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It is because most of them are not being affected by it, at least not yet, especially the ones with resources to do things.
Very recently several people and I had a conversation with someone we have known via a shared common interest space online. The guy has a decent tech job, lives in a nice apartment, and is 10 minutes from his office in downtown Seattle, and is always discussing, and showing, the new camera equipment he is experimenting with, the new computers/pc components he is playing with, and the expensive software suites he uses for his hobbies.
This conversation started because he disclosed that he truly, actually, honestly, did not believe that anyone in the west gave a shit about the genocide in Palestine, and that it was all just social points. This kicked off a long talk about he truly does not understand activism, he doesn't believe that grass-roots social movements exist, outside of being a way to earn social points, and does not believe that people can empathize with people they have never met. He openly said he doesn't care about what is happening because it doesn't really affect him, the worst that will happen is his hobbies will get more expensive until trump leaves office. Not only this, discussed that that was the general consensus among his peers. He even provided anonymized group chat, text, etc. screen shots to prove it wasn't just him projecting onto the people around him. Everyone in this guy's life, at least publicly, professed these same feelings.
He represents a large swath of the middle class. They are comfortable, can not relate to anyone they don't know, in any real way, and are not, or are only superficially, affected by this stuff. This leads them to believe everyone else is the same. He, and it appears everyone he knows, never once considered anyone actually gives a shit about any of this, and those affected are just fall in the margin where people get hurt by change, and there will always be that margin. The example given was a should he be freaking out about getting shot because a margin of people in the US do, no of course he shouldn't. He also does not understand how this can become something that affects him, like he intellectually realizes if something happens, it can be anyone, but he is not able to actually believe this stuff could actually happen to him. This is why populations sleep on tyranny until it is too late. A huge portion of them are unable to look at what is happening to other people, and apply that possibility to themselves. So they have to be stomped by the boot, before they realize they need to resist getting stepped on by it.
If you look at this from his point of view, he likely thinks that no one that doesn't know him, could possibly care about his well being.
He may not say it directly, but this is his world view. Unless you know someone who is or are directly affected by something; how can you care about it!
I would even say that it is "normal"; humans evolved in tribal societies. A few hundred people to maybe a few thousand. Our brains are really not wired to care about billions of people.
I find it hard; how do I empathize with someone I have never met, but also will never meet? I have probably got a lot in common with them, but I will never be able to know what. It does hit home when it is kids being effected though, the loss of innocence and the potential missed is terrible.
Don't judge too harshly; it is always easier for most to act locally rather than globally. That acting however requires a drive of some sort.
Is he white? Being white also shields a lot of people from this stuff. Although, as a personal antidote, we had a driver from East Africa and he was super MAGA. He had even won a lottery to get here. Interesting conversation.
I was like your friend when I was young as well. It's super easy to stick your head in the sand.
He is white, but queer. It isn't only people of wealth privilege that fall into this. I think it may be the majority that don't understand this type of threat assessment. The cabbie got here, he won the lottery, his life is likely a lot better, in a lot of ways, and none of this has impacted him, or anyone he really cares about, at least not yet. I bring up the middle class because their resources are crucial to making change happen.