“It has always been this way”

The Stammering Dunce
3 min readDec 28, 2024

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Also published on Wordpress.

I am not one who thinks either the olden days or present time are 100% better than the other, as I acknowledge both times have the good and the bad. I am also one who recognises progresses and regresses are not linear, they constantly fluctuate.

For better or worse, changes will always happen. It is simultaneously demoralising and hopeful at the same time. While I am still cynical, I still have a shred of hope within me.

Which is why “it has always been this way” is such a bullshit statement. Because, even without the context of progresses and regresses, humans constantly change; every tradition started as a novelty. We are not static creatures, never were. I am not saying anything radical here, I am stating a very obvious fact about life.

But, while humans do have the ability to be extremely ignorant, I don’t believe ignorance is the reason why people utter that statement. I believe it is about consciously and intentionally protecting the status quo.

From my own anecdotes (emphasise on the word “anecdotes”), people utter it when they are confronted with calls for legally consequential reforms. Equal rights for women and minorities, more labour and consumer rights, wider definition of abuses, more equal wealth distributions, better access to education and healthcare for the wider societies, anything which can potentially leave a dent on the system or, at least, long-lastingly alter our worldview.

You oppose the calls because you are scared of changes. You are comfortable with the current circumstances and you fear that once the changes are implemented, you can no longer return to that comfort.

You oppose them because you fear of the possible realisation that you are a part of the problem. Even if you won’t suffer any consequences, you hate the prospect of being made to feel guilty (cry me a river).

OR

You oppose them because the status quo satisfies your arbitrary sensibility, because it feels right to you. But, due to the increasing pushback against the status quo, you realise it is getting even more taboo to defend it. Therefore, you try to guise your stance as pragmatism; you try to frame the changes as inherently impractical in the long run or even something which is against human nature.

And it is just sad how you try make yourself look logical and failing spectacularly… by citing the so-called “drawbacks” of the reforms.

You oppose equal rights for women and minorities because you don’t want men and the demographic majorities to no longer feel special about their identities, to directly compete with women and minorities as well.

You oppose labour and consumer rights and universal healthcare because you don’t want those already-rich businesspeople to earn less.

You oppose criminalisation of corporal punishments because you don’t want parents to stop treating their children as properties.

You oppose the reforms because you worship power and ranks. You want the high-ranking and powerful ones retain their freedom to do anything they want without suffering consequences.

Deep down, you realise life does not have to be this way.

And it bothers you deeply.

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My Patreon.

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The Stammering Dunce
The Stammering Dunce

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