Re:Cruel Optimism (and Lazy Pessimism)
by lordfrito on Wednesday January 18, 2023 @12:34PM
(#34429900)
Something else worth mentioning is that "cruel" and "lazy" parts of the advice the article talks about has more to do with people who've had it pretty easy lecturing people that haven't.
It's not that the message is wrong, it's that there's no empathy so it just comes across as incredibly tone-deaf (which it of course is).
Re:Cruel Optimism (and Lazy Pessimism)
by s1artibartfast on Wednesday January 18, 2023 @12:41PM
(#34430015)
Interesting, That wasn't my take on the second "lazy" part of the article at all.
For me the lazy part was a counter-statement to first part. It claims that YES, there are individual issues, and individual action matters tremendously.
Re:Cruel Optimism (and Lazy Pessimism)
by lordfrito on Wednesday January 18, 2023 @12:50PM
(#34430168)
Yeah I guess I'm confusing that my bad, lazy I'm talking about is the "arm-chair advice" people give to sound smart. Easy to dispense, little value. No empathy.
Re:Cruel Optimism (and Lazy Pessimism)
by victorstanciu on Wednesday January 18, 2023 @12:52PM
(#34430207)
This is what I meant. It's a harsh word, but--at least in my case--the truth is harsh too. I'm lazy. I have a huge array of benefits and privileges laid out in front of me, but I don't take advantage of them, even though I easily could.
This was a breakthrough for me as well. Accepting reality as it does not mean you have to like it, but it gives a foundation for moving forward.
I would quibble that it is important to separate reality as it is today, The future it Can Be, and the future it Can't Be.
If you cant accept reality as it is and that some futures are impossible, you will miss the best future that CAN have.
You need to accept the cards you are dealt and then play them to the very best of your ability.