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Things are Better

Entry 2387, on 2025-02-27 at 21:31:45 (Rating 2, Comments)

Many people claim that the modern world is a terrible place: that racism is out of control, that there is more violence than ever, that the environment is getting worse, that poverty is increasing. Sounds like a good story that the people who dedicate their lives to complaining and protesting, like climate activists, might appreciate, but is it true?

Well, there is some nuance here, because there are issues we need to take seriously, but overall the world is better than it has ever been. At least, that's my opinion, and it is one shared by many other people.

I think the big problem is that many people, especially those living in rich Western countries, have no idea what a bad world would even look like. They have no idea what life was like just 100 years ago, and probably couldn't even imagine what it might have been like 1000 years ago.

So let's look at some of the issues I listed above...

Is racism out of control? Well, this is probably the most stupid argument I have listed, because things have never been more equitable, and there are no formal barriers stopping minority races from succeeding in the more advanced countries.

In fact, if racism does exist, it is more prevalent in a form which is against the majority ethnicities in the Western world, in most cases, white people of European origin. And here's a relevant question: if the system works against black people so effectively, how did Obama get to be president?

So what about violence? Well the war in Gaza has effectively ended, although it is hard to know how long that might last, and rebuilding that area looks like a significant task. And the war in Ukraine is still active, but there are signs that it might be ended soon too, although that is uncertain. Also, there are various smaller conflicts and uprisings, mainly in Africa, which are a concern.

The ideal situation is for there to be no violence of course, but overall, compared with the past, the world is relatively peaceful. Note the use of the word "relatively" there!

So what about the environment? Well, we have climate change, which we are told is an existential crisis. Of course, it isn't, but we should still be concerned about it. There is significant destruction of some natural areas, such as the Amazon, but there is more forest cover now in the Northern Hemisphere than in the past.

Environmentalism, in general, is recognised as a legitimate concern by many people, although the increasing extremism of many activists today is spoiling that previous acceptance. Like everything, we need to stay realistic and not let the more extreme activists sneak in toxic political views in parallel with fair environmental concerns.

Finally, what about poverty? Well, 200 years ago, 94% of the world lived in poverty. Today it is under 10%. That sounds like a pretty significant improvement to me. Where poverty remains it is generally caused by conflict and political corruption, which will probably never be entirely eliminated, but the general downward trend seems very good.

Progress is good, and by progress I don't mean progressivism. What I mean is better technology, more freedom of thought and speech, and open and accountable governments. Note that all three of these are being pushed by the Trump administration, not the previous Biden one which claimed to be more progressive.

It is very important to not accept it when words are redefined. The political left around the world (what of it still remains) is rarely liberal, progressive, or equitable in the way I understand those words.

So yes, don't take too much notice of the news. The media today is often more inclined to pushing a narrative rather than reporting the facts. Do some research, look at the stats, and be cautious in accepting what the media tell you. Then you will see things are better than what we are often lead to believe.

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