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[Baemono]

As most people said, time to take a break from the internet. The worse are the news, the more clicks they get, so you're only going to see more and more awful stuff. So just go play games, go outside to walk (or run, whatever), read a book, etc.

 

[Klosshufvud]

Nothing new is happening in the world. Wars, senseless murders, political assassinations... nihil novi sub sole, it's always been this way.

As most people said, time to take a break from the internet. The worse are the news, the more clicks they get, so you're only going to see more and more awful stuff. So just go play games, go outside to walk (or run, whatever), read a book, etc.

Exactly this. The world is filled with countless suffering and happiness that is unquantifiable even by a media eager to report our biggest tragedies. Go work in any emergency ward for a week and you'll see so much suffering that you'll never become upset by news reports anymore. And that's just one emergency ward. Call it becoming ambivalent, I call it coming to terms with the cruelty of existence and learning to accept, and yes, even ignore aspects of it. We still have responsibility for ourselves too, and the older we get, the less others will care for your own wellbeing. Only you can do that.

 

[gradient]

Things are so polarized right now that it's not even possible to decline to engage in conversation of some topics without causing offense and damaging relationships.

How did we get to this?

 

[Sybrix]

What would happen to your life if you deleted all social media apps and news apps?

I'm a bit of a news junky, i like to know what's going on in current affiars but i'm seriously considering getting rid of the lot, thinking about it, it really serves me no purpose to be informed of all this information 24/7.

 

[DKehoe]

Things are so polarized right now that it's not even possible to decline to engage in conversation of some topics without causing offense and damaging relationships.

How did we get to this?

I think it's fine to decline to engage on a topic. There's a time and a place to talk about things and a lot of online spaces aren't the place for certain discussions. A few years ago, for reasons I talked about here, I mostly stopped posting about politics online. If someone is going to lose their shit at you because you don't engage then they probably weren't going to be having a good faith discussion with you anyway.

I find that a good thing to remember is that you can't control how people react, that's up to them. The only thing that's in your control is what you do and so choosing to not engage is totally fine. You don't owe your time to strangers online.

I'm still open to having those discussions in other situations and think it's important to talk to people who hold different opinions than you so that you can have a broad perspective. But when I look around at the political discussions taking place online and see people labelling those who disagree with them as mentally ill, I can't say I feel like I'm missing out by not taking part.

I really do think that most people are generally decent and reasonable and that we have more in common with each other than we have differences. So, when it comes to somewhere like here I'd rather spend my time shooting the shit with someone and sharing things that make us laugh.

 

[gradient]

I think it's fine to decline to engage on a topic. There's a time and a place to talk about things and a lot of online spaces aren't the place for certain discussions. A few years ago, for reasons I talked about here, I mostly stopped posting about politics online. If someone is going to lose their shit at you because you don't engage then they probably weren't going to be having a good faith discussion with you anyway.

I find that a good thing to remember is that you can't control how people react, that's up to them. The only thing that's in your control is what you do and so choosing to not engage is totally fine. You don't owe your time to strangers online.

I'm still open to having those discussions in other situations and think it's important to talk to people who hold different opinions than you so that you can have a broad perspective. But when I look around at the political discussions taking place online and see people labelling those who disagree with them as mentally ill, I can't say I feel like I'm missing out by not taking part.

I really do think that most people are generally decent and reasonable and that we have more in common with each other than we have differences. So, when it comes to somewhere like here I'd rather spend my time shooting the shit with someone and sharing things that make us laugh.

Oh, it's not just politics, it's almost everything.

There's a mentality now that in everything you MUST pick a side and failure to pick a side means that you support the opposite side to the person that you're talking with.

Maybe it's people being so worked up and "passionate" about anything and everything, or maybe social media has just conditioned people to expect an opinon and response for anything and everything.

There's an old saying that you don't have to have an opinion about everything, but lately it seems to view held by many is that to not have an opinion is indicative of guilt or holding the "wrong" opinion of something.

Facing this kind of issue with friends, family and people you otherwise like or want to get along with is a massive downer.

 

[Redneckerz]

This year has been my annus horribilis. Really getting to learn what trust actually means. Always looking after one another and never getting back.

Done. I deserve some respect to my name.