It seems like on nearly every thread, Instagram post, or Facebook post, things devolve quickly into straight up bullying with thousands of upvotes/likes. This isn't even about "controversial" stuff, it'll be like a child with a disability or facial difference with adults making jokes at their expense. How has our society become so emboldened to say some of the cruelest things imaginable and be applauded for it?

I know that assholes punching down has always been a thing, and I know a big answer is that the president and his party ran a whole platform on normalizing the demonization of trans people and anyone they don’t like, but it just sends me into a spiral seeing how unkind people are to the most vulnerable among us.

And obviously I can simply not engage with the algorithm that thrives on rage bait but that's not the issue-- the issue is when has "be kind to others" become radical? Will this just get worse???

Edit: Thanks for all the discussion. I know I mentioned politics, and that was a mistake because I know that gets inherently heated and divisive. Certain topics will naturally generate debate and therefore the potential for bullying and meanness. I'm certainly not excusing that type of bullying, but that's a different discussion. The discussion I posed is how did we get to a point of applauding people who bully others for things they cannot control (such as disability, physical features, etc.)? The comments that show outrage for the cruel ones often get dogpiled by people saying "snowflake", laughing emojis, etc. and the ratio is really skewed in favor of the assholes. That's what I was referring to. Maybe that distinction changes things, maybe not, but just wanted to add. Again, I appreciate the thoughftul comments.

A while ago I had a discussion with an American scholar about the question whether and why the Super Hero archetype is a typical US invention. It was too short to yield any answers and since I have now discovered Reddit, I'd like to ask the question here.

Why do I think the Super Hero archetype is a typical US invention?

• The Superhero archetype seems to fit into elements of the US culture. American superheroes are always exceptional and exceptionalism seems a central aspect of US culture.
• American superheroes usually tend to solve problems with violence. The US society seems -especially compared to Europe and Canada - pretty violent to me (death penalties, high crime rates, normalized firearms posession, violent police behaviour) so solving problems with violence seems to fit that cultural aspect.
  
• AFAIK the first Superhero comics were American.

So what do you think? Is the Superhero an US invention and if so, why?

I am not blind, and I have always had questions about how blind people live. I do not want theese questions to sound disrespectful, please don't take them like an insult.

1. How hard is it to get dressed? (particularly triyng to match colors and patterns). If It is hard, do you deppend on someone else telling you what colors/pattern It is, or dou you have a different sistem to figure It out?

2. Do you care that you're clothes match colors or not? (I guess it could be different if you were born blind than if you weren't)

3. Dou you like to go shopping in person? If you do, how hard is it? How do you figure out if a same model t-shirt is white or black? If you don't like to go shopping, is it mainly because of the hastle, and so, would you like that to change so you could have more fun going shopping?

4. I am guessing that It is much easier to distinguish different pieces of clothing if they have some texture, are different sizes... Do you feel like you have to buy pieces of clothing with that in mind, and if so would you like to be able to buy, imagine, 3 t-shirts that are the same but just different colors?

. . . You realized that you are the progeny of a sibling that no one really cared for?

I am going through some stuff now with a parent and reaching out to their siblings (my Aunts and Uncles) and just wow.

I am ~40

You see posts on here alll the time from people in real distress. Answers are therapy, call the cops, can a friend this or that, try 211, all of which is code for I have no idea what you should do and in any event, you're on your own! The most useless response is I'm sorry you're going through that. LIke offering some one a sandwich when their house is on fire. What happens to evolution in this arena where time doesn't seem to move us forward?

So there's this thing on tiktok where someone will say : hey I can't keep up with all these world events I need a break

And people on tiktok like to jump down their throughts and call people privileged and entitled

And honestly I think that's kinda fucked up. Like I think activism is important ofcourse and to your best ability you should fight for what you believe in, but you also can't do that if it's affecting your mental health and you can't function

Their argument is : well I haven't stopped fighting so you can't.

It feels very much like they're the ones who are entitled and shaming someone for not joining your cause will onlu stray more people from your cause

What does reddit thing?

(Also can we not have the "get off tiktok comments. I get it you hate tiktok. ))

My friend believes he has a strong grasp on America's politics because he understands that media lies about Trump etc. and he believes theirs many redeeming factors about conservativesism and trumpism.

How can I ask him why he doesn't allow the same grace and provide social defense of those outside that bubble.

Im from texas and no we didn’t have an earthquake but Thailand did the other night.

Story: The other day at work (Night shift) my friend says to me randomly

Friend: “Hey you ever been on a large boat before”?

Me: “yeah been a while though. Why?”

Friend: “You know the feeling of being on the boat and standing you can feel not yourself moving but the boat moving?”

Me: “Yeah; but why are you telling me this.”

Friend: laughs “Well do you ever just be standing there but you get that similar feeling of being on a boat as if you’re moving but you’re not?”

Me: “Bro are you okay? Do you need to sit down ? *i was worried because sounds like a health problem or something *

Friend: “No, im fine; but for some reason for a few seconds i felt like i was moving on waves like i was on a big boat. I was wondering if you felt that too.”

Anyways we laughed about it being so random and weird of a question and leave it at that… but the next day i see on the news at around that same time he asked me that question a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Thailand….

My question is did this guy somehow feel a earthquake when no one else did from literally countries apart or is this a strange coincidence??

I'm curious to hear how you feel about other people in terms of their socio-economic status compared to your own.

• One metric people use to compare themselves to others is money. A (significantly) richer person would be considered in a higher class; a (significantly) poorer person would be considered in a lower class.
• Another metric would be education. A university-educated person would be considered in a higher class than someone who didn't study beyond high school.

I'd like to know how you see things if these two metrics contradict each other. Consider the following people:

• Someone who has (significantly) more money than you but has lower education. For example, you graduated university, but a high school-educated friend runs his own business (he's a plumber) and makes a lot more money than you do.
• Someone who has a higher education than you but earns less money. For example, you only finished high school and are doing pretty OK for yourself, but your friend graduated from university with a BA in Art History, which doesn't exactly pay the bills.

Which of these two people would you consider as being in a higher social class than you? Which in a lower one?

If you're willing to share, I'm also curious to hear where you are from (which country/region), and what your own money and education situations are.

In Japan and to my current knowledge, much of what is online and off requires an invitation, referral or some amount of knowledge of the location or URL, preventing undesirables and unknowns from ever getting involved. In some cases, even past that, much behavior other than surface view requires a request to even observe some activities. Past this, they change their identity in some significant way to prevent anyone from tailing them. The less you know, the better for them.

What if this was the case in the U.S? You wouldn't know what was where without permission of the knowledge, and no one would have the same name or behavior in any two places. People would choose who does what, limiting everything from what someone does to who they know and even interact with, how and even the population as a result, seeing as undesirables and unknowns would be starved to death in multiple ways.

Could this, at all, have been a possibility and, if so, how would that have worked, assuming anything I have speculated is mistaken?

Of all the species of the dinosaurs; if they existed when humans were alive; would drugs made from various parts of their bodies and excrement likely to be more beneficial to our medicines than current animals?

I feel like we're constantly finding something to elevate in our lives just to keep us going. It feels like we're creating a false god because nothing else is working. Sometimes it makes me feel devastated to think about how we always need an upper power to rely on so we could keep going. What do you do with these kinds of thoughts?

I’m collecting stories for a project and would love to hear about the advice you took, where you found it, and how it changed things for you. Maybe it led to a career change, a relationship, a new perspective, or even saved you from a bad situation. Big or small, life-changing or just a shift in mindset—I’m all ears

If you had to eat a human hand, what would be the ideal quality for consumption? Would you prefer it from a young child (5-10 years old), a teenager (13-19), a full-grown adult (20-40), or an older person (50+)? Would you go for the dominant or non-dominant hand? How would you cook it for the best texture and flavor—braised, roasted, smoked? And what sides would pair best with it? Genuinely curious about what people think.

I'm looking for answers that go beyond just buying things, investing, and handing out money. For example, I would start a not-for-profit composting service in every city until I could no longer afford to do so (starting with cities that have no service). We could be diverting millions of tons of nutrients and other resources away from landfills and back into the soil every year.

I'd think a natural consequence would be living a sparse existence alone bc people avoid you owing to your problematic behavior. That is, however, not what happens with adults like this, especially in America. Makes me wonder how other cultures work to minimize the detrimental impact these types can have.

Whether it was among others, limited to your parents, or family; what series of events or single event solidified you were not in fact the favorite sibling?

How did you navigate it?

Did it affect your relationship with said sibling?

My sibling and I took turns being favored in different settings. During college they blossomed into someone you’d objectively greatly admire. And everyone loves a good success story, which she has. I loved it. But it also exposed how mediocre I was. My choices post college also led to a not as shiny life. I became more of an equal to some. There was no more glamorous appeal in the “potential”; I was all grown up.

Among our parents she is also favorited now, because she can sign checks that’ll solve any major convenience. Her job/company are very name drop worthy which also helps them for bragging sake.

Love her to pieces and hold none of it against her. But I’m curious what everyone else’s experience has been.

I don’t want to blame my symptoms on anyone except myself. Not childhood, not hard times, just me. With that being said, what are someways that will help you be consistent? I have my real estate license, but I lack the confidence to ask someone to become a client. I started college in 2011 and took many years off. How can I become more consistent and stay in school until I finish? I am ready to live the life that I envision and finally make more money than $30/hr. I am ready to help people (immigration attorney if I can at least finish my undergrad and grad school). Please help. I’m 31 and male.

...there is factually an objective answer for fkn everything? For example: how was the universe created, what is our purpose in life, is there an alien civilization, do entities like gods or angels exist, what is the exact cure for cancer etc. I mean, it is not the case that there are basically no answers for these questions at all, we are just not aware of it. And almost certainly, we will never be aware of it.

I believe it is just a lil bit overwhelming to think about that sometimes...