[erikpukinskis]

I think this is characteristic of the time we are in. People, being connected by the internet, have a new level of awareness about the world around us.

We don’t yet (collectively) know what to do with this knowledge. It is a reorienting time. Memes are one way people are trying to orient, they are probes being sent out to encounter reality.

But I agree with what you’re hinting at, we will step out of this place with concrete meaningful steps. And science is a very good way to find meaning.

[colechristensen]

It’s not really awareness though, it is tragedy porn. People like feeling “woke” and everyone is very willing to sell that to them. Just write stories about how something people are doing is ruining something people are worried about. It doesn’t have to be particularly true.

This cheap “awareness” doesn’t help solve problems, it creates conflict between people who like the tragedy stories and people who don’t like them, neither group really having much understanding or ability to think critically about the issues at hand and then... The only thing that gets talked about is the conflict and the taking of sides.

[erikpukinskis]

Personally, I think “creates awareness” vs “creates conflict” is a false dichotomy. It can be both.

But... isn’t your comment doing just the thing you are saying is destructive? Are you woke to something here, which is animating you, and it’s not exactly based in evidence?