The weight of performative politics

05 Jun The weight of performative politics

Staying human when the pressure to have a public stance becomes overwhelming

We’re being asked – demanded, even – to perform our politics.

The feed floods with imagery.
DMs fill with petitions.
Silence is labelled complicity.
Certainty is currency.

Binary, black and white thinking is coerced.

And yet – many are quietly asking:

•  What if I’m still forming my view?
•  What if I feel the horror but don’t know what action truly helps?
•  What if I feel overwhelmed, but pressured to post anyway?
•  What if my view isn’t socially acceptable, or trendy?

This isn’t apathy.

It’s emotional saturation.
It’s moral overload.
It’s the cost of living in a time where every grief must be seen, sorted, and responded to – in real time.

There is no ethical algorithm.
No perfect caption.
And no just movement is built on coercion.

Independent thought – genuine, questioning, accountable thought – comes at a social cost. Especially in emotionally charged times.

But maybe this is the deeper work:
To stay human inside the noise.
To stay open without being swept.
To feel without performing.

You don’t owe the internet your conscience.
But you do owe yourself the space to find it.

If you’re feeling the weight of it all – it’s okay to pause.
It’s okay to not have a post-ready answer.
Let’s hold space for the complexity.