The fragmentation of man in the 21st century

I practically sprinted to my computer just so I wouldn't lose this thought—who knows, maybe we can actually have a productive conversation for once.

I assume most of you keep an eye on the news every now and then. Personally, I can’t shake the feeling that while people mostly moved past blatant racial discrimination back in the day, we’ve somehow circled back to labeling ourselves by factions and identities. It feels like we're just manufacturing more friction, intolerance, and total misunderstanding within society.
Back when we were dealing with racial issues, things were obvious. You couldn't hide someone's skin color, so the stigma was immediate and visible.
Now, we've got all these internal divisions that you just can't see with the naked eye.
The big ones right now? The LGBTQ+ community, religious groups like Catholics, and the whole left vs. right political divide.
I honestly don't get why modern Americans feel this desperate need to squeeze themselves into these specific boxes. Most of these categories are just personal opinions, so why does anyone feel the need to project their identity outward when being an individual should be enough?
It feels like there are way more ways to clash nowadays, on so many different levels. We're well into the 21st century; shouldn't we be learning from our own mistakes—and everyone else's too?

In my experience, the only real way to judge someone is whether they're good or bad. I'm not going to dive into people's personal politics because if I don't understand where they're coming from, I have no business commenting on it.

Every single person is their own unique thing—you’ve got these specific quirks and traits that basically set you apart from the crowd. But let's be real, nobody can just live as a total island; by definition, we're all part of this massive social web. Once you're plugged into that community, you start bumping heads or shaking hands with all sorts of different personalities. Naturally, because of who we are, we end up joining certain groups or circles—sort of like how people pick their favorite niche subreddits or join a local CrossFit gym—just to hang out with folks who actually "get" them. In this day and age, most people—whether they realize it or not—tend to latch onto these identities and group themselves together. Modern life feels like standing at a massive four-way intersection in downtown Chicago; it’s tough to figure out where you stand when you're constantly getting hit from every direction by outside influences. Honestly, I think the smartest move is to stay somewhat neutral—like a swing voter or a free agent—so you can balance things out, weigh the rational arguments from both sides, and actually build a real sense of self that way. True individuality and staying independent from whatever the current trend is... well, that's true freedom of mind. You just can't take it so far that you become totally unmoored. Since we're living in the 21st century and our consciousness has leveled up, it feels like there's even more friction than before. Advanced society brings these huge side effects because everything is so unbalanced, and sometimes I get the feeling we think we've evolved way past the basics, when really, we're still pretty much stuck at a primitive level. Trying to categorize people is a nightmare, though. I mean, if you're the one doing the sorting, it’s definitely easier to just label everyone as "good" or "bad"—it makes it simpler to navigate the world. I hear what you're saying, though, and yeah, trying to divide people based on anything else is a thankless job because it's so subjective. But then again, even calling someone "good" or "evil" is just our own version of subjectivity, isn't it?

Spot on.
Honestly, I don't see any other way out than for us to learn how to actually respect different perspectives. If we can't wrap our heads around how someone else thinks, fine—but let's stop dumping all this hate and useless commentary just because we're confused. Based on what the news networks are feeding us lately, it feels like instead of moving forward, we're actually regressing as a society.

I mean, honestly, it’s just vital—like, absolutely essential—that we learn how to actually respect one another. Even when you’re sitting there thinking, "Man, this person is dead wrong," you still gotta give them that ground. We’ve got these massive, gaping divides between us, for sure, but the whole point is to bridge those gaps and try to build some kind of rational community. If we can just live together and actually try to understand where people are coming from, maybe—just maybe—we can chip away at those differences and stumble upon better ways of doing things. It’s about taking all that diversity and those lessons learned and turning them into something more advanced... something productive. But hey, let's be real—right now, that feels like a total pipe dream.

Everyone thinks they’re the only sane one in the room
People always say—and I mean everyone—that there are really just two types of people... me, and everybody else
🧐

copperheron16 said:Spot on.
Honestly, I don't see any other way out than for us to learn how to actually respect different perspectives. If we can't wrap our heads around how someone else thinks, fine—but let's stop dumping all this hate and useless commentary just because we're confused. Based on what the news networks are feeding us lately, it feels like instead of moving forward, we're actually regressing as a society.

Look, all this hate? It just comes down to a total lack of understanding. That’s just how we're wired. Humans aren't some programmed-in machines or robots; we've got guts and flaws, and honestly, we actually need that hatred. Sure, nobody likes feeling that heat, but you can't have it without the fear, too—and let's be real, fear is baked right into our DNA. It's essential.

copperheron16 said:Spot on.
Honestly, I don't see any other way out than for us to learn how to actually respect different perspectives. If we can't wrap our heads around how someone else thinks, fine—but let's stop dumping all this hate and useless commentary just because we're confused. Based on what the news networks are feeding us lately, it feels like instead of moving forward, we're actually regressing as a society.

Look, being a modern person has absolutely nothing to do with priests or the rainbow crowd. Those two groups are just dead-end streets that any sane person would have steered clear of a long time ago. There are some things that are deeply personal, and frankly, there’s zero need to broadcast them to the world. Take atheist activists, for example. You could grab a random sample of a hundred of them and you'd quickly realize they're incredibly dim-witted. For these people, atheism isn't a philosophy; it's just a convenient excuse to be hateful toward everyone else. Atheism doesn't actually *need* activists. What exactly are they fighting for? A crusade for the non-existence of goodness? These morons drag the reputation of every other non-believer through the mud with their behavior. Most regular atheists don't even want to use the label because they refuse to be associated with a group clearly populated by thugs and idiots. It’s the exact same story with the LGBT scene. You look at a Pride parade and it’s a total circus. You've got feminists, columnists, niche politicians, anarchists, vegans, insecure sociopaths, teenagers, and basically just a bunch of people who are fundamentally unhappy with themselves. I am dead certain there are plenty of reasonable gay people out there who are completely fed up with Pride. Yet, every single summer, the people who claim to represent them turn downtown Los Angeles into a chaotic mess in their name. Who in their right mind wants that kind of baggage attached to their identity? Everything would be fine if they were actually out there fighting for fundamental human rights, but this whole thing is just a massive attention trap designed to lure in all sorts of freaks.

They’ve changed the whole damn definition of Pride a thousand times over. One minute it’s all about fighting discrimination, the next they’re throwing a tantrum because their "rights" are being infringed upon, and then suddenly it’s all about intolerance. Honestly, at this point, the whole movement feels like a total joke. And get this—what institution is even handing out these rights? They act like they’ve had marriage equality forever, but how can you claim someone "took away" a right that nobody ever actually granted you in the first place? It’s like if I walked up to you and said, "Hey, give me your BMW, because I have a right to it." It’s absolute nonsense. Arguments like that make my blood boil. And why is there dead silence when it comes to the rights of Israeli women who aren't allowed to marry Muslim men? Look, I’m skeptical of everything these days, but if this movement actually gives a damn about universal human rights instead of just checking boxes for their own agenda, why isn't anyone talking about that? If people hate them, why are they trying to force love onto everyone? There have always been people who hated the Church, sure, but back in the day, the Church actually did something useful. They built clinics, hospitals, soup kitchens, universities, and libraries. They set up camps, called for solidarity during disasters, and actually raised money to help people in need. They actually showed up.

Why doesn't the LGBTQ+ community actually get organized? Like, seriously, why aren't they cutting massive checks for humanitarian causes? Why don't they team up with major corporations to, I don't know, buy a house for a family that’s literally out on the street? If that's too much to ask, why not just pay off someone's overdue utility bills? That’s how you actually reach people and earn their respect—not by forcing stuff down everyone's throats through the media without any actual substance. All they ever do is attack and nag, and honestly, that just drives away the people who couldn't care less about the whole thing in the first place.

Think about it: if the Church sued every single book, movie, painting, or song that used religious symbols or themes to make a buck, they'd easily be the wealthiest organization on the planet. But they don't play that game, whereas the LGBTQ+ crowd seems ready to sue anyone and everyone over the tiniest little thing. That says everything you need to know about the kind of people running those organizations.