Summary

The article discusses the privilege of being able to ignore global crises and the importance of acknowledging and engaging with world events to foster a positive collective consciousness.

Abstract

The author reflects on the privilege of being able to switch off from distressing world news, such as the war between Ukraine and Russia, the Afghanistan crisis, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Drawing from personal experiences, including a debate in a New Zealand hostel post a Black Lives Matter protest and a conversation with a friend who preferred not to watch the news due to its negativity, the author emphasizes the ignorance and selfishness of those who choose comfort over awareness and action. The article criticizes the use of serious events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine for personal gain on social media and underscores the necessity of facing reality to make a meaningful difference in the world. It calls for unity and collective effort to progress towards a better future for all.

Opinions

Ignoring global crises due to their negative impact on personal well-being is a privilege that reflects ignorance and selfishness.
Engaging with world events, such as attending protests or discussing current affairs, is crucial for change, despite some viewing such actions as pointless.
Using devastating events for personal social media fame, such as tweeting about the astrology of war for likes and retweets, is insensitive and disgusting.
It is essential to confront uncomfortable realities to contribute positively to the world and support those directly affected by crises.
Acknowledging one's privilege in being able to disengage from global issues is the first step towards fostering a more empathetic and united society.
Collective action and awareness are key to overcoming ignorance and hate, leading to a more humane and progressive world.

If You Have The Ability To Switch Off The News You Are Privileged

Ignorance Makes You Blind

Everyone is aware of the war between Ukraine and Russia, and for the most part, people have been expressing their anger, sorrow, and fear over what has been happening. However, this is only the latest devastation to rock the world. We have also recently experienced the crisis in Afghanistan and let's not forget the Black Lives Matter movement.

Yana Bostongirl & Carmellita’s article really inspired me.

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“I was in a conversation recently in which the topic of the Russian invasion of Ukraine came up. What surprised me was that the other person preferred not to focus on what is happening in Europe as it apparently was having a negative impact on them.”

This quote in particular really hit home as it reminded me of very similar conversations I have had in the past with friends and acquaintances about the happenings of the world.

I was living in a hostel in New Zealand when the George Floyd tragedy happened, and a few friends and I went to a protest to show our support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

When we returned from the protest, however, a few people that lived in our hostel seemed to have such an issue with us going. We ended up getting into a heated debate over the fact that we had gone to show our support to the cause, and the argument from the opposition was that it was pointless for us to go claiming that “things will never change”.

Needless to say, everyone who thought it was pointless for us to go were in a position of privilege.

It was disturbing for us that went that there were people who were so ignorant and had no desire to change the world and make it a better place for people of all backgrounds to live. They were comfortable and that was all that mattered right?

Another incident that was deeply disturbing for me was when I brought up the crisis in Afghanistan to my friend. Her response was that she didn’t like to watch the news because she found it too negative. Instead, she would much rather go for hikes and not think about what was happening in the world.

I was pretty shocked at how someone could think in this way. Not only was it completely ignorant it was straight-up selfish. How can you ignore what is happening just because it affects you negatively? What about all the people who lost their families? What about all the people who are fleeing for their lives? Nope, she didn’t want any of that.

Now, this war with Ukraine and Russia is no different. I saw a thread recently on Twitter where someone was calling out everyone that was trying to use the astrology of the war for retweets and likes, claiming that (and rightly so) it was insensitive.

To which another person responded saying that they didn’t care, they should be allowed to tweet about that because the astrology of the war is the bigger picture of what is happening right now and in other words more important than the lives being lost.

I just can’t believe that there are really people on this planet that will use such a devastating event to up their follower count and get more likes. It’s disgusting.

If they were the ones fearing for their lives would they care about the ‘bigger picture of astrology’ then?

When things don’t affect us, it is easy to pretend like they aren’t happening. It is so easy for us to just switch off what we don’t want to hear. But what about the people who are being affected by these events? How would we feel if they were happening to us?

When things affect us we are forced to care, but when they don’t, it’s so easy to turn a blind eye. That is the problem with a large population of the world.

We are privileged when we have the ability to tune out what we don’t want to hear and in my opinion, this speaks volumes about a person if they choose to shield their ego from the reality of our world.

We can’t shut ourselves off from the world, because how will we be able to leave our mark and make a difference if we are too busy hiding away from all the truths we don’t want to face?

We need to face reality and tackle it head-on. This is the only way we can progress and create a positive shift in the collective consciousness. We need each other to do so; we are so much stronger when we stand united. When we all choose to fight for what is right and strive to make the world a better place we are choosing humanity over ignorance and hate.