Terminology can help sharpen focus on problems, or aspects of problems, which is why, after more thinking about the human capital destroying, social capital destroying, and environmental capital destroying problem of this world that started in the 1940s and became very apparent and politically dominating in the 1980s and was known initially (here in Australia) as economic “rationalism” (!) and subsequently everywhere as neoliberalism, I consider we need two new terms - “toxic (wilful) blindness”, and “toxic cowardice” - to cover the cowardice of - in my experience - (predominantly) white cishet men who went along with neoliberalism because: (a) they were too gutless to stand up to others who seemed powerful, or (b) they wanted to adore/worship/be part of/receive (and climb the social/work hierarchies of evil) the power of others, or (c) they wanted to receive the benefits of being in the shadow of or supporting those who seemed to be stronger/richer/more powerful than them, or (d) acknowledging the truth of the destruction of human/social/environmental capital was something they couldn’t be bothered even trying (maybe because it interrupted their comfortableness?).
(There are also problems with political splintering of resistance, which has more recently been made extremely apparent by the failures of resistance to the election of potus 45/47.)
This cowardice and toxic, wilful blindness also applies to their partners and children who didn’t give a damn about how ethical or unethical the basis for the glib, superficial, seemingly “nice” lifestyle they had was.
With regard to “toxic cowardice”, just as all bravery can be contagious (as well exemplified in the resistance to fascism being shown currently in the USA), so too can all cowardice. However, in my experience, much of the focus in discussions about this is focused on the individual: I consider we need to focus, via this term, on the poisonous evil of cowardice spreading to those around the coward.
I also want to acknowledge that there are very human reasons for many people to be afraid, but inaction, or, worse, going along with/strengthening fear/cowardice (sometimes because misery wants company) is not a healthy response, let alone a solution.
Possible flaws
Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:
- there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”;
- I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
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Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither).
#PsychicABetterWorld and may all that I do be of value and actively BPM used for and by the nonphysical BPM because #KindnessIsThePoint
Note that I am cutting back on aspects of my posts - see here, and Gnwmythr is pronounced new-MYTH-ear
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