@Passerby
You’re right.
And; Funny how the roles seem switched, here. I guess it’s nice that we can talk each other out of our funks.
I still hold on to hope and positivity but sometimes even I get scared.
Voting Blue and reclaiming the United States for the Democrats would be a great start to changing things for the better. Americans need to work on that, first and not be so gullible to fall for Russian propaganda this time.
Sometimes the Earth needs crises every so often to keep humanity on it’s toes and to drive home forgotten lessons. Some populations need to be reminded the hard way why authoritarianism is bad. Only then will people wake up and kick serious Fashie tail.
There has been a global recession and a number of attacks from IslamoFrum wackos like 9-11, the stuff in France, DAESH, etc. so all this bigotry hate and uncertainty doesn’t rise in a vacuum.
That said; It is possible to educate people so they can deal with uncertainty better and not fall for dictators when they show up.
It is especially imperative for Progressive, Egalitarian voices to rise and control the narrative first when tough times approach so the Far-Right Populist so-called “Strongmen” (really wussy tyrannical sissy losers, like all bullies) don’t get a word in, edgewise.
There needs to be an independent bunch of organizations who’ll travel the world and educate like a bunch of secular missionaries; Teaching people how to avoid falling for Fashies, overcome bigotry and tackle the malaise that makes people fall for this stuff to begin with.
Sometimes, the people must pick up the slack when the Government refuses to do it’s job. I read a story in Good News Network where a community raised a bunch of money to buy up wilderness to set up as a Natural Preserve. If the Govt. gets lack on protecting land then good folks need to raise funds and buy it themselves.
I remember hearing about the Bouganville Islander situation and the ingenuity of these folks to keep things going when oppressive colonial powers tried embargoing them.
At best, the Govt. should serve the people, provide public services, a social safety net, etc. but when the Govt. fails, it’s up to us. This could mean renegade Sex-Educators to educate where sex-ed is banned, self-defense courses and vigilante protectors for marginalized groups (Imagine India’s Gulabi Gang for women or a bunch of big strong ‘Bears’ defending vulnerable LGBTQs from homophobic gangs).
I feel it’s high time that religious Progressives take over the houses of worship and reclaim the world’s faiths. Religion has been a tool for control by the Wingnuts but it can go in the opposite direction, too. It is wise to use the “Demiurge” concept to reject nastier teachings in scriptures as human made falsehoods while affirming the good stuff as Deity-inspired. Bad stuff is Demiurgic whereas good stuff is Divine.
In a perfect world; The only real spirituality and religion would be some sort of eclectic NeoPaganism, Deism, etc. or any universal, non-dogmatic spirituality. This, along with Atheism and Agnostism. However; Since Organized Religion isn’t dying soon, it’s best to reform what is there and introduce the "Metaphorical Demiurge” concept to separate the beneficial teaching wheat from the demiurgic bad teaching chaff. Nothing wrong with religious cherry-picking if you only follow the good teachings.
“Demiurgic” teaching is anything that promotes Sexism, Ethnicism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Hatred of Intellectualism, Promotion of Genocides & War Crimes, Sexual Repression and such.
Some things that can’t be ignored should be reinterpreted; The Israelite conquest of Canaan in The Bible, for example, should be interpreted as a metaphor of a vast cultural/religious change rather than literal war and genocide. Since all that is integral to the foundations of Judaism, it needs to be reinterpreted. Perhaps every Holy Scripture should have a companion work that reinterprets and simplifies the story. Besides; Israelites and Canaanites are one in the same and there’s no archeological evidence any genocide even happened.
Finally; There needs to be groups and missionaries sent to places like Africa to counter the stupidity going on there (while still respecting the African cultures and not being ‘colonialist’-like).
There will always be horrible people and horrible stuff; But it can be reduced and not given impunity.