free swimming lessons to help him integrate. What a joke."

Explanations before about right and wrong. Help when he arrived. Judgement (such as prison and paying money to the boy, preferrably to the wife too) when he broke the laws.

The problem is not in the people, it's in the individuals and the system failing to see that a crime is a crime no matter whether "he kicked first" "she wore a skirt" or whatever other stupid excuse someone would have. The problem with a harsh justice system is people being judged for things they did not do. The problem with a loose justice system (like in the country I live in) is too many never being judged for their faults. Both irritates me a lot.

No, its definitely a much broader cultural problem there were over 1000 migrants involved in Cologne, sexual assault rates in Northern Africa and the Middle East are sky high compared to the West. A lot of the migrants just don't want to integrate and expect their host country to change for them.