Postcolonial Narratives, Empathy Burnout & ADHD

Have I become too numb?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86URGgqONvA

What is Postcolonialism?

Put simply, postcolonialism studies the nature and lasting effects of colonialism and imperialism, wherein nations seek to impose their will on others by conquest or other forms of influence.

If that sounds like a familiar topic around here, it absolutely is! Many of my favourite novels and series are deeply postcolonial, most often by directly examining imperialist mindsets and philosophies and contrasting them with peoples and cultures attempting resistance. Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" (above) is another clear example of a postcolonial work, contrasting Indigenous perspectives with those of rapacious settlers.

I've been steeping in these stories for almost five years now, beginning with N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season (apparently there's an adaptation in the works, so maybe I'll finally talk about those books!) and currently working on Adrian Tchaikovsky's Pretenders to the Throne of God (book four of The Tyrant Philosophers). Importantly, this has also included quite a few nonfiction and loosely fictional stories about real events and experiences, often from immigrants to Canada and occasionally our southern neighbour.

Characters from Seth Dickinson's Masquerade series, art by ArianWells

[The works of Seth Dickinson, Ann Leckie, Adrian Tchaikovsky, N.K. Jemisin and more feature casts of deeply human characters caught in the pull and sway of imperialism, often overcoming empathy and justifying their actions by the fact that they're either just one cog in the system, or not 'as bad' as the system they intend to dismantle.]

I've grown a lot over this time, thanks in no small part to engaging with these stories and coming to learn the vast number of ways imperialism continues to oppress individuals and entire communities today. And I'm hardly alone – postcolonialism is deeply embedded in the speculative fiction genre, not to mention being central to a lot of discourse happening online.

What hasn't significantly changed are the stories, either real and fictional. The problems persist despite being better understood, and continue to impact the lives of real people. (Perhaps more than ever, given the anti-immigration trend that's been sweeping the world in recent years.)

I read a lot of books about societal injustice for my book clubs in February, and I found myself growing numb to them. Because despite being from different people with their own unique stories, the structure and beats had simply become familiar – the same societal issues still looming for all to see. Am I [becoming] a bad person?

Murderbot & the Preservation team, by asterion-out-of-the-maze

[Murderbot begins utterly apathetic to anything and anyone beyond itself, partly because it is aware of just how awful the universe is and feels it can't make any difference, so it might as well just enjoy its favourite shows. It comes to care for its group of humans, however, and the effects of that empathy have ripples felt far and wide.]

Global (Online) Compassion Fatigue

At the very least, I don't think I'm entirely alone in this. It's been clear for a while that part of Trump's success at pushing through illegal and evil bullshit is simply due to blitz tactics: attacking everywhere, all at once, so that not just bureaucracy but also we as people struggle to keep up with – let alone process – what is happening.

Add to that the globalized 24-hour news cycle and the rage- and guilt-baiting which now define social media, and is it any wonder we struggle to conjure up emotions for situations we're all but powerless to make a difference in? Even when we desperately want to be there, to show up fully for each and every cause. It'd be impossible even if you never took a second off, let alone if you also want to live your own life.

But! The goal of those blitz tactics, of that implanted or reactionary defeatist language, is to make us think that just because we can't make participate in every battle or raise a flag for every cause, we can't make any difference at all – and that's bullshit. (Including, perhaps especially, when it comes from voices on your side.)

Show up where you can, when you can. Locally and offline will often be more effective and fulfilling than any amount of reposting!

Frenchie from The Marrow Thieves, artbyjaafar

[Frenchie's story is defined by his people's dehumanization in the eyes of the world, where Indigenous bodies are harvested to return dreams and happiness to settlers. His people must come together and fight for themselves, because empathy has otherwise been made invisible – if not erased entirely.]

ADHD & Narrowing the Scope

Just because there are billions suffering in the world doesn’t mean you ignore the person bleeding to death in front of you. Likewise, I think by focusing in on the individual lives and perspectives shared in books, rather than constantly comparing them to the literary canon, I’m able to rediscover some of the empathy and curiosity I thought I’d lost. 

My experience is also certainly tied to my continued struggle to understand and work with my ADHD. As I've written about before, I often find myself mentally paralyzed (experiencing executive dysfunction) by having too many tasks weighing me down at once, to the point that I'm incapable of doing anything. I talked back then about writing individual things down in the moment in order to clear the storm – in the past two weeks I've implemented a new ongoing list in the hopes of tackling exactly the same issues.

Because, obviously, the solution is to just take things one at a time. But damn if my brain doesn't want to work that way. And the world doesn't either, when there are a hundred thousand crises demanding our attention, signatures, money and time at any given moment.

Take care of ourselves, and show up when we can. It sucks we can't solve every problem! But better one at a time, building our strength as we go, than none, and dissolving in an acidic blend of guilt and hopelessness.

(I was initially going to extend into post-postcolonialism and intersectionality, but I think the ADHD connection was more helpful today. I'll get there another time, if not next week.)

Thanks for reading and until next time <3