The Revolution Will Not Be Installed
Harmful systems rarely survive on malice. Mostly they survive on convenience. We don’t want to give up what we’re used to.
A little story from my family chat.
Recently, a family member posted tips for tweaking our messenger’s settings to make our data a little safer. I thanked them and suggested a more effective fix: leave the app and switch to one with actual privacy protections.
What followed was a wall of text. All their friends are on it. Everyone’s already there. They’re not even using the messenger that often anyway. Nobody wants another app. Why complicate things when everything works?
On one side: our data, including the baby photos. On the other: a download.
OK, so we were talking about data protection. The main objection was having to install another app. I wasn’t suggesting rowing across the Atlantic instead of flying, or freezing in a virtuous little flat because of questionable gas sources. I was suggesting one download. One. Radical, I know.
And it’s not just my family. I see the same thing in parents’ groups, school or business chats, pretty much any group of people trying to coordinate their lives. Someone proposes an alternative, and within minutes the conversation turns into an elaborate explanation of why it won’t work. We spend more time explaining why we can’t change than considering what might improve if we did.
The status quo gets to be the default. Anything else has to justify itself.
I’m tired of this pattern. And bored. Mostly bored. But also tired. We’ve become excellent at diagnosing what’s wrong with the world, as long as the cure leaves our calendar, shopping habits, travel plans and preferred thumbs-up emoji untouched. We make tiny tweaks and little changes to feel better about a shitty system instead of considering better alternatives.
I keep coming back to this little exchange. How did “Should we be on this platform at all?” turn into “How would we live without it?” Tech bros did a great job.
If we can’t agree on changing the small things, like downloading a messenger to protect our data and our kids’ photos, how are we supposed to change the big ones?
Because the logic travels. The inconvenience of doing things differently starts to feel more urgent than the harm of carrying on as usual.
Until, of course, the status quo becomes inconvenient enough.
Sigh.
If this resonated with you, moved you, or made you pause and reflect – consider this your cue. I’ve set up a virtual tip jar via Buy Me a Coffee. No monthly commitments, no strings, no memberships required.
Your sweet kindness helps keep the thoughts flowing, the energy exchange intact, and the glow of my inner goddess alive. It won’t fix capitalism, but it might buy me five minutes of joy (or at least a cortado).
Gracias. Thank you. Jërëjëf. Merci. Obrigada. Danke. Arigatō. Medaase. Grazie. Hvala. Tack. Asante. Shukran. Teşekkürler. Dziękuję.
