#social progress

It feels good, but the reality is: it's all narcissistic supply.

I used to be part of the virtue signaling crowd. It felt good. It felt like we were motivated to try and change the world. It felt like we were trying to make the world a better place. We stayed connected over social media. We were always up-to-date on the latest socio-political issues.

And you know what happened? Reality finally struck back. The mask fell. The illusion began to burst.

The reality is:

The most outspoken people on social media are struggling with Cluster-B Personality Disorder symptoms. Politics become their personality. Topical events and debates over current events become a personal attack on their self image and beliefs.

Nothing actually changes.

Nothing actually gets better.

People are inherently flawed and corrupt. We are all capable of greatness. We are all capable of evil.

Every social movement that exists is susceptible to corruption.

Corruption is action motivated by insecurity, enabled by ego, and swept under the rug by benefit of the doubt.

Every human is capable of it. Every human is guilty of it. Every social movement is capable of it.

Isn't good for anybody.

Substituting one bias for another doesn't help anyone or make anything, "better."

It just means that you're substituting one bad habit for another.

Instead of being prejudice against people for their religious beliefs, you're choosing to be prejudice against people for their political affiliations.

As someone with over 15 years of direct leadership and executive coaching experience, I know what it takes to drive real change.

In this video, I share a vital insight for cultural evolution: the power of expanding our focus to include "what's working."

Just like Positive Psychology transformed its field by embracing strengths, shifting away from an exclusive focus on problems empowers all sectors to foster hope, accelerate progress, and achieve sustainable growth.

Like and follow my channel for more cultural and consciousness evolution tips.

This post is a response to a question posed in its complete format: “What political ideology is socially progressive but still capitalist?” People are socially progressive or regressive, not ideologies. Ideologies are wrappers around the contents of similarly aligned people who share a common set of values, beliefs, and ideas for how political processes occur and how commonly beneficial goals…

A few days ago, a male friend of 20+ years shared something pro-choice, and then he and I proceeded to defend it when a female friend who is anti-abortion and another male friend who is uncertain tried to explain why they thought it was wrong.

Between his own words and his backing up of what I said, my friend clearly demonstrated he understood the importance of bodily autonomy, the relevance of listening to the experiences of people who have a uterus, of when to speak himself and when to push forward what I said, the facts around health and medical implications of abortion, the significance of sexual freedom and personal decision making, the role government and authority does and doesn't play in people's lives. The other man listened and seemed to change his opinions a bit. The woman thanked us for the conversation instead of insults, but still transitioned into slut-shaming. The next day, my friend ended the conversation because he was heading to a protest.

I made a post here on Tumblr that day saying I don't hate men, I hate the systems that empower the worst in men. I appreciate the men, like this one, who do the work to learn to respect others, unlearn the supremacy they've internalized, and support issues that greatly impact others besides themselves.

The terfs immediately found my post and attempted to dogpile it with accusations that I don't understand how terrible men are, how men are untrustworthy and bad, how men invented patriarchy and thus all men must be punished, how I'm wrong to think you can have solidarity with them, how even white and black people working together for an anti-racist cause is also wrong. I turned off notifications because I don't care the details of what they have to say. I've heard it all before, considered it, and already rejected it.

Over those two days, one man repeatedly supported me and my rights and freedoms, and 50 women attacked me and devalued my intelligence and my experience for not hating him or siding with them.

In deciding who I trust, who I want to align myself with, I don't care about your identity. I care about your words and actions and the respect you show me as a equal. I hope to show you the same respect. That is how we move forward.