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This Date Also Lives in Infamy
A simple observation, but one that is politically charged as well
First thing’s first:
The fundamentals of both political parties in US history defined their views depending on the circumstances.
But if you put a gun to my head and forced me to label myself, I’d have to say that I fall on the left.
If you feel any kind of way about that, you can stop reading here or unsubscribe right now.
No hard feelings, but I believe that the government is meant to improve the lives of those that elected them, not take advantage of them by designing systems meant to fatten the rich, exploit the middle class, and starve the poor, much less make it clear that they think they have the right to tell you what you should do with your body.
For those of you that remain, this is my statement on what this day means to me.
It also happens to be the third principle of prismatic thinking.
The Wake Up Call
I didn’t think I’d see something like this on US soil in my lifetime.
I watched as people were crashing through the fencing and rushing up the steps of the Capitol armed with all manner of weaponry and pro-Trump paraphernalia to proclaim their patriotism in a misguided attempt to correct a perceived wrong based on the words of a man who’s sole interest was to stay in power and overstay his welcome as the leader of the free world.
I understand how it feels, and I get why they did it. If you truly feel as strongly as they did about what they were told and lead to believe, then you’d do something similar for the sake of your freedoms as well.
But the frightening part was the willful ignorance and the lack of context that brought about this event four years ago.
The only reason that it won’t happen again today is because Trump won.
I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be the case otherwise.
In a lot of ways, witnessing this event started me on this path to where I am now.
I wanted to understand the power of words and how history could repeat itself.
Without critical thinking and a balanced, clear approach to regulating information consumption, this tragedy was inevitable.
Again, I get it. People want to be provided information without having to vet it or have to second-guess what they see.
When you’re living hand-to-mouth, paycheck-to-paycheck, day in and day out trying to provide for your family, you could care less about the greater picture because every spare moment has to be geared towards making it to the next day.
When there are too many who feel this way and are in a system that uses them rather than supports them, this is what happens.
I hope to share what I’ve learned for myself to increase your ability to protect yourself from this kind of manipulation both within yourself and from external sources.
The third principle of prismatic thinking is being aware of your initial stance, your gut response, to the outside world.
Prismatic Principle #3: Know where you stand from the start and go from there.
What do you want to fight for?
Sure, I’m going to lose subscribers for this opinion.
You have to have an opinion in order to be heard.
Your thoughts need to have a foundation based on who you are.
You aren’t just a mouthpiece. You are a prism in your own right.
Everything you consume is meant to be refracted through your experiences and shared with the world.
I didn’t understand this all at once. It came bit by bit, piece by piece, word by word.
I don’t want to stand by when I see things that could potentially hurt others or exploit them.
If you read my reaction to the Honey scandal, then you know this already.
I made sure that it was a real thing and that I considered my reaction to it.
I was disgusted by its abuse of trust personally.
I was grudgingly impressed by its technical design to steal at every opportunity using cookies.
I was curious enough to look around further and shocked to see that there are other businesses that do similar things.
The same can be said about the fourth anniversary of this event.
I was shocked that the mob mentality was this strong.
I was disturbed that our innate tendencies could be used to ignore data.
I was absolutely appalled that one person would use his influence here to mislead, repurpose, and encourage those who followed him to storm the US Capitol.
It’s the initial response that can cause knee-jerk reactions. What you do in moments afterward are where my systems to bring about constructive outcomes.
Attacking out of fear is natural, but it’s far from ideal.
In two weeks, the circus will be back in town.
P. S.
I’m no Jason Provencio, but I do want to share my take on what happens out there as a US citizen. Yes, there’s not a lot one person can do, but I don’t believe in ignoring what’s happening. As a child of immigrant parents, I owe that much to them. Every immigrant has a reason to leave their country and a reason to live in another, and I still believe that the reason mine came here is worth fighting for…
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