Opinion: This may not be a popular opinion given all the exceptional stories of rescue, heroism, kindness, hospitality and communities uniting.
But have we become worse as people?
Have the last few years taken their toll? Changed us as people?
The anxiety and division of a pandemic, the isolation of lockdowns, the weaponised hate of a terror attack, and the fear and threat of fatal natural disasters.
Has it all just been too much that our DNA has been fried? We’ve mutated. And not in a cool X-men way. In a nasty way. In a way that speaks to a lack of understanding, a lack of ownership of consequences. Also of desperation.
I ask these questions after reading way too many stories yesterday about really horrid behaviour.
Really, really horrible stuff like people looting commercial properties in Hawke’s Bay. People abused council staff during the emergency response to the cyclone.
To stuff that’s maybe less horrendous but still irks me no end - people tailgating and not turning their car lights on while driving during the cyclone. Seriously? That’s bad on a good weather day but when you’re trying to muddle through severe winds and rain and someone’s up your ass without their lights on it’s frightening and dangerous.
Yesterday in that weird apocalyptic torrential downpour in Auckland that came completely out of nowhere, I was driving, two hands clinging to the steering wheel no one going more than 30k, I dropped my mum off just as it was easing and drivers started getting super ragey - aggressively beeping and fist-shaking at each other. The weather was enough to make us all edgy - don’t start an unnecessary cacophony of collywobbles.
Then there was all the climate change denial that came through yesterday in the wake of the cyclone.
We’ve talked a lot recently about the rise in online abuse and troll mania.
I mean hate to get all negative on it and magnify the bad stuff when there is so much tragedy unfolding and so much good stuff going down too - but man…
Give me strength. Give me faith.
I know we’re better than all of that, that it’s still also in the margins and that people are beyond stressed right now but if you do hit a fork in the road, a point where you can choose to be nice or be a dick - to honk or let someone in - go with the good. Now more than ever.
