https://gp.blaisemcrowly.com/dont-kill-them-with-your-positivity

GamaPhi

Don't kill them with your positivity

The strange tides of time bring us strange form of malevolence, and
if we are not careful some forms of evil can be so well concealed in
all things nice. No other text may have put this better than the
Bible when it said "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's. clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Mathew
7:15). The dire need for us to start calling out people for using
"positive things only" to silence and enforce apathy has never been
greater.

While the extreme cases of this behavior are rate they are not
nonexistent. These men and women tend to often represent themselves
as extremely compassionate and sensitive beings who at a call of duty
would be willing to sacrifice anything and launch to save the world.
However people who deal with them often find it extremely offending
and at times deeply hurtful when they suddenly deflect or attack
others for presenting harsh truths and calling other's attention to
the issues with phrases that range from "let us not be so negative",
"I want only positive things here", "take your complaints else where,
we are trying to stay positive here", "no negativity is allowed" or
"shut out all negativity and focus on the positives".

While a certain amount of this drive to focus on what is turning good
is what maintains our sanity and helps us perform with renewed
capacity in the face of failures, the behavior becomes extremely
counterproductive and harmful to the cause at hand when they use this
to prevent people from speaking up about issues conveniently shutting
down an intellectual discussion that might be calling out them for
the wrong that they or their concerns are doing.

To control a common forum

The individuals who tend to exhibit this behavior are often
associated with groups or forums which is suppose to be actively
having open, scientific and inclusive discussion of sensitive topics.
They extend from NGOs, online discussion groups, etc where the
sensitive topics such as racism, politics, social injustice, civil
rights, right of children and the age old heavy weight champion of it
all - women's rights.

Whenever the discussion in these forums tend to step on the toes of
the political, social or personal ideology of these individuals they
respond aggressively by silencing others and demanding that the
speakers stop continuously pushing negativity.

This is painfully counterproductive as this allows very important
discussions to terminate abruptly, the forum to fall silent and for
the decision and understanding of the forum is left at half capacity.
This works very effectively because nobody want's be the one
disturbing the peace in a social setting and it tend to be much
easier to just let go. Time and again this silences some of the most
passionate people from being able to make their case.

This is also an absolute misuse of power when the person who does
this is at a administrative position as they can bully the forum into
silence and enforce their often corrupt, un-scientific, apathetic or
broken ideas instead of allowing due space to discuss out the matter.
In matters of concern such as those mentioned above this can mean the
difference between making the situation worse and solving it.

To silence dissent

There are forums where dissent is permitted, such as in a debate or
in a democratic process, and there are forums where it is not
permitted, such as the military. Dissent by itself is the simple most
important factor in allowing a healthy and respectful discourse of
ideas which is one of the reasons why model law fights with tooth and
nail to protect our right to dissent.

However the 'posiopaths' (yeah) tend to facade the forums they run as
dissent friendly open forums while hiding their thirst for absolute
authority in a charade of communications calling for elimination of
negativity and to stoppage of discussion of disturbing topics.

The depth of malice in this can only be notices when we take time to
observe that the topics considered "negative" are often just ideas
presented that are against what they themselves believe is the truth.
Their inability to comprehend anything beyond their belief and the
childish tantrum they pull to silence that often point to a
narcissistic tendency.

To hide hypocrisy and privilege

No where is this more visible than in discussion that concern some of
the most fundamental ideas that deal with our society. They often
come in mixes of other tendencies that are as venomous including
extreme nationalism.

When someone was ok with the discussion of how great the economy is
but can't last five minutes on why minimum wage need to increase is
an excellent example. Women's right's is another area this is often
very visible. When someone looses it all when someone brings up the
dark reality of how women are still denied their right in majority of
the world and calls for positive only comments, is not just a
hypocrite but is someone who is too immature to understand what
privilege is all about.

To cover irresponsible or unproductive work

This great weapon used by the 'posiopaths' also serve as a critical
tool to hide incompetence from their side or of their concerns and to
push the fabricated image of efficiency and quality.

This can be seen in individuals ranging from your next door neighbor
to world leaders. The call for positivity allows them to hide the
actual message "I do not accept criticism" in a socially acceptable
packaging.

Everything else is an agenda

Like how the people of the land always call their leaders the noble
kings and the ones from the far land as the lawless barbarians, these
'posiopaths' tend to project anything that is not on their list of
to-do as an unwanted agenda someone else is trying to inject into the
discourse.

They refuse to acknowledge the fact that when people have to work
towards betterment of society it is not the stubborn idea of one, but
the collective feedback that produce results.

The negative impact of this kind of attitude only get darker as we
realize that change of heart and change of plan are a function of our
perception of the situation and by preventing the presentation and
discussion of alternate perspectives one looses valuable vision of
the reality of the situation.

The reality

The positive only attitude is not just dangerous and borderline
sociopathic, allowing them to often enforce an attitude of apathy
towards those who need our compassion the most.

Being selective with your compassion is not the course of someone who
is trying to do good but but of someone who seeks to progress their
idea of what the world is and should be like. In other terms fascism.

It is high time that we start calling out these narcissistic
behaviors and helping ourselves and them correct this. One way or the
other we would all walk a billion miles more in the right direction
without them.

#life #society #people #psychology #positive #dissent #rights #
freespeech #NGO #socialwork #

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