#uncomfortable

It’s obvious that people are more likely to surround themselves with people they have similarities with. But with the way that our online world/constant connection vacuum acts it’s obvious that people don’t know how to deal with opinions.

Not even in the “it’s just my opinion that you don’t deserve basic respect way.” But like simple opinions.

Like. Honestly the more people spend online thinking in the same sphere that they can hide behind a screen, which has started bleeding into the world and that cyber bullying has become sort of a part of the world has caused a large intolerance for people.

I have social anxiety, sometimes it’s an active battle for me to leave the house because the idea of being outside, being watched, ect.

But also I have seen that this is slowly becoming more and more of a thing. People won’t go out and be uncomfortable, be inconvenienced, when that is something intrinsically tied to making community.

I don’t see people give kindness and patience to one another. I see people like teens being vested only in their comforts and flipping out when unsettled.

And it’s not good because flipping out and being unable to know how you react in situations is not going to help. Since the separation though the screen, the separation of flipping out or avoiding others just makes things more difficult. People around me don’t seem to be able to communicate properly with others, especially when it comes to issues. It is very much a me vs world thing and it is very odd.

Like, when I was in a history class in HS, there was this kid who had this militaristic, proud, a little too into certain aspects of history, personality. He would be on the devil’s advocate’s side more often than not, and kids would absolutely lay into him. He was disliked, maybe even bullied, he had ADHD and loved to talk about history, often not even voicing his supposed opinions on the history. Though that didn’t matter, people deemed him a threat.

The more people lashed at him, the more he thought he was right, that he was being persecuted in that good ol southern way. But every day, every project, I would seek this kid out. Sit next to him, talk to him, ask him about his interests and opinions. I am very very openly Queer, and we do not have similar views at all. But I sat next to him every day when he recited BS that he had been taught by his parents, by his history books and podcasts.

And I was the only person in that class to actually be able to call him on his BS. To make him stop antagonizing others, and he listened to my counter arguments. Sure. It was frustrating and we would piss each other off. But that just built up my tolerance, I was able to empathize with him. I knew he had no control in his life from his boot licking, children are not people only soldiers religious family. And I taught myself how to not pick a fight, how to not cry when I feel like something is in-just. How to talk to someone like him, and win the argument.

I was able to see him as a person instead of an enemy. He changed his idea of the disability rights movement when I framed it to his point of view. He stoped saying slurs around me when I educated him. He showed off his action figures and I showed off my embroidery. He was able to laugh and talk about things that didn’t fit in his world view, since he didn’t have someone to talk to that wouldn’t be a fight.