The Whore of BlahbylonMay 25

Accept reality for what it is.

#Billionaires #IncomeInequality

Show threadstyxraftingMay 26
@The_Whore_of_Blahbylon I never liked these kind of messages. You shouldn't empathize and support the weak, the minorities and vulnerable people in general, because you are close to them or might end up like them. This is selfish and offensive.

You should empathize with them and support them because they deserve to be able to live with dignity and with their needs met, and because they (and all of us) demand justice and what was stolen from us.
Show threadroodMay 27

@styxrafting @The_Whore_of_Blahbylon

"and support them because they deserve to be able to live with dignity and with their needs met, and because they (and all of us) demand justice and what was stolen from us."

Isn't that what is being said?

Show threadstyxrafting
@rood @The_Whore_of_Blahbylon no, the first message implies that you could end up in their position one day, and that's why you should care - for your own well-being. The second one only talks about solidarity and justice, regardless if it can happen to you.

And this is a genuine distinction, not just semantics, cause, to what degree it is possible for something to happen to you, is a driver for compassion in most people. The less probable it is, the less many people care. If people learn to think that way, you will have a hard time convincing them to care about their state dropping bombs on children in the global south, for example.

This is not hypothetical by the way, there have been many studies about how little the foreign policy impacts people's vote or the fact that they do not care to know what operations their state conducts outside the country, funded by them.
May 27 at 7:10pmWeb
Show threadroodMay 27

@styxrafting "You have more in common" is not immediately derogatory. The reference is a positive embrace.

Sarcasm here is cynical. Sticker messages can be down to Earth. The post itself suggests it's down to Earth. "Any billionaire" sounds immediately derisive, and this describes the author's point of reference.

Positive responses are assuming it's common ground within a majority. Saying how a billion is obscure, and those billionaires are equally obscure.

To me, your analysis is automatically conflating the post with homelessness issues.

@The_Whore_of_Blahbylon