"Alright, look, I'm actually not big on the "First World Problems!" meme, aka the hipster version of "Finish your dinner, there are people starving in China!" Yes, thank you, I'm aware that I am part of a class/culture for whom the prospects of winding up genuinely destitute are overall pretty slim. That I would have to fall pretty far and then on downward through every crack in the social safety net to even approach the level of desperation that many poor souls throughout the world live every day. And y'know what? The (mutually acknowledged) fact that I can't possibly conceive of that level of suffering means that you pointing out that my problems aren't comparable isn't going to have any tangible effect on me. It's not going to make me feel better, it's not going to give me perspective, it's not going to shame me into joining the Peace Corps. The only thing it does is help you thread the impressive paradox of simultaneously feeling somehow morally righteous while snark-shaming someone who just told you they were in the midst of a problem."
— Bob "Moviebob" Chipman, Death By Boring
"I wonder how people so deeply troubled by the "worse things in the world" find time to stop building hospitals and tweet."
"Telling people that you can't be sad because other have it worse is like telling them they can't be happy because others have it better."
— Unknown.
"So, quit complaining. Okay? You are rich with TV. Remember, Marie Antoinette may have lived in a palace, but she never got to watch The Learning Channel."
— Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, "The Word: Channel Serfing", refuting arguments against raising the minimum wage.
"In a small town, there may be no venues for performing arts aside from country music bars and churches. There may only be two doctors in town — aspiring to that job means waiting for one of them to retire or die. You open the classifieds and all of the job listings will be for fast food or convenience stores. The "downtown" is just the corpses of mom and pop stores left shattered in Walmart's blast crater, the "suburbs" are trailer parks. There are parts of these towns that look post-apocalyptic.
I'm telling you, the hopelessness eats you alive.
And if you dare complain, some liberal elite will pull out their iPad and type up a rant about your racist white privilege. Already, someone has replied to this with a comment saying, 'You should try living in a ghetto as a minority!' Exactly. To them, it seems like the plight of poor minorities is only used as a club to bat away white cries for help. Meanwhile, the rate of rural white suicides and overdoses skyrockets. Shit, at least politicians act like they care about the inner cities."
Frank: You don't know how good you've got it, buddy! I saw on the news there was a guy in New Jersey who chopped his whole family up!
Kevin: Oh, so either you or an axe murderer? Those are my only two options?
Kevin: Oh, so either you or an axe murderer? Those are my only two options?
—F is for Family, "Frank the Father"
"Always something happening, and nothing going on.
There's always something cooking, and nothing in the pot.
They're starving back in China, so finish what you got"
— John Lennon, "Nobody Told Me"
“I know.” said Cadance “But it just seems so hard to let go. He was my big brother, and I really loved him, but when I had to destroy him… it felt as if a part of me died with him.”
Lightning stepped forward. “You feel like you lost your whole world.” The girls turned to face him. “Believe me; I know what that really feels like.”
Cadance felt like she was only just beginning to realize the absolute truth and how her problems weren’t really all that bad. She only lost one or maybe a few family members or loved ones in her life, but everything else stayed the same for her. Lightning on the other hand, he lost all his people, his family, his friends; everything when his birth planet, Harmonious was destroyed. “I’m sorry, Lightning.” she said “I… I guess I wasn’t really thinking about how others have it.”
“It’s not your fault.” Lightning said as he joined her by her side and looked up at the stars. “When Harmonious blew up, and all my people died, not a day or night went by that I didn’t stop to think about it and all that I lost, and I still do, but I try to cope with it, and it helps. Now I have a reason to fight; a reason to keep on living; so that I can help protect others so they won’t likely have to face the same stuff I did. When Unicornicopia and Equestria were destroyed, I knew how everyone felt… but… look at all this, look what we created… in many ways we all learn to move on at some point, even if we ultimately can never put it behind us.”
Lightning stepped forward. “You feel like you lost your whole world.” The girls turned to face him. “Believe me; I know what that really feels like.”
Cadance felt like she was only just beginning to realize the absolute truth and how her problems weren’t really all that bad. She only lost one or maybe a few family members or loved ones in her life, but everything else stayed the same for her. Lightning on the other hand, he lost all his people, his family, his friends; everything when his birth planet, Harmonious was destroyed. “I’m sorry, Lightning.” she said “I… I guess I wasn’t really thinking about how others have it.”
“It’s not your fault.” Lightning said as he joined her by her side and looked up at the stars. “When Harmonious blew up, and all my people died, not a day or night went by that I didn’t stop to think about it and all that I lost, and I still do, but I try to cope with it, and it helps. Now I have a reason to fight; a reason to keep on living; so that I can help protect others so they won’t likely have to face the same stuff I did. When Unicornicopia and Equestria were destroyed, I knew how everyone felt… but… look at all this, look what we created… in many ways we all learn to move on at some point, even if we ultimately can never put it behind us.”
“If you tell me that building this whole country, and spending $350 billion out of $400 billion, that we misused or got corrupted with $50 billion, I'll tell you, "Yes." But I'll take that any time. There are so many countries in the Third World that have oil that are still 30 years behind. But, more important, more important — who are you to tell me this? ... What I'm trying to tell you is, so what? We did not invent corruption, nor did those dissidents, who are so genius, discover it. This happened since Adam and Eve. ... I mean, this is human nature. But we are not as bad as you think. ...”
"That’s exactly it. Are the best parts of life just finding momentary distractions just to keep yourself busy so you don’t think about the harsh realities of life for a second? I can ride roller coasters, meet new friends and spend time with my family all day long. But it doesn't change the fact that the sun is just gonna explode; and all this was for nothing…"
— Smiling Friends, "Desmond's Day Out".
"How can you be complaining about this when there are starving children in Africa? Starving children I'm doing less than nothing to help, because merely nothing would be ignoring them. But I'm specifically pointing out that I know about them to use them as underfed weapons against things I actually care about."
I'm not saying you should punch people who use this tactic in the face, steal their wallet, and spend all the money on charity donations and sweet victory whiskey. Technically, they're saying that, since by their own argument nobody is allowed to complain about anything if they're not reincarnated into one of the worst situations on the planet.
Nobody is allowed to complain about anything except the young and starving, and they're not allowed to complain about anything unless they're the youngest and most starving, all the way down to one tragic soul who can't help but notice that nobody's actually bloody doing anything about the situation.
I'm not saying you should punch people who use this tactic in the face, steal their wallet, and spend all the money on charity donations and sweet victory whiskey. Technically, they're saying that, since by their own argument nobody is allowed to complain about anything if they're not reincarnated into one of the worst situations on the planet.
Nobody is allowed to complain about anything except the young and starving, and they're not allowed to complain about anything unless they're the youngest and most starving, all the way down to one tragic soul who can't help but notice that nobody's actually bloody doing anything about the situation.
— Luke McKinney, "8 Things Some A$$#ole Says in Every Debate About Sexism
"
""Somewhere in the universe,
Somewhere, someone's got it worse.
Wish that made it easier.
Wish I didn't feel the hurt."
Somewhere, someone's got it worse.
Wish that made it easier.
Wish I didn't feel the hurt."
— AJR, "World's Smallest Violin"
I mean, y'know, people are entitled to their sexual proclivities. Let there be a thousand blossoms bloom, as far as I’m concerned. But I AIN’T spendin’ any time on it, because in the meantime, every three months, a person is torn to pieces by a crocodile in North Queensland.
— Bob Katter MP, in reference to the 2017 postal survey into legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia. This claim is not supported by the ABC's FactCheck.
the 2017 postal survey into legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia. This claim is not supported by the ABC's FactCheck."You realize there are children starving in Africa right now, right? And I'd rather punch them all in the face then have to give a shitty-ass coworker a shitty-ass gift."
— Amir Blumenfield, Jake and Amir: Secret Santa
