Am I being ignorant?

[Princess Luna]

Most of the time i try to avoid threads (and even news) about stuff I know is going be depressing, for example the lawsuit against Wal-mart failing, Strauss-Kahn getting away with rape, Union leaders being murdered in third world countries and it seems like the majority of threads involving Israel, I know this is basically burying my head in sand, but i when i do read about those kinds of things i find myself becoming a very bitter person. Does anybody else feel the same way or i am just being ignorant?

[Dunk]

The world's fucked up. The daunting, unknowable amount of work it will take to change it is discouraging. I'm sorry if words of encouragement is what you were looking for. At least you're not alone.

[Fopeos]

I feel your pain, comrade. I try to stay on top of the news. It's unfortunate that i'm seldom surprised with the eventual outcomes of the top stories. But I keep listening and reading all the same. My woman thinks I want to be depressed. I simply can't bury my head in the sand. Sure, we could distract ourselves with a constant barage of material goods. Or slip into TV-video game-comas. But then we wouldn't be communists/leftists.
Every once in a while, we get a victory. Even if it's a minor one, that makes us glad we were paying attention.

[Olentzero]

Much as it may seem depressing sometimes, keeping on top of events is vitally important for revolutionaries. It really is the only way we are able to expand and deepen our understanding of the world and the capitalist system, and we can use that understanding in our activities and conversations with other people - not necessarily other leftists and radicals, although that can also be invaluable - but with people who aren't actually political right now but who also want to understand the world.

Basically, don't just let what you know and learn overwhelm you. Yes, it's a fucked up system, but it doesn't get any less fucked up if you sit there and say "This is a fucked up system." Find ways of turning that knowledge, and the justifiable anger it creates in you, into action. Organizing. Building. Resisting. You can't do that if you don't keep on top of things.

Also wanted to add: The more you keep on top of things and apply socialist analysis to them, and the more you talk with folks about it, the more they're going to see you as a good source of information and keep coming back to ask you what you think. Organizing potential!

[Olentzero]

Just wanted to add something I read a few minutes ago. There's a new book (http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/The-Paris-Commune) out by Donny Gluckstein on the Paris Commune, just released by Haymarket. I'm really drawing some inspiration out of it in general, too.

Anyway - there's one section where Gluckstein quotes a Communard newspaper in discussing how the Commune related to the mass movement under it and how it also encouraged democracy. One line from the article:
It is more essential than ever than you maintain an interest in public affairs.These people were elbows deep in the middle of a civil war that would ultimately crush the first workers' state, and yet they wanted the workers of Paris to take the time to keep up with events so they could discuss them, debate them, and find a way forward.

If they saw that as important even in the heat of the fight, how could it be any less so now when things are relatively quieter?

[bcbm]

the world is a horrible place and humanity are, by and large, beasts. this is true now and unfortunately it has always been true. i hope there is something better for us and we can fight for it. and i will and do. but... i don't have too much hope.

[Kamos]

Surely reading a piece of depressing news won't make your life worse. Yeah, it feels bad for a short time to know that XY happened, but not for long.

[Hivemind]

My faith in humanity is - 3,000,000,000. It doesn't even matter if it goes any lower. If I see something that makes it go to - 3,000,000,015, it won't be much of a change, except that I am reminded how shitty my faith in everything is. And I read news and read lots of books and everything. So I'm constantly reminded of how shitty everything is. To me, it's not depressing anymore. It's not surprising to hear stupid shit anymore.