this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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In this case, I'm referring to the notion that we all make minor sacrifices in our daily interactions in service of a "greater good" for everyone.

"Following the rules" would be a simplified version of what I'm talking about, I suppose. But also keeping an awareness/attitude about "How will my choices affect the people around me in this moment? "Common courtesy", "situational awareness", etc...

I don't know that it's a "new" phenomenon by any means, I just seem to have an increasing (subjective) awareness of it's decline of late.

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[–] waterbogan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

This is increasingly a problem in my country (New Zealand) too, its not just the USA. It seems to be mostly a Western world thing. Going to Japan and places like that where the social contract is still upheld is very refreshing

[–] fiat_lux@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (7 children)

All the time. There are things many people do which cause me (and others) physical pain because of a medical condition. They don't mean to cause me harm, but because they have a mental model of everyone sharing similar abilities as themselves, it simply doesn't occur to them that the one small thing they're doing has negative consequences for others. It's a monkeysphere thing, it's nobody's fault.

I get past it by remembering that I am also incapable of remembering everyone's needs at all times. I'm sure there are many things I have done which seemed completely mundane at the time, but affected someone else negatively. No matter how hard I tried.

The people who still do things like casually block the entire sidewalk with a heavy rental e-bike still pisses me off. But, not for as long as it used to. And if it's something I can fix for someone else who can't, I'll try to do that too.

I also try hard to ensure I actively remember other people's needs where I can. If I can create less suffering, I think that's a good thing to try for.

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[–] cumcum69@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

I wish more people would engage with this at the cinema

[–] Jackcooper@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

We live in a society - George Costanza

[–] FontMasterFlex@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago

Common courtesy and following the rules and situational awareness are not the same thing as "how will my choices affect the people around men in this moment."

[–] sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago

Sure, but the rules are usually made by powerful people to support their power. And we follow them to avoid losing our jobs and becoming homeless.

We live in a mercenary society, and if you reject that you just become homeless in a mercenary society.

There might be some jobs that pay a living wage and are 100% socially positive, but there are not enough of them for most people to live their lives by social contract.

We live by corporate contract, or else we are homeless.

[–] Pokethat@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

You just described c/antiwork

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemm.ee -3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

the notion that we all make minor sacrifices in our daily interactions in service of a “greater good” for everyone.

That's a talking point abusers and their supporters commonly use to convince victims to accept abuse and to continue to suffering.

No just society expects you to subordinate your unailenable right to defend yourself from violence, for example, but many states do, and they can and will arrest and imprison abuse victims for fighting back on those grounds.

Anyone who tells you to make sacrifices for the greater good is being immoral and should be ignored.

Greater goods do not require sacrifices.

[–] moog@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

i wholeheartedly disagree. Do I want to drive through every single red light to get to where I'm going? Of course! Do I? No because we cant have a function transport system without me sacrificing that. Do i want to blast music at 2am sometimes? yes, but do I? no because that would be unfair to my neighbors. There are a million examples I could pull from to prove my point.

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Other people explicitly don't do those things and suffer no consequences. And I am expected to sacrifice my health and well-being tolerating it for a low-status place in a society that never wanted me in the first place, so who exactly is benefitting from all of those sacrifices? Not me and not you. Only evil people who take advantage of it to benefit themselves and are willing to be aggressive to defend it get anything out of it, so my point stands. Being expected to sacrifice yourself for a greater good is immoral.

[–] FringeTheory999@lemmy.world -4 points 2 years ago

A. That’s not what the social contract is, and 2. There is no social contract.

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