Reddit Users Share the Incidents That Made Them Realize Humanity Is Doomed
Over on r/AskReddit, a reddit user put forth the question, “What incident made you realize humanity is doomed?” With thousands of comments in response, the answers range from horror stories of retail madness to horrific events like world wars and school shootings. It’s not a cheery subject, to be sure, but it’s definitely a thought-provoking one. Let’s explore some of the most upvoted answers.
As we enter yet another year of living with a global pandemic, it’s not surprising that COVID-19 was on many people’s minds, particularly the response to the virus by authorities and the raging misinformation that followed in its wake.
Others wrote that it was the public’s behavior at the first outbreak of the coronavirus that made them realize our all-but-inevitable. When people are brawling in the aisles for the last pack of toilet paper and others are price-gauging protective masks, we are, as one commenter put it, closer to Mad Max than we’d like to believe. “Civilization is nothing but a gossamer fabric separating life from survival and almost everyone takes it for granted,” they wrote. Wow. Yes.
Another redditor provoked a lot of heartbroken reactions and agreement when they discussed the 2012 school shooting in Sandy Hook, CT, as their turning point when it came to humanity. Twenty-six people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, with twenty of them children between the ages of six and seven. Not only was this event unfathomably tragic, but it failed to move the needle on gun control in the United States. Crass villains like Alex Jones further exploited the tragedy for their own benefit and caused the parents of the young victims to be harassed for years.
On a global scale, several people mentioned the threat of climate change (and the lack of action therein), as well as the realities of the environment that we’ve made.
Of course, the loss of faith in humanity can be something experienced very close to home, and at a very young age.
And sometimes, it’s the “everyday” behavior of people around you that serves as the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Quite a few commenters shared their face-clawing experiences working in retail and in support roles.
Do you remember what first caused you to realize that we’re doomed as a species? I was already highly skeptical of our chances, but I think the election of Donald Trump, and his entire presidency, really hit it out of the park for me.
If you’ve tried to bleach this incident from your memory, a reminder that this was the statement made by the President of the United States on TV:
Or are you like the reddit user below, who asks the reverse of this question: What doesn’t make you think we’re screwed? Do we have any redeeming traits, folks? How can we ward off the seemingly inevitable apocalypse?
(via reddit, image: iStock / Getty Images Plus)
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