I find it strange and unsettling how more and more of our society is becoming "managed". This takes a few forms.

An obvious one is related to basic human interaction, and this one is has been noticed by others, too. This is using things like social media to avoid directly interacting with people (the algorithm tells you to whom you should talk or listen), dating sites to avoid directly approaching people (an algorithm tells you who to date), or even things like ride-sharing to avoid directly hailing a taxi (some system tells you with whom to do business). Our culture has now moved to the point where doing any of these things is on your own is considered somewhere between dangerous and suspicious (if even possible).

Another is that people no longer solve their own problems but ask an authority to do it for them. This is largely because their interactions now take place in "managed spaces" (like websites), so there are these authorities. In the real world, if you don't like someone or what they are saying, you can walk away and stop listening to them. In the modern age, you get a group of people to harass them or the authorities in order to "de-platform" them. After all, "If I don't like hearing what you say, nobody else should be allowed to like it, either". Questioning this approach is likely to put you in their cross-hairs, for some reason (I guess questioning the mob is something a witch would say).

A more bizarre one I have seen more recently is related to the normalization of having everything shipped to you, instead of going out to engage with your local economy. It is now to the point where, since people can't be bothered to answer the door, they are demanding increased policing to stop people from stealing things that they are leaving lying around outside. While people shouldn't be stealing things (that is another bizarre normalization problem), it seems like the simplest solution, and the one with the least other consequences, is just to take some personal responsibility: Either shop directly, get a PO box (or equivalent), or just answer the door.

The thing which troubles me most personally, however, is that pointing this out makes me the problem. I seem to be the only one who thinks this is an odd direction which means that I am the madman. I am told that I must change in order to like this world but I just can't and don't know why I would. If it doesn't make sense to me, why would I do it just because it is popular?

Uggh, I never really fit in but I am feeling like I am being more actively ejected, these days,
...Nights