I’ve seen a lot of people over the years, like since I was a kid, express the opinion that if you  don’t like something that is being done where you are, or you don’t agree with the leadership, be it company, local, county, state, or federal politics, that “You should just leave.”

That’s great in theory. That assumes you have the resources to do that, to be able to walk away from that area, that community. Not everyone does. Sometimes it’s money that is the obstacle, sometimes it’s people, friends, family. Sometimes it’s employment. Sometimes it’s all of that and more.

The same can apply to our online communities, the connections that we have with people who may not be physically near us, but who are close to our thoughts and hearts. So please, think of that before you belittle someone for still using an online service that you feel is bad in some way. They most likely know there are problems there as well, and if they are still there, they have a reason.

Also think of that before you say everyone from a particular region is bad, and that the good people should get out, and if they stay, then they must support what is going on there. There have been many times when I have not supported what my local, state, and federal governments have done. I would hate to be held responsible for the acts of others. That doesn’t mean that everyone gets a free pass to just shrug and do nothing. If you don’t support what they are doing, let them know, vote for people that are more closely aligned with your goals. Remember that politics is not taking a ride to exactly where you want to be, it’s like taking a bus. You get on the bus and you take it as close as you can get to where you want to be, sometimes that means you get on another bus from there, or you take a train, or a car, or you walk, to keep moving towards where you want to be.

I know that I have been just as guilty of lumping people into a collective that I think is doing harm and then dismissing them because of that. I’ll probably do it again, because I’m human. But I’m trying not to. I’m trying to not, without evidence, assume that people support the terrible things that others do. But if someone does, then I’m either going to call them on it, or I’m going to decide that it’s not worth the effort, and just move on. That’s going to change day to day, sometimes I just don’t have the emotional/mental bandwidth to be able to do that. And on those days, I’m going to be disappointed in myself, but I’ll just have to deal with it, remember that I am human, and keep trying.