Misinformation is really messing things up in the US.
As a former advocate I had a really difficult time voting and giving public comments to support issues, and still do. The main concern was over the typical EA thought process of "helpful" things actually causing harm. I was particularily concerned about this after finding out some of the things I supported had caused a negative impact, as well as seeing people I trusted accidentally support negative things.
It can take years of research before finding out what information is actually true. It shouldn't be that way. No one has time for that.
As a short term solution I had the idea to be a content creator educating on and discussing these issues. Even though it's important to me I'm not going to be able to do it. Some of the things I would have done is teach people about the different levels of government, as well as set up volunteers to research information to post on political sites and volunteer to support campaigns of good local candidates.
There are some long terms solutions I've thought of but that's a post for another day.
I think there might be a pretty big reason that's contributing to why the world isn't a better place despite our technological advancements.
People can't solve their own problems. Specifically because if their solution fails, they are screwed. The emotional labor is too much.
I have a personal boundary that (for the most part) I can't work on projects regarding problems I currently have. It's too stressful.
As an example, there is a problem I am dealing with now that I could probably set up a website for. It wouldn't take any longer than the other website projects I have/am working on. From a practical standpoint, it wouldn't take me that much effort. But from an emotional standpoint, I wouldn't even be able to start it.
It's trippy to think about, especially since I'm not sure it's something I'm sure I could solve on my own without something like a website.
Misinformation is really messing things up in the US.
As a former advocate I had a really difficult time voting and giving public comments to support issues, and still do. The main concern was over the typical EA thought process of "helpful" things actually causing harm. I was particularily concerned about this after finding out some of the things I supported had caused a negative impact, as well as seeing people I trusted accidentally support negative things.
It can take years of research before finding out what information is actually true. It shouldn't be that way. No one has time for that.
As a short term solution I had the idea to be a content creator educating on and discussing these issues. Even though it's important to me I'm not going to be able to do it. Some of the things I would have done is teach people about the different levels of government, as well as set up volunteers to research information to post on political sites and volunteer to support campaigns of good local candidates.
There are some long terms solutions I've thought of but that's a post for another day.
Another thing I thought of-
I think there might be a pretty big reason that's contributing to why the world isn't a better place despite our technological advancements.
People can't solve their own problems. Specifically because if their solution fails, they are screwed. The emotional labor is too much.
I have a personal boundary that (for the most part) I can't work on projects regarding problems I currently have. It's too stressful.
As an example, there is a problem I am dealing with now that I could probably set up a website for. It wouldn't take any longer than the other website projects I have/am working on. From a practical standpoint, it wouldn't take me that much effort. But from an emotional standpoint, I wouldn't even be able to start it.
It's trippy to think about, especially since I'm not sure it's something I'm sure I could solve on my own without something like a website.