People DO Matter

[Gloomic]

I was originally going to respond to a vent thread that said nobody matters with this, but I decided to make my own thread because I felt as though responding with this was not the right time and place. Especially, since many of those vent threads under the suicide discussion sub-forum are not looking for a long discussion, but a way of releasing stress.

I will still answer some things that the original post mentioned that I was going to comment on, then move forward to why people matter to an extent.

I acknowledge the state of mind for many people on here and understand people have the view that nobody matters. We don't need to have the same perspective on things, but I'm willing to have a productive discussion.

Fake empathy was a term used for when strangers initiated pleasantries with them, specifically referencing American culture. Here is my response to that portion.

Empathy is defined as understanding and sharing the feelings of another. When people give you greetings of 'how was your day' and things of the like, it's an act of courtesy in American culture, not empathy. It's to be polite and engage in small talk. This is not universally liked by Americans, but it still stands as a commonality in the United States. General politeness shouldn't be attached to only personal interest.

My ideology is that everyone matters to an extent. Everyone plays a role in society in different ways. People matter because of their decisions and influences. When an argument is made that someone doesn't matter, it strips away the impact a person's decisions have by invalidating the person's existence. Someone experiencing something positive or negative, within themselves or by the hands of someone else, is invalidated of their experience because of this.
Victims lose their voice because they are seen as insignificant, and aggressors will not be held accountable due to percieved insignificance. The people who do acts of kindness, work hard, and contribute to the progession of society are also seen as not important to be discussed, taking away community.
Think of all the types of different people that exist and their social groups. Criminals, historical figures, parents, children, abuse victims, workers, homeless, people with disabilities, and so many more.
Saying that people don't matter invalidates consequences of people's choices, people's experiences, and autonomy.

Now, whether some people should exist or not is another statement that is not exactly the same as whether someone matters. People can have their subjective views on who deserves to live or die, or who they care about or not, and that's more acceptable than saying that none of it matters.

In our society, people have to matter to a certain extent for there to be a standard of respect to others and yourself.

 

[KarmaKat]

I can understand saying "people don't matter" at a grand, cosmic scale... I don't think the universe (as a whole) would change a single iota if humanity poofed out of existence tomorrow, not in any meaningful way.

but at a personal, human scale, people matter, both directly and indirectly, actions have long spanning consequences, however small.

I do think it is important to distinguish between "matter" in the sense of "I don't care about said thing" VS. "said thing has no effect on the world" – that things have effects on other things is undeniable, but wether one cares or not is ultimately subjective.