Soapboxing: #firstworldproblems
This rant is apropos of nothing. Also, just kinda ranty.
So this whole "first world problems" thing really bothers me. Like, it's been going on for a few years now. And sometimes people actually do take it to funny extremes. (I quite enjoy the Axis of Awesome song about making the world a better place by cutting pizzas into twelve slices: It's divisible by four AND THREE!)
But mostly it seems like problem-shaming and guilt-loading.
I mean, say you have two people:
* person one just lost their mother to cancer
* person two just lost their job and their house along with it
You can stack rank the sadness or awfulness of that however you want. But a good therapist will say that you shouldn't do comparisons. No "my tragedy is worse/cooler/more-indie than your tragedy."
We, as a society, try to help people talk about their problems. We say things like, "It's okay to feel bad" and "My trouble don't make yours any less valid."
And I love that about our modern culture. That we can all come from different places and still feel worthy of love and help and the RIGHT TO BE UPSET.
But this whole "first world problems" meme? It takes away a person's right to be upset.
Cuz, yeah, sure, if I get a papercut, that's not as "big" or "bad" of a problem as getting sanitation into places that need it. But, you know what? That papercut HURT. Not for as long, not with as big an impact on my life, no. But do I not get to say "ow"? Do I not bleed (well, with some papercuts, anyway)? Can't I cry?
And that's what I don't like about the meme. Because the answer is "No, you don't get to cry over your papercut because there are starving children somewhere else who deserve your tears more. No, you're not allowed to say ow because someone out there has just lost their leg to gangrene. No, you didn't bleed; it's only considered bleeding if it's arterial blood."
I think we need to pull back from this "first world problems" meme. Stop trying to shame people for the good lives they have. Instead, tell them about the people who need help. Or maybe just remind us all to be accepting and caring and loving; make the world around you a stereotypically "safe space" and make a difference in the community.
Pick your cliche of choice, guys, but "first world problems" isn't it. People are internalizing this "you're not allowed to be upset" crap. Is that really what we want?
So this whole "first world problems" thing really bothers me. Like, it's been going on for a few years now. And sometimes people actually do take it to funny extremes. (I quite enjoy the Axis of Awesome song about making the world a better place by cutting pizzas into twelve slices: It's divisible by four AND THREE!)
But mostly it seems like problem-shaming and guilt-loading.
I mean, say you have two people:
* person one just lost their mother to cancer
* person two just lost their job and their house along with it
You can stack rank the sadness or awfulness of that however you want. But a good therapist will say that you shouldn't do comparisons. No "my tragedy is worse/cooler/more-indie than your tragedy."
We, as a society, try to help people talk about their problems. We say things like, "It's okay to feel bad" and "My trouble don't make yours any less valid."
And I love that about our modern culture. That we can all come from different places and still feel worthy of love and help and the RIGHT TO BE UPSET.
But this whole "first world problems" meme? It takes away a person's right to be upset.
Cuz, yeah, sure, if I get a papercut, that's not as "big" or "bad" of a problem as getting sanitation into places that need it. But, you know what? That papercut HURT. Not for as long, not with as big an impact on my life, no. But do I not get to say "ow"? Do I not bleed (well, with some papercuts, anyway)? Can't I cry?
And that's what I don't like about the meme. Because the answer is "No, you don't get to cry over your papercut because there are starving children somewhere else who deserve your tears more. No, you're not allowed to say ow because someone out there has just lost their leg to gangrene. No, you didn't bleed; it's only considered bleeding if it's arterial blood."
I think we need to pull back from this "first world problems" meme. Stop trying to shame people for the good lives they have. Instead, tell them about the people who need help. Or maybe just remind us all to be accepting and caring and loving; make the world around you a stereotypically "safe space" and make a difference in the community.
Pick your cliche of choice, guys, but "first world problems" isn't it. People are internalizing this "you're not allowed to be upset" crap. Is that really what we want?