I know that, given all this, it may sound more frustrating than helpful, but don’t let it get you down, and don’t lose hope!
Throughout history, even in the face of massive and violent oppression, people have repeatedly broken free from the powerful - even through nonviolent resistance against horrific atrocities. India’s independence from British colonial rule is a good example.
I haven’t lost hope for humanity, I have just accepted that my optimism will inevitably result in disappointment. That doesn’t mean give up the fight or wallow in sorrow, it’s just know your limitations and every once in a while push your limits and see if you were correct. You might succeed, you might die. India achieved independence but it also knew exactly when and where to push for it. The British Empire was in no position to keep an iron grip on its holdings after WWII, and the people of India knew it. They pressed their advantage and won their independence, but it didn’t change the attitude of the English at large towards their former colony. England is still a hotbed of nationalism, racism, and white supremacy dealing with their own legacy of imperialism and hate at home just the same as the US is with their version. India itself struggles with nationalism, religious bigotry, and the legacy of a caste system that predates western domination. Israel is the greatest example of a people who are the descendants of those who were once nearly ground out of existence by hate adopting the tactics of their victimizers and becoming something to rival that but justifying it through their ancestor’s victimization, religious validation, and “never again”. The US was founded with imperfections but built a system where imperfections could be addressed as times/public opinion changed, and slowly but surely it has made progress even if it was painful and still imperfect. But centuries of that progress have been rolled back and ignored in under a decade. It’s not hopeless, but it is the reality we live in.
I know that, given all this, it may sound more frustrating than helpful, but don’t let it get you down, and don’t lose hope!
Throughout history, even in the face of massive and violent oppression, people have repeatedly broken free from the powerful - even through nonviolent resistance against horrific atrocities. India’s independence from British colonial rule is a good example.
Either way, all the best!
I haven’t lost hope for humanity, I have just accepted that my optimism will inevitably result in disappointment. That doesn’t mean give up the fight or wallow in sorrow, it’s just know your limitations and every once in a while push your limits and see if you were correct. You might succeed, you might die. India achieved independence but it also knew exactly when and where to push for it. The British Empire was in no position to keep an iron grip on its holdings after WWII, and the people of India knew it. They pressed their advantage and won their independence, but it didn’t change the attitude of the English at large towards their former colony. England is still a hotbed of nationalism, racism, and white supremacy dealing with their own legacy of imperialism and hate at home just the same as the US is with their version. India itself struggles with nationalism, religious bigotry, and the legacy of a caste system that predates western domination. Israel is the greatest example of a people who are the descendants of those who were once nearly ground out of existence by hate adopting the tactics of their victimizers and becoming something to rival that but justifying it through their ancestor’s victimization, religious validation, and “never again”. The US was founded with imperfections but built a system where imperfections could be addressed as times/public opinion changed, and slowly but surely it has made progress even if it was painful and still imperfect. But centuries of that progress have been rolled back and ignored in under a decade. It’s not hopeless, but it is the reality we live in.