Like I get that they probably are reaching deep into the barrel to find anything that makes them special it’s not like they can fall back on their personalities, intelligence, appearance, or achievement.

This one detail is responsible for the kernel of sadness I feel for many on the far right. These are despicable people who were once kids who just wanted to be grownups and do grownup things. And whether due to genetics or due to upbringing, anything else that might have given them a sense of pride and competence is not something they have. As you say - all they have left is trying to push others down, hoping this lands them on top. Damn it's truly sad.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nail on the head. Racism now stems from people feeling like they're no one, but they have an excuse to feel better than this person for an arbitrary reason so they take it.

There's a reason most of the racists are poor uneducated white people

[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The thing is - I feel bad for them for feeling like they are no one, for feeling like this is all they have. I can pretty easily get myself into a mindset where I want to give some of these folks a hug, and tell them they matter. I think many of us have felt worthless at times, either due to circumstances, due to depression, whatever.

But then I see what their voting habits are doing to this country and to our governing bodies, and that gets buried under piles of anger.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

But then I see what their voting habits are doing to this country and to our governing bodies, and that gets buried under piles of anger.

Unfortunately it's a problem outside of Estonia, too

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Exactly. Like I’m not going to pretend that racism isn’t a problem at all levels of society. But at a certain level of doing shit with my life worthy of pride people building their life around racism went from wrong and stupid to also being pathetic. Either your skin color is all you have going for you which is fucking pathetic or you’ve achieved something with your life and you still manage to think that your whiteness is one of your most important features which says something is seriously wrong with you. There’s no pride or specialness in being the cultural default.

Like my family immigrated to America recently enough that where we’re from is slightly relevant to my life experiences, and so it has some value to me. But how could I be such a delusional jackass that I can’t see that in others. If grandpa was an immigrant well then I oughta welcome folks here like he wished he’d been welcomed. I appreciated getting to celebrate grandpa’s culture, so maybe other people would like to too and maybe I’ll enjoy celebrating other people’s culture. If America is better for folks like my family being in it then who am I to say other families can’t make it better too.