The Hatred and Misunderstanding needs to Stop!

Alright ATS.

Been a while, I know. I've been here, just lurking, though.

There has been a notable uptick in the way that my fellow Americans are handling opposing views, and their own. It has spilled onto even ATS, but that is a thread for another day. I have made a video/rant about my opinion, or my view on this subject, and wanted to share it with this community.

I am eagerly awaiting your responses, whether good or bad. Possibly even ideas you might have on how to reach a larger audience, to spread the word more effectively. I hope to make more videos like this, if I can reach an audience that would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for watching, and even more thanks to adding to the discussion if that's what you choose to do!

a reply to: Iconic


I think you made a very good video with many very good points.

Unfortunately it's becoming an issue of MAD. Whichever side blinks first will get crushed.

The behaviour you discuss has always been there, it's just amplified and given more voice by the immediacy of social media.

a reply to: EvillerBob

I agree wholeheartedly, in the way that these feelings we see have always been around.

With the insurgence of people being involved, the 'popularity' of polarization, it becomes inherently more pertinent to become one of the voices in the crowd, so to speak, to say "Hold on, guys."

The over-use of words like patriarchy, racism, sexism, etc has muddied the waters so much, that any actual fact or reasoning has been completely obfuscated.

bringing me to my original point; we are all in this together. The only way out is through understanding, not hatred.

thanks!

a reply to: Iconic

I watched the whole thing....very succint and articulate and heartfelt. Thanks for sharing. I think we go through periods of adjustment sometimes and it gets kind of painful. I try to stay optimistic that the agenda-makers won't win, and the people will find their own way. Most of us have a good heart and good intentions even if our opinions differ from our brothers'.

a reply to: queenofswords

Thanks for the reply, swords.

I agree that there are periods of adjustment and arguments, but these days it seems very important to find a common ground; rather than dividing ourselves further.

There hasn't been, in my life, a time of such great racial disparity, nor has there been such a great rise in sexism and hatred in general. Seems to me like everyone is either in the group of "Going to take a stand against this group" or "Don't care if those groups kill eachother"

Our team, the country en masse, has become splintered and less effective than ever before. How will we combat the bigger issues in our lives, when we can't agree on which lives matter? (spoiler: every life.)

It's really frustrating to me. I went to college with some great people who one and all busted their @sses to get their athletic scholarships and knew they were blessed and almost to a person were working their butts off to make sure they didn't waste the opportunity they had earned.

And then I taught for some years in inner city and saw with my own eyes the conditions some of those people came from, and there were still a lot of great kids there but not as many working their @sses off to get out. A lot of them were wasting what little chance they had to make themselves more then what they were coming from, even though almost all of them were still great kids a liked a lot. Doesn't change the fact they were wasting their thin chance.

And I grew up poor in an upper middle class town (wealthier than average smallish town). I saw plenty of kids who had lots of talent chucking it out the window. Odds are they aren't sinking as low some of those inner city kids I saw, but I know they aren't flying as high as they could have.

Then you see the kids who work and work and work and never get anywhere and you wonder why.

a reply to: ketsuko

Hey Ketsuko, thanks for the reply!

It is a situation akin to Ouroboros, where we chase our own tail down the drain.

I believe, fully, that it is the result of victimization and the blame game. If only we helped eachother, instead of blaming and hating eachother..

a reply to: Iconic
Thank you for taking the time to make such a heartfelt video. I think you make excellent points!

I get so frustrated because everyone wants "their" voice heard even if everyone is saying something very similar. And if you don't say the same thing then instead of listening and seeing if there is somewhere to meet in the middle, they throw words of hate.

I wish more people saw things like you did.

a reply to: Martin75

Thanks martin- i took the approach of no script, no prep, just what i thought. And i agree. Not much thought and analysis, just alot of parroting.

Alot of hate, and by people who claim free love.

Obama , the Great Uniter's work

originally posted by: Iconic


If only we helped eachother, instead of blaming and hating eachother..

That's hippie commie talk. We define ourselves by who we hate, it's the American way.

"waving a big yellow foam finger made in China and chanting USA, USA, USA, USA...."

a reply to: olaru12

Gatdang hippies ruining my fun, telling me i cant be xenophobic and hateful

a reply to: Iconic
I honestly heard my granddad when I read

Gatdang hippies

originally posted by: Iconic
Alright ATS.

Been a while, I know. I've been here, just lurking, though.

There has been a notable uptick in the way that my fellow Americans are handling opposing views, and their own. It has spilled onto even ATS, but that is a thread for another day. I have made a video/rant about my opinion, or my view on this subject, and wanted to share it with this community.

Great video, and I'm digging those ear gauges!

a reply to: MongolianPaellaFish

Thank you, fish!

as for my ears, they used to be alot bigger, but I've dialed them back a bit. Those ones are currently my only pair that fit now, they are brass tunnels with the tree of life in them.

A semi-related note that I find interesting is how many people think our current society is more civilized and advanced than these past cultures, or more "primitive" ones. Hell, I almost feel like moving out to the woods to get away from all the craziness and hatred.
Maybe I misunderstood something while growing up, but I thought our differences were to be celebrated?

a reply to: Iconic

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