You get to live a happy life and don’t care about all the horrible things happening all across the world. You wouldn’t feel terrible for children getting killed in a genocide half the globe away, every day. Blissful ignorance.
My response would be no. And I suppose most responses are gonna be no, but I also don’t think anyone who already doesn’t care would take a pill to start caring. That’s an interesting concept to me.
I’m sure that what me caring does to my mental state is far worse than however good is anything it does to anyone else. But by that logic, if everyone stopped caring, how would the world look like?
EDIT: It’s permanent. It doesn’t take away your emotions, it just stops you from caring about things like wars as long as they don’t directly affect you. Just like many people already have it.
Appearing to care is dangerous in this surveillance state. To avoid persecution, I register to vote with the current administration party. My main goal is to survive and ensure my dependent(s) are taken care of and have a future ahead.
If I could get my hands on that pill I would.
Pretty sure drugs work like that already.
Is anyone going to pay my bills while I’m on these pills or am I going to be homeless?
That’s the neat part! You won’t care!
Just like many people already have it.
And there it is. This is a not so thinly veiled post being highly judgemental about people on anti-depressants and the like.
As you’ve identified:
I’m sure that what me caring does to my mental state is far worse than however good is anything it does to anyone else.
So… if it’s not helping anything, and arguably harming yourself, what is the point?
I promise you that it is possible to be aware of these horrible things going on, accepting that you cannot do anything about them, minimizing of the negative impact on your own emotions and mental state… and to be able to move on with your own life and enjoy what there is to enjoy around you. All at once.
That isn’t a “lack of caring”, it sure as hell isn’t fucking ignorance. I honestly take quite a bit of offense at that.
It’s basic acceptance of what you can and cannot change. The relatively recent idea that if you aren’t emotionally distraught about world events then you don’t care is one of the most toxic and damaging to mental health things in recent time.
Some people will call it stoicism, but it’s not even going that far.
This whole idea of “I have to stay aware of all the suffering in the world, and I have to have strong feelings about all of it!” is just “thoughts and prayers” with a whole bunch of extra steps that people often use as justification to look down upon others who don’t stay as up to date, or who don’t get as emotionally invested.
So to answer your question, no. I wouldn’t take pills that work as you describe.
Thankfully, that’s not how anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication fucking work! (Unless you’re on far too high a dose or perhaps on anti-psychotics instead)
I didn’t get the sense they were talking about antidepressants, mainly because that’s not how anti depressants work.
I think they were referring more toto “magically becoming a conservative MAGAT.” They are famous for not caring about issues unless they’re directly affected and being quite callous up until that point.
They do care about things that don’t affect them, though. They care about repressing and punishing people who are marginalized. The premise of the question lacks that bit of nuance.
I don’t know the stats, but I would think people who take antidepressants are more likely to be left leaning (concerning themselves with issues that don’t effect them, in a caring way) than right leaning (concerning themselves with issues that don’t effect them, in a punishing way) because it is a common belief in the latter group that caring for your mental health is some kind of liberal conspiracy.
I know plenty of people on antidepressants and anti anxiety medications that are activists. And plenty of people who would benefit from them but think it’s for “libruhls.”
I just want to back up I_Fart_Glitter here and say I absolutely read this as they said:
“I think they were referring more to “magically becoming a conservative MAGAT.” They are famous for not caring about issues unless they’re directly affected and being quite callous up until that point.”
I didn’t read this as any kind of attack on people who take antidepressants, their statement about “how some people already have it” matches my experience with the MAGA people in my life. They couldn’t possibly care any less about people suffering unless it affects them directly. They even enjoy the suffering of those they see as political enemies.
FUCKING OF COURSE…
People do that all the time now. Hell I suck down a liquid that does that now. It is called Whiskey.
Empathy is something to be proud of. We’d just be dogshit conservatives without it.
Not feeling any empathy is horrible, but feeling absolutely god awful about things you can’t do shit about isn’t exactly a virtue.
I think there’s some humanity in shared sorrows regardless of your power to stop it. Everyone can contribute a little also. I think with enough motivation empathy can lead to discomfort that can inspire massive change in an individual for the better and in some cases massive changes in a society for the better.
I don’t want to stop caring. I just want them to turn off the torment nexus, even if it’s only for a little while.
Sertraline.
I’ve done this to myself. I don’t care less about people. I still want good things for people not matter how far away they might be. But I’ve worked hard to try to accept the difference between my circle of concern and circle of influence. I try to do what I can, and the fact that there is large-scale badness, does not undo my tiny-scale goodness. We can only change what we can.
Also, it’s important to know that social media and news pour money into making you angry and upset. It is worth taking a step back and limit your exposure to bad sources of news. I’m off all social media (other than Lemmy) and I follow news only via RSS, only via curated feeds and with heavy use of blacklisting phrases. There’s no point in ruminating and being fed the same trash news all the time. Work towards stopping feeling bad and starting doing good.
Why take pills when you can just smoke weed?
Weed can increase anxiety though.
Alcohol, now there’s your poison.
I can’t do either…
Weed started giving me massive panic attacks and alcohol gives me insomnia… I have to suffer this shit reality sober lol
Lower risk of lung cancer, I figure.
This question is explored in The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delila Harris if you’re interested in a novel on the topic.
Those pills exist but they can’t be taken in moderation so governments prohibit them and doctors tightly prescribe them for limited periods of time.
I mean does it improve my ability to survive?
Like I have depression, does it make my depression go away for the duration of its effects?
Sure, maybe I’ll take it.
I mean, I still remember what empathy is from my hippocampus, and I’ll just remind myself not to be a monster…
But I guess the major downsides is that I would not longer be able to “feel” the atmosphere of a movie/tv show. No longer able to “feel” the music. “Feel” the poems I write… idk if I could even write poems anymore.
No longer be able to feel the emotions associated with my past… the nostalgia… the pain… the trauma…
I hate the trauma…
But at the same time… it reminds me who my enemies are, so I don’t make that same mistake again… so I’ll know… know to take precautions… cuz my enemy is still alive and nearby…
I need to be able to feel to finish my memoir (finish lol more like start writing it… I barely got 100 words in).
So…
idk…
temporay effects… maybe…
I wouldn’t take a permanent one…
It’s permanent.
How it affects your depression depends on whether or how much is it caused by caring about the suffering of people all across the world. What inspired me to post this is a thing I’ve seen multiple times in comments on the internet - people saying that treating their depression is kind of pointless as it’s mostly caused by their awarness of that.
It doesn’t take away your emotions or empathy, or your ability to feels strong emotions during a movie. There are many people - I would maybe say the majority - who love their families, pets, neigbors, whatever, but fates of people from somewhere else in the world suffering in wars or genocides leave them cold. They just don’t care. Maybe a little, but definitely not as much to feel bad about it on a daily basis.
So like a selective suspension of empathy for anyone not part of your “in-group”?
Sure… I’ll take it.
I mean, I was already gonna prioritize my group over others… this doesn’t change much for most people… an average pleb like me can’t save the world, so I’d save those I care about first.
If I somehow end up being a leader where I actually have the ability to change things… my memories could still be there as a spiritual guide… as in hey, now you are in control, save those that are weak… hopefully I don’t forget to be a good person lol…
As for everyone else… probably a lot more intense tribalism. Its gonna be even more fucked if someone consider themselves to be the only person in their “in-group”…
I would force it on the hysterical right wingers who believe they need to impose their will on the world
Then people would actually be happy
I think you could also argue people like that ought to feel more empathy and understanding for the folks they impose their will on, right?
Some of these people are broken enough that they feel they are protecting “their own” by going on the attack against “the others”.
As long as they can still be led to believe somebody they don’t know is dangerous without evidence, then increasing empathy isn’t a solution by itself. You have to either force them to think twice, apply critical thinking, question sources and motives, demand evidence, etc, or else simply make them stop.
My wife and I often tell each other that we wish we were stupid and happy.
If it was temporary? Probably. I’d take an afternoon off. Permanently, though, I’d have to say no.
Sometimes it’s more than I can take and I take time away from social media. And it’s not lack of caring, it’s just a weariness of feeling helpless. What can men do in the face of such reckless hate? But I can’t do it forever. Evil can’t be left to its own devices.
