What you post matters

[pat_k]

Last edited Mon May 4, 2026, 02:42 AM - Edit history (6)

Apologies in advance to all those who will write off this post as too "preachy."

Anyway, as I thought about malaise's poignant "Does anyone care?" question about The Guardian's report of an Israeli reservist who shot 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan in the head just outside his school, it struck me that the post could be taken as implying "nobody cares" about these types of atrocities.

I know what a caring soul malaise is, and don't mean to single out that post, but it got me thinking about the number of posts that come right out and make blanket statements like "No one in Congress is doing anything about X" or "People are dying and no one cares" or "They are committing war crimes and no one cares," or other pronouncements like "We're doomed," "It will never change," "The system is rigged and can't be unrigged."

There are two problems with such statements.

1. They are NEVER accurate.

For every single systemic wrong, structural injustice, ongoing atrocity, war crime, abuse of power, or otherwise preventable terrible thing that we want to see stopped, or lack of some good thing we want to see more of, somebody cares; somebody is doing something. Often hundreds, thousands, or even millions of "somebodies" care and have taken some step to DO SOMETHING.

Similarly, pronouncements of doom and hopelessness are disproven by examples of the amazing things people have accomplished across the history of our nation and the history of the world. People-power is a force that can, and has, moved mountains.

2. Such generalizations sap hope and immobilize, potentially creating a defeatist, self-fulfilling prophecy.

If the desire is for more people to do something about X or Y, or care more about X or Y, offering such blanket pessimistic, and demonstrably untrue statements accomplishes the opposite.

Think about it. If your audience believes that no one cares or is doing anything about X or Y, what do you think is the more likely response? (a) Feel anger about the hopeless horrific state of humanity and then shut down, or (b) start a citizen lobbying project to actually do something about X or Y.

YMMV, but for me, the answer is (a)

The thing is, hope is the life's blood of resistance. Action is inspired by the belief that taking action to address some wrong can work. And the impulse to seek out groups or people to join with to right some wrong only manifests if you believe there are groups and people out there worth joining.

If you want to see more people connecting to right the wrongs of the world, think hard before you post. Is this post sapping or boosting hope? Is this post fostering or crushing the belief in people-power? Does this post highlight or ignore the hard work that people are doing?

We can have a clear-eyed view of what we are up against AND serve as beacons of hope that kick off the sort of collective virtuous cycle of hope and action that we MUST HAVE if we are to overcome the obstacles.

So, that's my advice for helping to build a better world: think before you click "Post." Everything you post contributes the the collective "mood" of a platform. And in an infinitely interconnected social media environment, that "mood" spreads far and wide.

What you post matters. A lot.

For example:

If you are pointing out a terrible thing or obstacle to progress, can you balance the message with a pointer to something the reader could do to help address the terrible thing or help overcome the obstacle?

Every once in awhile, ask yourself: Have I posted a "call to action" lately? When was the last time I promoted a group that is organizing citizen lobbyists to push electeds to communicate more effectively or to get behind some reform ? Have I spread the word about a citizen action success story recently? Have I spread the word about an elected's inspiring message or effective action?

If the answer is NO to all the above, perhaps take a little time to boost your own sense of hope and belief in people-power by seeking out things like that to post.

And BTW, FWIW here is my answer to malaise's post: Millions care. Citizen lobbyists have an uphill battle, but they've been working for decades. (List of organizations, both U.S. and Israeli)