[jschwartzi]

Let me be blunt and say that this attitude is exactly why nobody ever tries to change society. Instead of assuming that because you're one person you don't matter, why not take the attitude that you're one person and what you do has an impact on everyone around you?

You can't change the world by treating everyone well but you can sure as shit make all their days better, and that's what we should be doing. If you want to live in a world that isn't isolating, stop isolating the strangers around you.

[tcbawo]

This is usually where someone brings up Fred Rogers. There are multitudes of inspirational people. Fortunately/unfortunately the digital age has knocked a lot of saints off their pedestals. Hopefully, the dust will settle and more will rise up to take their places.

[gonehome]

I generally agree with you that people are apathetic and assume that something can't be done simply because it's hard or they don't feel like trying.

That said I think there's an element of truth that society generally creates incentives that can lead to outcomes nobody wants [1]. You can get equilibriums where without effective coordination people are trapped, sometimes the trapped state can prevent effective coordination itself.

It's not an easy problem to fix.

[1] http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

[jschwartzi]

This isn't an easy problem to fix systemically, but we need to be making different decisions as individuals. Society changes in the little decisions we make every day, and not by leaps and bounds through fiat.

When people chose to smoke pot, knowing that it was illegal, they were normalizing it. Those were small decisions by individuals that snowballed into legalization. Gay marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality followed the same pattern, where individuals decided to be more accepting, and that snowballed into societal acceptance.

Society is made up of individuals, and we are part of society. Throwing up our hands and abdicating responsibility doesn't serve anyone.