I recall (but cba rn to go find back) how a decent while ago I posted here a post with a general vibe of "hey let’s remember how privileged we Western Europeans are".
Got me a lot of downvotes, people being offended or feeling slighted, "yeah you feel privileged, but"and such. But this yesterday post about heat triggered me to humbly post the vibe/reminder again, partly because it’s a casual Sunday (no pun intended). 🌞
It’s not a viewpoint out of touch with reality, quite the contrary. "The Heat Will Kill You First". In this sub we can type "get an AC to make life bearable"not quite an attitude our fellow humans in Pakistan and India wheezing at wet-bulb 47 °C can afford. In the US, millions of people downstream the dwindling Colorado river are cooked in the very near future. The polar bear will soon meet his fate in a BOE. Tipping points, a time of consequences, not even going to mention the obscene tangerine US president or the PFAS in our uteruses and plastic in our brains.
"Both pollekes kiss" that we get to live where we do, the Shire of our Earth, as it were. If anyone can think of any better place on this globe to live and witness our end, do tell! I can only think of Switzerland or Austria, maybe.
Meantime.. Ehh – 😓 💪 and for those of us primed to enjoy this kind of summer, enjoy it while we last!
Posted by JosBosmans
9 Comments
I concur!
I am well aware of my privilege but I also have zero feelings of guilt about it. Those who try to embark me on a guilt trip can basically sod off.
As an answer to your question about nice places to live, there are much nicer places (SoCal, Adelaide and various parts of Europe) if you have money enough. For the low to low average incomes Belgium is an excellent compromise.
i have some very good news for you: all those living under (soon to be) lethal wet bulb temperatures (or those dying of heat/thirst) will want to move to somewhere else.. guess where that will be??? They wont just simply accept their fate, lay down and die, you know.
Soon many more people (at least 250 million more, a conservative estimate in the next 20 years) will “enjoy” our privileged Western Europeans style of life. Well, for a very short while atleast, before mass starvation solves all/most of our problems…
I think you got downvoted because it’s weird that you think it’s your job to humble people. I’d prefer to live in Australia or NZ though, even with the state of their economy right now.
> In this sub we can type “get an AC to make life bearable”,
AC is expensive, bro. It uses soooo much electricity.
I dont really like the word “privilege” and tend to avoid using it, as it is a word that invites a negative response. It is true that certainly we have it better as a collective than most other people in the world. But there are a lot of individuals here who are struggling as well. If you are struggling and somebody comes along and says you are privileged, it feels like it invalidates your personal experience. It also in general just kind of comes across as the kind of insufferable finger-wagging that plagues some progressive circles (but that’s another discussion).
Not that people shouldnt be aware of their privilege, but people are allowed to vent. You can say you dont like the heat while also knowing that its hitter in other places. You can dislike an inconvience while knowing other people have bigger problems. Coming onto a post thats clearly venting, only bringing in a holier than thou attitude, yeah thats kinda annoying.
It actually is good weather for barbecue though.
Stop doomsaying you ruin the vibe of my doomscrolling, also a result of the heat. Shire my ass…the devils frontyard, looks innocent but don’t explore to deep.