When did empathy become controversial?

Ramblings on my little existential crisis

How did we get here?

I feel like I blinked,

and all of a sudden,

it’s now considered radical to be empathetic.

Like giving a shit about people’s wellbeing is now some kind of extremist position.

When exactly did compassion become controversial?

When did it become radical to want a genocide to end? To not want innocent children to be slaughtered? To not want nurses and patients burned alive in hospitals? Has Islamophobia become so deeply ingrained that we’ve forgotten these are actual people?

When did it become radical to want to stop climate change? To think that, maybe, “drill, baby, drill” isn’t the smartest strategy for our survival? And instead of throwing billions at Mars colonies, we should focus on not completely destroying the planet we already have?

When did it become radical to oppose fascism? To call out the suspiciously familiar salutes, the cult-like worship of Agent Orange, the glorification of military violence? Are we seriously doing this again? Did nobody pay attention in history class?

When did it become radical to be against apartheid? To consider that, maybe, people deserve equal rights in their own homeland? And that ethnically cleansing millions of indigenous people for the sake of colonial fantasies might not be the path to peace in the Middle East?

When did it become radical to question why billionaires exist while people starve? To believe that nobody really needs multiple superyachts and private islands while kids can’t afford lunch? To wonder why, during this insane cost-of-living crisis, the oligarchs are raking in record profits while working-class people are cutting back on groceries?

When did it become radical not to want the world’s richest man to amass even more control over the world’s foremost economic and military power? To think that, maybe, one billionaire tech bro shouldn’t have the power to influence wars, economies, and idk… the future of civilisation?

When did it become radical not to want old white men to have control over women’s bodies? To think that, maybe, we should make our own decisions about OUR abortions? Especially since these same men don’t give seem to give a damn what happens after birth? They don't care about maternity leave, school shootings, child safety, or helping families survive. They don't care about the hundreds of thousands of kids stuck in the foster system. It’s all about control.

When did it become radical to have compassion for immigrants fleeing persecution? To believe that everyone deserves safety and freedom, even if their home country can’t provide it? When did caring about people, regardless of their skin colour or ethnicity, stop being common sense and start being controversial?

When did it become radical not to want to be burnt out all the time? To question whether this grind culture, 9-to-5, hustle-til-you-die system on a minimum wage, maybe, isn’t what humans were built for?

When did it become radical to think that healthcare, housing, and food should be basic rights? To question why charities are begging for spare change from minimum-wage workers when billionaires could just pay their fair share of taxes like everyone else? To consider if, just maybe, the hundreds of billions of dollars being sent to Ukraine and Israel could actually be used to support the American people?

When did it become radical to say that the two-party system is outdated? To challenge whether voting between two old men with ancient political views is really the path to progress? To suggest that, maybe, we should be prioritising younger (and more female) leaders who have to actually live with the consequences of these policies?

When did it become radical to acknowledge that patriarchy might just be a broken system? To consider that, just maybe, a lot of these problems – exploitation, war, greed, white supremacy, environmental destruction – stem from a structure built on dominance and control? That, maybe, prioritising power and profit over people and the planet is the very reason we’re in this mess?

How the fuck did we get here?

It’s like we’ve swung so far right, we can no longer see what’s wrong.

I feel like I’m losing my mind watching it all unfold. Like I’m stuck in some kind of existential nightmare where common sense has become controversial, and basic human decency is somehow up for debate.

Everything feels a little bleak, and my voice feels tiny amidst the noise.

Maybe no one will read this, and that’s okay.

But even if this reaches just one person. If it makes one person speak up and use their voice, too, then that’s enough for me.

Because it only takes one voice. One voice to influence another. And another. And another.

That’s how a revolution starts.

And we fucking need one.