"I don't trust selfless people" Oh shut the fuck up
No, I'm not naive for being a good samaritan. It's called being a fucking normal social animal you broken fuck. Why do you think our society is falling apart?
I swear to god, capitalism has turned people into the most miserable, narcissistic fucks. No, I'm not trying to trick or manipulate you. No I'm not stupid. I just don't want to live in a world where everything is transactional and we can't just help each other. A world where everyone is a selfish asshole is depressing and stressful. It's fucking insulting when people assume I'm not genuine.
"Wow you're so selfless" no I just help my community when they need it and expect them to help me when I need it. If society isn't for precisely that then it has zero value.
It's as if these people don't understand that, yes, I actually want to help create a better place by being a good person.
My first impulse towards someone isn't a cold calculus of thought about use and transaction.
It's insane how the current mythos inculcates that selfishness into people so much, you will see everyone walking around claiming selfishness as the foundational core trait of humanity... Completely ignoring that it's our bonds of community that are our real strength in nature.
The dying older generation has a point, though they attribute it to the wrong thing. They point to the downfall of the church in society as what made things go worse...
It wasn't the religion directly. It was the community that was, in some ways, making things better.
I just want to live in a world where people are taught these things: critical thinking, creativity, compassion and community. If you want a 5th "c" for physical activity like we probably should, "calisthenics" could be the last.
I hate the way capital lionizes cynicism and misanthropy to convince people that their weariness of being exploited is actually just a general world-weariness that makes them cool when they say shit like "Heh, you'll understand one day kid" to people who understand more than they do.
And watch them be taken aback when you direct said cynicism to the rich.
“ Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from the citizenry. It is about responsible government. We have to get our fellow Americans to trust their leaders less and themselves more, trust their own questions and suspicions, and their own desire to know what is going on.“ - Michael Parenti
Lots of folks are skeptical of outwardly selfless people because of prior abuse from those who pretended to be good people. Searching for "the angle" is a defense mechanism for them.
Sure, there's plenty more who thinks everyone has an angle in a cynical, ill-natured way, but I don't think it's good to lump the former in with the latter
I have also experienced this which is why it's even more annoying to me when people who are genuinely trying to be selfless are brushed off as being bad people.
I agree so much with this sentiment, but find myself doing the opposite and coping by avoiding. I don’t volunteer my mental or emotional energy on the public, I don’t like it very much, probably because of what you are saying here. No matter how much I want a better world for all of us, I also want my hobbit hole where I can avoid everyone forever if possible.
"there's no such thing as true altruism" Who gives a fuck?! If making the world a slightly friendly place makes you feel good about your self than awesome.
Helping in the community is one of the most spiritually fulfilling things one can do. Which is why capital discourages it - they want you to fill that hole in your soul with buying and consooming
Oh, I see, YOU don't want to live in a world where everything is transactional and we can't just help each other. Why don't you center someone else's needs for once smh smdh mddh ghfddsdccgghg
What a horrible little rant. It's almost like living inside a capitalist system especially on the outskirt, causes significant trauma. Almost like being a "good Samaritan" demands that you earn people's trust. Almost like using words like "miserabl, narcissistic, broken fucks" is a clear indicator you're not a safe person.
Almost like demanding people assume you're genuine from the get go is depressing, stressful and narcissistic.
this reaction seems really off base and excessive. it reads like you just had some bad interaction before you came here and it's still fresh in your mind, but not quite applicable to the thread.
dirt_owl is complaining about people who view non-selfish actions with contempt. I've interacted with people like that, they really are annoying. On the other hand, you seem to be complaining about people who demand trust from others, but dirt owl's not doing that. Dirt owl's not saying "i demand to be treated like a good samaritan." They're just saying "don't look down on me if I act like one."
As far as I can tell, this is a case of miscommunication
How unreasonable for me to demand people take me at face value. How dare I force people to make up untrue bullshit about me in their heads and treat me like someone I'm not. How dare I checks notes "just don't want to live in a world where everything is transactional and we can't just help each other." Truly I must be some kind of narcissistic monster.
If you live in the west, one of those fits you. Since you're on the techbro instance? I'm just gonna err on the side of all of them, plus a couple our avian friend was polite enough to not fuckin list.