(I imagine this part of my brain as a tiny candlelit room in which Thomas Jefferson and James Madison sit at a table, peering sternly over their spectacles at me and making occasional abusive remarks about George III.)
But I think it speaks volumes about American privilege, the fact that many of us can conceive of no more grave responsibility than to stand up against our political oppressors. Many of the people I’ve met in the developing world would, I feel, be skeptical. [...] In a country where politics is a volatile and dangerous game, what is more important: to fulfill your responsibility to support your family, or to go dabbling in political pursuits that could get you killed?
I think you just touched on a large part of what makes me reluctant to get involved politically, and it may come from this exact attitude, as espoused by my Russian parents. (I had to do a lot of convincing to get them to register to vote.)
And there’s another thing, too - one that did even more to break my poor American brain when I discovered it was true. Many people genuinely like and appreciate their dictators.China is a shining example of this. In many places, the lives of Chinese people have improved significantly over the past several decades. Notably, there is
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Yeah, I guess China is probably the shining example of this phenomenon, right? I'm sure it's helped along by the fact that, with their embrace of capitalism, China's dictators have turned the country into a wild success. When the average Chinese person considers how the state has affected their lives, I bet they see a mountain of positive changes... and I also bet that the bulk of them, unless they've been victimized by corrupt local officials, would find it hard to name a way in which they have been negatively affected by their dictators. The balance would be tipped if the average Chinese person had access to free media and to the information their government suppresses... but I'm not convinced it'd tip all that much. (Correct me if I'm wrong about any of that, because I am not really hip on China or Chinese society
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It's interesting to see (or rather, hear about) the drastically different perspectives in that part of the world- it's something I never thought about, but the way you've explained it really makes sense why they would think that way, even if I don't particularly agree with it. Notably, the entire time I was reading this, my american brain kept instinctually coming up with rebuttals: "Yeah, but that's not how things should be! Nothing will ever change if you don't stand up against it!"
It's great that your experiences are affording you that kind of perspective, and I am, as always, grateful that you've chosen to share. :)
I bet Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were poking you with sticks the whole time too. :)
It's true that nothing will change if you don't stand up against it. But I think many of the people I referenced in my post would counter with, "Why do we want things to change? What we have now is stable and safe - how will the chaos of revolution be better?"
I'll freely admit, I have trouble reconciling myself to viewpoints like this. I live in Britain, and I find our laws overbearing and meaninglessly restricting at times; I'm capable of intellectually understanding how relief from warlordism would lead one to find comfort in and support for dictatorship, but I'm not truly capable of understanding it emotionally. I know it's a matter of relativity, but I'm just too far removed from the way things are there to be able to agree with it on any personal level. (This is probably for the best; certainly for my sake, and probably that of those around me.)
Therefore, I'm going to steer clear of the politics, and simply say this: Belarus has a really beautiful national library.
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I think you just touched on a large part of what makes me reluctant to get involved politically, and it may come from this exact attitude, as espoused by my Russian parents. (I had to do a lot of convincing to get them to register to vote.)
And there’s another thing, too - one that did even more to break my poor American brain when I discovered it was true. Many people genuinely like and appreciate their dictators.China is a shining example of this. In many places, the lives of Chinese people have improved significantly over the past several decades. Notably, there is ( ... )
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It's great that your experiences are affording you that kind of perspective, and I am, as always, grateful that you've chosen to share. :)
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It's true that nothing will change if you don't stand up against it. But I think many of the people I referenced in my post would counter with, "Why do we want things to change? What we have now is stable and safe - how will the chaos of revolution be better?"
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Therefore, I'm going to steer clear of the politics, and simply say this: Belarus has a really beautiful national library.
D.F.
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