I was only mildly paying attention to the situation with the Titan submersible carrying the affluent explorers (seems redundant as you have to be affluent to explore) to the bottom of the ocean in order to see the wreckage of the Titanic. However, I was really taken aback by the callous cruelty and mean-spiritedness of regular people who (politically) are on the left of me (read this as extreme left) and who are really challenged financially (truthfully I think a lot of it has been opportunity cost choices that they have made that has ruined their financial well-being). That being said...it is tough to make ends meet out there. I have sympathy for those who are putting up the good fight, including myself. But I can't help but draw from real-world experiences when I say that one needs to make good choices to have a chance at success. Here's an example of how it all went wrong for one person I know.
This person (who shall be nameless) is someone I've known since they were a tween. They were always high on pot, irresponsible...you couldn't count on them for anything. They'd make fun of you if you didn't get high with them. Slept around a ton with boys. Got knocked up and popped out two kids. I remember meeting them at a diner and they shamed me saying, "Mike, you should get yourself one of these (as if I could just go and get a kid)." I guess they were having fun. I didn't fault them for that. This was a straight couple building a family. I've seen that before, or so I thought.
Fast forward a few years and baby daddy is now a woman and the woman in that relationship is now a man. They basically hate each other, but the momma who became a man won't press for child support, because (I think) they are still hopelessly in love with baby daddy (who became a woman) and is now poly living in Pennsylvania with multiple other partners. No doubt any and all money the baby daddy (who is now a woman) make goes into their healthcare and into their "polycule" while kids are supported mostly by state monies fed into SSDI and SSI payments. This is how callous these parents are. At one point on one of the Facebooks, the baby momma (who is now a man) and raising the two kids was homeless. Like...literally homeless with no money and on the street with young kids. The baby daddy (who is now a woman) at the same time on their Facebook was posting about their new favorite shade of lipstick. I wanted so much to send a message..."Dude...your kids are homeless. Why don't you care?" But it's none of my business.
And I've suspected for years that some people who are like this become so embittered and enraged that they just can't work. Some of it is just resentment that if they did start working, it would be at the bottom, and in a servile position to people that they feel they shouldn't have to serve. So what else do you do about them? They are labeled with a mental disorder and then they get SSDI. And SSDI doesn't make you rich. It's something that barely pays the most basic of bills and keeps you just above a line where you would die of poverty. It's such a mental mess to even think about (and a level of selfishness that is actually undeniably American but I still hate it).
Anyway...I've digressed a lot...but these people above and many others who (I guess) are poor and embittered and angry and hateful are just having a gleeful old time that rich people died in a submersible trying to look at the wreckage of The Titanic. I have no words for how petty this is, but these are memes I took from their Facebook pages. Just take a moment and look at these and see how much schadenfreude is on display here:
Look...I'm no fan of billionaires. BUT...this is people sinking really really low. I'm kind of caught off guard here, because I realize that people I might have identified with and sympathized with who are on my political left are just as monstrous as the people that I oppose on my political right. It's grotesque, and honestly...it just reinforces (to me) that all people are just getting crazier and more awful every day. There is no morality anymore whether it is on the right or the left. There is only petty ugliness.
Do these memes that are all over Facebook strike you as particularly cruel? Do they surprise you? I don't think that the rich people on this submersible were even people that were on anyone's radar as a bad person. They weren't Rupert Murdoch or Elon Musk. Geez. Maybe one of you out there can explain this to me and help me understand why people are being so mean.
One of my Facebook friends shared one that said something like, "I'm white but not taking a submersible to the Titanic white." Which I called out as victim shaming. Also, I don't think all of them in the sub were white anyway. Or what color had to do with it.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking I think most of us are taught not to speak ill of the dead but it's so easy to do on social media. Though some like Pat Robertson deserve to be spoken ill of when they die. Maybe these guys did or maybe they didn't.
Anyway, this is going to be a growing problem with all that "space tourism." We're likely to end up with an "Apollo 13" or "Gravity" thing only with billionaire tourists instead of Tom Hanks or Sandra Bullock. I'm sure some people will have schadenfreude then too.
BTW, you should do a whole Truman Capote thing and write about all these terrible people you know. Call it "Crazy, No-So-Rich Utahans" or something.
ReplyDelete@P.T.: When does it stop being "Oh, Mike knows all of these terrible people" to "Hey...Mike is actually onto something and (in fact) people everywhere are just getting nasty and terrible and I'm actually worried at all times about this?" When does that happen, Pat?
Delete@P.T.: I'm also going to attempt to supply an answer as to why I'm saying that this nasty and mean and rotten behavior is systemic and not just in my social group/circle. I think millions of Americans who came before me spoiled the crap out of their kids. They got housing, great food, gadgets, toys, fantastic educations, clean water, healthcare, vacations, new cars, and the list goes on and on...see references to the "American Dream." But that generation of people (read "millions of people") did this to get love. They did it to fulfill the most selfish of needs. They did it to feed their idea that they were exceptional. And now their children CAN'T reproduce that. And they are mad, they are hateful, and they are nasty. And this is happening by the millions...not just "Mike knows some weird people LOLOL...poor guy. What a loser hahaha."
DeleteI didn't say you're a loser. I just think it'd be fun to write a book with all these terrible people you've come across. And then like Thomas Wolfe you can write a book about the reaction of those terrible people when they find out about the book.
Delete@P.T. Understood. But, I'm not going to do that. Rather, what takes up space in my brain is understanding how rampant toxic levels of jealousy have become among a lot of younger people, especially ones that I thought might have my back. But anyone who is capable of such mean-ness, such callous nastiness, is only ever going to be able to "fake" true compassion. And that's something I'm concerned a lot about. This year I turn 52. I'm already managing my father's estate (who is basically an invalid but still alive). I'm wondering who will be there for me. More than likely it will be some nasty, mean, cruel opportunist who is filled with jealousy and hate. That actually scares me. So I find myself trying to figure out how I survive in this country in old age knowing I can't count on a lot of people who are younger than me to give a crap about my welfare because they will be so self-obsessed and angry at the things they didn't get. And I don't think I'm the only one who should be realizing that this is a catastrophe that is coming. But people who are blindsided are just going to die like those unfortunate people at the bottom of the ocean...probably with memes celebrating their deaths while they punch each other out for whatever resources come off the dead bodies.
Delete"I'm wondering who will be there for me. More than likely it will be some nasty, mean, cruel opportunist who is filled with jealousy and hate." The obvious solution to that is to find yourself a life partner and then not outlive him. You should get yourself out there; there are like infinity dating sites online. You've got a lot to offer: a house, a job, a car, you can write and draw, and you have extensive knowledge of D&D. I'm sure you could find someone who's not a total piece of crap.
Delete@P.T.: That is a...fascinating take on life, my friend. I know your heart is in the right place, but I can't help but read this as: "I'm sure if you try hard enough you can find a sucker to exploit in your old age." Damn. There's some harsh truth there.
DeleteIt's pretty cynical to assume anyone who'd be with you is a sucker or someone to exploit. You just need some more self-confidence. As far as I know you don't have any serious defects.
Delete@P.T.: Ah, I think that my comment was misunderstood. I agree with you that I'm a good catch. But I was looking at the future with the "intent" of "finding a person to take care of me in old age." It made me laugh because it appeared from my perspective to be a kind of blatant admission to wanting to exploit someone. But maybe that's just how real life is? How many people honestly never vocalize it like that. "I'm gonna find me a young(er) partner to help me out in my old age." Not so funny story that happened here in Salt Lake City. An older man dating a younger man (and this guy was rich) got murdered by the younger man because he felt exploited. Younger man ended up in prison of course. Older man didn't go out in a way that I thought was a good ending. Lots of fire was involved. It was in the papers and everything.
DeleteWhen I say "life partner" I'm thinking someone close to your own age, like +/- 10 years.
DeleteI was also thinking if a book is too slow and too much work you could do a "Terrible People" podcast and each episode could feature some terrible person. And if you need it I could be your Ed McMahon/Andy Richter-type sidekick.
ReplyDelete@P.T.: Out of curiosity, why are you gently nudging me to get a side hustle? I'd like to understand where it's coming from.
DeleteI haven't written anything since Monday so I think the creativity finds other outlets.
DeleteDid you read what Elie Mystal said on Twitter about the sub? It's all sides saying horrible things.
ReplyDelete@Alex: I didn't see that. But I believe it. I've been horrified with what I'm seeing. No one has any compassion for anyone anymore (in my opinion). What this says about society is scary. What does a society with no compassion even look like? I think we will find out.
DeleteI couldn't help but be interested in the missing submersible incident. I kept wondering if they were all trapped inside, dealing with fear and trying to preserve oxygen. Time was ticking while they couldn't find it. I mean nobody deserves that kind of torture. There was a lot of suspense. I wanted them to be saved. Then we found out all had died in an implosion. I agree that people should not be posting those mean comments about the submersible incent. I don't know if people are worse than ever, or if it's just their true thoughts are now amplified on social media. Where they just can't resist saying something mean. My feeling on it is....I wish they wouldn't have risked their lives. They signed a waver, so they knew it was dangerous. I also wish the money would've gone to something more useful. It all seems like such a waste. At least now people (those who can afford it) might be more careful in taking these risks.
ReplyDelete