You get to live a happy life and don’t care about all the horrible things happening all across the world. You wouldn’t feel terrible for children getting killed in a genocide half the globe away, every day. Blissful ignorance.
My response would be no. And I suppose most responses are gonna be no, but I also don’t think anyone who already doesn’t care would take a pill to start caring. That’s an interesting concept to me.
I’m sure that what me caring does to my mental state is far worse than however good is anything it does to anyone else. But by that logic, if everyone stopped caring, how would the world look like?
EDIT: It’s permanent. It doesn’t take away your emotions, it just stops you from caring about things like wars as long as they don’t directly affect you. Just like many people already have it.
Those pills exist but they can’t be taken in moderation so governments prohibit them and doctors tightly prescribe them for limited periods of time.
I would force it on the hysterical right wingers who believe they need to impose their will on the world
Then people would actually be happy
you mean THC? The main side effect is apathy.
This question is explored in The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delila Harris if you’re interested in a novel on the topic.
Better question, what would you do if you found out something in the food or water or air was causing everyone to not care about things?
Because I’m pretty sure there is something like that going on. Just as lead poisoning made a generation of people with more violent impulses and other problems, some widespread pollutants, that I am willing to bet are making us compliant.
You might have wanted to do something, if those contaminants had not already made you compliant. The damage could be permanent already too.
FUCKING OF COURSE…
People do that all the time now. Hell I suck down a liquid that does that now. It is called Whiskey.
I’d take them, and then use the inability to feel bad about the state of the world to kill myself without feeling guilty about the extremely incredibly miniscule whole I’d leave in it
These pills are called cyanide
Found the 18th century doctor.
Umm drugs ARE available
Pretty sure drugs work like that already.
Is anyone going to pay my bills while I’m on these pills or am I going to be homeless?
Just like many people already have it.
And there it is. This is a not so thinly veiled post being highly judgemental about people on anti-depressants and the like.
As you’ve identified:
I’m sure that what me caring does to my mental state is far worse than however good is anything it does to anyone else.
So… if it’s not helping anything, and arguably harming yourself, what is the point?
I promise you that it is possible to be aware of these horrible things going on, accepting that you cannot do anything about them, minimizing of the negative impact on your own emotions and mental state… and to be able to move on with your own life and enjoy what there is to enjoy around you. All at once.
That isn’t a “lack of caring”, it sure as hell isn’t fucking ignorance. I honestly take quite a bit of offense at that.
It’s basic acceptance of what you can and cannot change. The relatively recent idea that if you aren’t emotionally distraught about world events then you don’t care is one of the most toxic and damaging to mental health things in recent time.
Some people will call it stoicism, but it’s not even going that far.
This whole idea of “I have to stay aware of all the suffering in the world, and I have to have strong feelings about all of it!” is just “thoughts and prayers” with a whole bunch of extra steps that people often use as justification to look down upon others who don’t stay as up to date, or who don’t get as emotionally invested.
So to answer your question, no. I wouldn’t take pills that work as you describe.
Thankfully, that’s not how anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication fucking work! (Unless you’re on far too high a dose or perhaps on anti-psychotics instead)
I didn’t get the sense they were talking about antidepressants, mainly because that’s not how anti depressants work.
I think they were referring more toto “magically becoming a conservative MAGAT.” They are famous for not caring about issues unless they’re directly affected and being quite callous up until that point.
They do care about things that don’t affect them, though. They care about repressing and punishing people who are marginalized. The premise of the question lacks that bit of nuance.
I don’t know the stats, but I would think people who take antidepressants are more likely to be left leaning (concerning themselves with issues that don’t effect them, in a caring way) than right leaning (concerning themselves with issues that don’t effect them, in a punishing way) because it is a common belief in the latter group that caring for your mental health is some kind of liberal conspiracy.
I know plenty of people on antidepressants and anti anxiety medications that are activists. And plenty of people who would benefit from them but think it’s for “libruhls.”
I just want to back up I_Fart_Glitter here and say I absolutely read this as they said:
“I think they were referring more to “magically becoming a conservative MAGAT.” They are famous for not caring about issues unless they’re directly affected and being quite callous up until that point.”
I didn’t read this as any kind of attack on people who take antidepressants, their statement about “how some people already have it” matches my experience with the MAGA people in my life. They couldn’t possibly care any less about people suffering unless it affects them directly. They even enjoy the suffering of those they see as political enemies.
Empathy is something to be proud of. We’d just be dogshit conservatives without it.
Not feeling any empathy is horrible, but feeling absolutely god awful about things you can’t do shit about isn’t exactly a virtue.
I think there’s some humanity in shared sorrows regardless of your power to stop it. Everyone can contribute a little also. I think with enough motivation empathy can lead to discomfort that can inspire massive change in an individual for the better and in some cases massive changes in a society for the better.
I don’t want to stop caring. I just want them to turn off the torment nexus, even if it’s only for a little while.
Sertraline.
Sometimes it’s more than I can take and I take time away from social media. And it’s not lack of caring, it’s just a weariness of feeling helpless. What can men do in the face of such reckless hate? But I can’t do it forever. Evil can’t be left to its own devices.
I’ve done this to myself. I don’t care less about people. I still want good things for people not matter how far away they might be. But I’ve worked hard to try to accept the difference between my circle of concern and circle of influence. I try to do what I can, and the fact that there is large-scale badness, does not undo my tiny-scale goodness. We can only change what we can.
Also, it’s important to know that social media and news pour money into making you angry and upset. It is worth taking a step back and limit your exposure to bad sources of news. I’m off all social media (other than Lemmy) and I follow news only via RSS, only via curated feeds and with heavy use of blacklisting phrases. There’s no point in ruminating and being fed the same trash news all the time. Work towards stopping feeling bad and starting doing good.
