Too Many Takers, Not Enough Givers

In this day and age, with social media having become part of our daily rituals, it is so easy to share media of interests with our social circles of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Endangered are the days where people actually had to make time to physically hang out with others just to catch up or share the latest on what’s going on in each other’s lives. The contemporary and convenient medium of staying in touch with people we know, have also simplified the methods of communication a little too much.

The internet is an expansive sea of information; a library of data on so many things that is readily available at our fingertips. No doubt this availability and accessibility has changed the lives of many. I am privileged to have witness the change in society’s general level of intellect from the beginning of the internet days since dial-up days. The generation of today will never understand how challenging it was for some of us of the older generation to gain access to the world. People today just casually open their browsers be it on a computer or a smartphone... the latter mostly. Come to think of it, we have a new generation of people who don’t even bother about the computer anymore and just rely on their phones or tablets. I feel sorry for them but that’s another topic altogether so I digress.

So information is readily available now, and with social media, it’s all about copy and pasting a website link of interesting articles of videos, which people come across and feel like sharing it with whom they know. It has become so simple that people do it without thinking. Just like turning on a light switch in a dark room without even needing to make sure if the correct switch was turned on. So people now have become used to consume whatever is on their “walls”. Notice that ironically it is called the “feed”.

Finally getting to the point of it all. There are just too many people who take in works of others, whether it is point of views, creativity and yes, even principles. The thoughts of the typical internet user is becoming more and more homogenised, as more and more people agree on the same things, which before they know it, reduces them to cyber sheep plugged into “the Matrix”. Banding together with followers who believe in the same thing, and waging proverbial wars against those who don’t - this whole “group think” while some tout as a good way to share knowledge, has a high risk of becoming more like a hive mind, where everybody only knows the same things which were fed to them.

The majority relies and become dependent on a selected few who are brave enough to voice out their opinions. They often end up as either heroes or villains - depending on the audience’s preferred views - and put on pedestals like some sort of idol to be looked up to.

There is not enough individuals producing and sharing their own personal and original thoughts, views and works. It’s fine to agree, it’s fine to disagree but for their own sakes, please provide their own thought-up opinions on why. It is little wonder as to why more and more of the younger generation appear to have issues in the work place, being unable to think for themselves and take initiative. Being unable to manage tasks and solve problems. We would always conveniently blame it on the education system. Oh yes, the education system does play an important role in shaping the mind of our “future leaders”. But what of those geniuses in our history who failed school?

What I hope to see is more people producing and sharing more personalised content. More thoughts of their owns. There are too many people who look at somebody’s work and go “this guy is good!” They show their appreciation and that’s the end of it. They don’t feel inspired or motivated to create their own. Everybody looks up to people like Patrick Teoh, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Erna Mahyuni, Mariam Mokhtar and more. They are great examples of people who write and share their opinions with the world. If you truly appreciate their thoughts, then honour them (in this case) by creating works and words of your own. If you subscribe to their point of views, then reinforcing theirs by sharing your own. And if you disagree, share with people around you the reasons.

It doesn’t have to be writings. It could be work of arts, music, videos... anything! We need more heroes, we need more leaders, we need more originality, we need more legacies.

Misogyny, Misandry and Sundry

Since the most recent and tragic incident - where some guy murdered a bunch of girls in a sorority house, while killing innocent bystanders along the way, which yes, included other males as well - a lot of girls and women alike, some proudly donning the feminist label, have taken the opportunity, jumping on the bandwagon to berate about the evils of misogynistic men... or just men, by their definition. To some of them, it may as well be synonymous. And this is something I find impudent.

If these people - noticed I am referring to a selected group, neither generalising nor stereotyping - would be so kind as to be more specific in their gripes instead of implying that “all men are like that”, we wouldn’t have an issue. I would even be more open to understanding them had they actually contributed personal experiences as to what made them have those point of views where all men are misogynists; all men don’t respect women; and whatever else claims of the same effect.

By now to some it may be obvious that a generalising statement on “men” - just because some carry themselves poorly - speaks volumes about the accusers. If there is one thing that the accusers have in common, is that they all have issues with the opposite gender, which, I believe stems from home. Or some may have even adopted the cause second hand, just because others are doing it.

Let’s not forget, that we all have our own issues, our own history and how they influence us to be who we are today. Some people choose to learn from experiences, becoming better individuals, some just revel in articulating themselves as victims of circumstances.

More often than not, these articles, whether written by male or female, keep going on and on about the male for committing an atrocious act against the other gender. They keep poking and analysing over the fact that the guy committed the act and judge - yes I said judge - the guy for the crime(s), which he committed. They never bother to study the history of the person as what may have contributed to him becoming who he is. Nobody cares about that. Everybody just wants to get on their high horse and verbally lynch the guy.

I cannot claim to be without fault. But can the rest of them do so? Who are they to use people involved in the incidents as their metaphorical pinata, to run their mouths off, figuratively behind their backs, in the safety and comforts of anonymity behind their screens. And just because of them, how did the accusers lead to stereotyping every other guy as the same?

Yes, the most recent incident of the guy who killed a bunch of people, with spotlight and emphasis on the sorority girls, was indeed a terrible incident. But must other guys, receive a carpet bombing treatment if only to satiate these accusers and their insatiable anger, despite how said incident never affected them directly at all?

Instead of mindlessly condemning others, why not be appreciate that there are others who aren't as such? And be thankful that what we read in the news, is not a common thing. Since it's not a common thing, why do they need to whinge as though it is?

When you stereotype and generalise others, you bring yourself down. When you paint everybody with the same brush and colour, don’t complain about how it all looks the same. Perhaps it's because the perpetrator was on the receiving end of being stereotyped and despised in the first place, which led him to cause such a tragic act. Think about it.

Is your reaction of hate, perpetuating this cycle?