the myth of “nothing ever happens”
a sentiment laced with privilege and apathy
the phrase “nothing ever happens“ has been all over my tiktok and twitter. these three seemingly unassuming words have been said as a response to everything that’s been going on. and if you’re on earth right now i’m sure you know that quite a lot has been going on. wherever there’s a video informing people about current affairs and issues (usually bad news), there is a comment that reads nothing ever happens. what does this mean? well, it means exactly what is says. with all this news, with there being new stressful situations, or tragedies everyday, people have become numb. you might have even heard the phrase “numb is in” from actress rachel sennott, who mentioned the use of beta blockers at public events (galas, award ceremonies etc.). and she isn’t the only one using this medication to “keep her cool”. there might not be a direct correlation, but the premise is the same. people have lost the ability to feel. willingly or unwillingly, we have become numb. the phrase “nothing ever happens“, like all good things, originated from 4chan. someone was tired of how boring life is, begging God to “make something happen“ (as seen in the image below). a “nothing ever happens” ideologue believes that all politics is spectacle and that at the end of the day nothing changes.
it’s not a good way of thinking (at least in my opinion), and it also shows a bit of self-centeredness and lack of awareness for those around you. it’s okay to feel like nothing ever happens in YOUR life. there are times in my life where i felt like everything was an endless cycle. but it becomes telling of one’s arrogance and apathy when they say nothing ever happens in the real world and politics because things are happening and changing for people everyday. just because they don’t personally affect you, doesn’t mean they don’t affect others, or the environment. even more ignorant is to say nothing ever happens in response to real life news because it is evident that something is happening, but again, just because you feel like the news isn’t changing anything in your life, “nothing ever happens“. it could be a coping mechanism or being desensitised (which is why i’m a strong contender for taking a break), but it would be harder for someone who isn’t as privileged to have this same mindset.
some people had this “nothing ever happens“ mentality toward the most recent US presidential elections. let me ask you a question: would it be easy for an immigrant to have this same mentality? a person in the gaza strip? the answer is no. because there is a real threat of something happening to them. i can’t speak for every marginalised group, but as a black woman, it’s hard for me to say nothing ever happens, especially in light of recent news. again, some may resort to this mindset to cope, or let the numbness consume them so that they don’t have to feel all the bad feelings — i’m not really talking about them. in any case it is so important to feel. it’s what makes us human.
to the people who don’t feel affected by the recent news (although anyone who isn’t in the top 1% will be), please have empathy. don’t become desensitised. i know it’s not easy with so much going on, and as a society we have become less woke (i hate to use that term because it has lost all original meaning). there has been a strange surge in the lack of empathy and care for our fellow human beings, and maybe that’s due to covid or trump or just everything. nevertheless, this harmful rhetoric of “nothing ever happens“ is only promoting apathy and ignorance.
we need to feel. not just for ourselves but for the people around us — that is the definition of empathy. and we need to have more of it.
'nothing ever happens' is a copout for the disconnected.
the world's burning but they want dopamine over disruption.
this piece cut through the fog.
very humanizing.
solid post.
There’s just so much happening all the time — not just in one place, not just in one country, but everywhere. And yet, I keep seeing this mindset that if something isn’t directly affecting you, it doesn’t matter. That you don’t have to care until it shows up on your doorstep. But that kind of thinking is so dangerous.
Because just because it’s not your sister or your neighbor doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Women being murdered, raped. Wars tearing through homes. Power being abused in broad daylight. You might not feel it immediately, but that doesn’t mean it’s not touching you. It’s showing us — all of us — that those in power can twist that power into something brutal. And if it can happen there, it can happen here. To anyone. At any time.
Honestly, the bare minimum — the absolute baseline of being a decent, thinking human being — is to care. To speak up. Not in some radical or illegal way, but in the ways we’re allowed to: by using our voice, by showing up, by not letting things slide just because they’re not “ours.”
I didn’t even realize how many people think “nothing ever happens” until I started stepping outside my usual circle. Going to formal debates, joining conversations that pushed me. It was eye-opening.
This whole topic means a lot to me, and I really felt what you wrote. The way you expressed it — it hit. Thank you for putting it out there.