Being a Kind Decent Person Reinforces Power Structures and Perpetuates Harm to Us Assholes

As a progressive individual, I am often horrified by the actions of those around me. I know that even the most seemingly innocent acts, such as being kind or decent, can perpetuate harm and reinforce power structures. In fact, being a kind and decent person is just another way of reinforcing the status quo and keeping us assholes down.

First, let’s talk about kindness. Kindness means nothing if it promotes White Supremacy and Colonialism. Think about it – did Columbus stop being am evil Colonizer just because he smiled at some Native Americans? No. He still murdered and colonized them real hard. Same goes for kindness. Gentle Reminder.

Decency is equally problematic. To be decent is to adhere to societal norms and expectations. But who decides what is decent and what is not? Is is some sort of universal law or something? Nah, it’s white people. You see, typically, it is those in positions of power who get to make these decisions. By being decent, you are implicitly agreeing to play by their rules and uphold their power structures.

Decency means nothing if it allows for Hate Speech. Remember Charlottesville? Those Nazis were being decent, but that didn’t stop them from hate marching. Kindness and decency enable hate speech, and that needs to stop. Gentle Reminder.

Moreover, being kind and decent can often lead to complacency. When we focus on being nice to those around us, we often fail to address the systemic issues that cause harm in the first place. We become blind to the ways in which our own actions contribute to these power structures, and we fail to hold those around us with no power, but who are easy to punch, accountable. It’s not punching down if they’re standing right next to you.

Being nice means nothing if it reinforces all the whiteness. Have you seen how women and LGBTQIA+ folk are treated in our society? I haven’t, but from what I hear, it’s pretty bad. They need justice, not kindness and decency. Being nice allows for oppression, and oppression sucks.

So what is the solution? It’s simple: we need to stop being kind and decent. Instead, we need to be radical, disruptive, and unafraid to challenge the status quo at all times, in the most uncharitable and annoying way possible. We need to recognize that our actions, no matter how evil they may seem, can never be as evil as the white person is just getting up in the morning.

So let’s stop being nice and start causing some trouble. Start by egging your neighbor’s house. Gentle Reminder.