I’m tired of the performative outrage cycle. It’s not helping anyone.

so im sure u know how this whole sydney sweeney x american eagle thing has been blowing up. at first, i didn’t feel anything. i was just like “okay, people are probably exaggerating again.” cus idk im not the type of person that doesn’t just run with stuff i see online. so i go look it up. i fact check. i see what’s actually going on and when i did? it turns out the actual ad just ends with her saying “i have great jeans.” that’s it. no weird voiceover, no monologue about traits and offspring. i was like… ??? wtf is goin on fr.

then i saw people were posting this quote that’s like “genes are passed down from parents to offspring…” and i was confused as hell because i couldn’t find that in the ad at all. then eventually i found out it was from a tweet about what was supposedly an old internal script. and i’m just like bro… that wasn’t even in the final ad😭

and at the same time yeah since that line was ever even considered, it is weird. and i don’t like it. it definitely gives off eugenics-y undertones and the whole aesthetic of the campaign doesn’t help. so i get it. i’m not saying it’s fine. but the way people react to this stuff online just makes me tired.

like no one’s trying to talk about it, everyone’s just trying to be the most outraged. and then they project like crazy onto anyone who isn’t matching their emotional level. you say “hey i see your point but i think we could do something more productive,” and people act like you called them stupid. it’s absolutely brain rotting and mind boggling.

i just wish people knew you can care without spiraling. you can feel strongly about stuff AND use that energy to actually do something with it. like yeah, the media has an impact, especially on younger people. it teaches them how to feel about themselves. that matters. but if all we do is yell about it, and then move on? nothing changes.

like bro. if you’re in high school or college, make a club. host a conversation. post a slideshow. make a google doc. help people feel good about themselves instead of just doomposting all day. even if you’re not in school, you can make a tiktok, a blog, whatever. just… do something.

i’m just so over how we respond to these things. every time there’s a controversy, it’s like people wanna be mad more than they wanna make change n i’m so tired of it tbh.

anywayzzzz i just needed to get this off my chest. idk. maybe someone out there feels the same😹😹ik my take isnt rly unpopular.