I basically wrote this because I am sleepy. Tagging a few peeps who I think would want to read it?
When people talk about how dumb and rude and fucked the tumblr community is I get really confused.
Everyone I follow is intelligent. Not everyone writes seven page essays on why our world sucks, but you don't have to do that to appear intelligent to me. Understanding the issues and picking the right battles is enough. That said, I don't always agree with everything that everyone says, but it seems that when other opinions don't align on one issue; suddenly everyone is broken and this site is ass backwards. That's not fair. Actively supporting animal rights on this site doesn't mean that someone doesn't also support basic human rights.
You know what one of our rights are? Making mistakes, and choosing whether or not you're going to learn from them. We are constantly discussing compassion and understanding and a future with equality, but we attack the opinions that vary, even if it varies only slightly. The problem is that we've accepted that we're good people because we understand what the issue is, and by accepting this, a lot of us are done with our civic duty. "I fed a stray cat once because I understand their need." The cat has more needs than that you guys. The cat needs a steady supply of food. The cat needs a home. The cat needs to be brushed. The cat has fleas. The cat needs it's nails trimmed. What if something changes and the cat gets sick? The cat now needs medication. What if the cat has diabetes, and the food you fed is killing it?
Our culture is fluid, and therefore the issues evolve. Gay marriage is legal here in Canada, but I can easily name twenty people who are homophobic. Women are allowed jobs that were impossible to them in the past, but many are being paid less than men. Interracial marriage isn't frowned upon as it once was, but it's a requirement to express that in media otherwise "They just wouldn't think to do it" and the only reason that they do this is to satisfy more people to make more money.
My point is that understanding an issues now doesn't mean that you will always understand it. Sticking to your guns is good, and I appreciate that because that is how change happens, but arguing that a starving stray cat needs food just doesn't always cut it.
Don't kill the cat because you only understand that it is starving.