I don’t mean all of them and maybe not even most of them, but enough of them. I see this scenario play out time and time again:
Beloved public figure does some messy shit
people find out about it
people cannot believe said beloved public figure would do such a thing
people feel they must choose whether to continue consuming this public figure’s content or cancel them.
I usually don’t get super invested in any particular public figure, mostly because my interests and goals change with the wind. That does not mean I haven’t been disappointed with someone who is well known and well respected that I have looked up to. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I realize how toxic and unhealthy parasocial investments in famous people can truly be. At the end of the day: I don’t really know these people and these people sure the fuck don’t know me. What we often see of public figures is such a small microcosm of their personality, behavior, and life in its entirety, so it’s no wonder we all get attached to problematic famous people. That being said, I don’t think we shouldn’t trust anyone who makes good content. I would merely hope that more people realize that their faves are not gods, messiahs, or angels. They are fallible and will inevitably do and say things that are wrong. That is normal.
It is also possible that we may be blindsided by people who do not show their true colors until we are already fully invested in them. That is also normal, and I hope people understand the importance of taking care of their mental health by limiting their engagement with content that may be emotional scarring for them. I myself am VERY careful with whose work I consume, because I value my time and emotional energy. I will not waste it on disappointing people who fail to come correct after I and others like me give them room to be human, fallible, and messy.
Congratulations @foolsgold! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
"I will not waste it on disappointing people who fail to come correct after I and others like me give them room to be human, fallible, and messy."
This was an interesting sentence. Could you expand a little on that?
One thing I've found particularly hard about people is that sometimes they just want to go off and fly their own way. I had to learn the crazy hard way that some people aren't just suited for my little micro-bubble, and as hard as it is for me to admit... that's okay too. People are people at the end of the day. Flawed, messy.. human. Like you say!
I've had a long journey through Political polarisation over the last few years. It's been a very weird journey! I've went through thinking Trump fans are literally Hitler, then to people on the left are insane. And now I sit on my little thinkers perch looking at it all like a fly on the wall worrying about them all.
Interestingly enough I talk to a lot of people on the left and the right. When you get to hear their stories up front and personal they become very human. The stories I hear are very interesting when you remove the Politics of course and humanise them.
One things for sure! I can't say anything Political on my media because it lacks nuance! haha.
I mean some trump fans ARE neo-nazis so there's that.
I used to have friends on the right end of the political spectrum until they turned out to be white-supremacists, transphobes, and respectability politics advocates. It's hard being around people who literally don't support your existence so I don't bother at this point. Besides, the anarcho-communists, radical feminists, humanists, and lefties I'm close with have always been beacons of compassion, strength, intellect, and grace in my life.
As in: I won't hold my breathe waiting for public figures (or anyone for that matter) who refuse to grow and learn to be better in the future after they make mistakes that are harmful or hurtful to people who engage with them or their content on a regular basis. Especially after being given space to reflect, evaluate their actions, and understand the impact of their behaviour.
Haha. I struggle with writing a reply to you.
On one hand I absolutely reject the idea that identity is Political. When I move past the Political stuff and discover the human beings behind the left/right claptrap then it turns out we're not that too much dissimilar at all. We all have stories to tell. And also as a person that continually reflects on his own behaviour I completely understand how difficult achieving that mindset can be - I tend to give others lots of grace.
Yet on the other hand I completely agree with you that you should absolutely do, think, be what you want to be. If you want to circle yourself in all these people that are like you say compassionate and empowering then it should be up to you to do that! More power to you for deciding that.
So I guess all in all - you do you! Which you are doing, and awesome :)