/lit/ - Literature

Guys, you seriously need to stop succumbing to Protagonism.
Other people are not NPCs. They are not even cattle. They have galaxies in their brains. I promise you.

PROTAGONISM
The belief that one is the "protagonist of the universe" - the only one with salient complex thoughts, personality traits and dimensions, viewing all other people as simple and featureless "NPCs". Alternative analogy - protagonist is the "main character" of some story, while others are "supporting characters" who are not given much development.

The dangerous and harmful part of this belief is that, unlike a conscious ideology such as solipsism or egotism, protagonism is unconscious. The victim is unaware of his self-bias, he doesn't know that he's an egotits who gives no mind to other people's thoughts and problems, and does not even consider that such as thing as "their perspective" exists.

Being less of a constructed ideology and more of a parasitic mental infection, protagonism causes victim to regularly engage in following exercises:
- caricaturizing other people and their beliefs
- reductionism in arguments
- selfish, narrow-minded words and actions
- self-aggrandizing worldview, narcissism, stubborn belief that one is a unique special snowflake
- inability to empathize, sympathize
- thinking "for" other people, attempting to simplify their personas and "predict" their choices

PROTAGONISM stems directly from man's pride, but in the modern era, it is a mindset that you are incredibly much more prominent to falling into: because on the internet, one constantly engages with people whose name, face, voice are obscured (as well as actual real bots posing as human), it is easier than ever before in history to forget their humanity.

Don't fall into protagonism. Consciously remind yourself that other people exist and their inner world is just as complex as yours, and their lives are just as rich in experience. Don't engage in reductionism. Don't be selfish.