"Groups so small that they become powerless and have no chance of effecting any societal change. Unless, of course, we choose to ignore the labels and realize they don’t matter because we really are all the same." Exactly. So well said.
Humans all share the same finite spectrum of emotions, so every other human on the planet has experienced every emotion that you have. That's why art works to connect us and why authoritarian types want to ban books and defund art programs. Thank you for writing and sharing this.
I disagree completely with E2. This relentless push to force people into smaller and smaller subsets like Matryoshka dolls is not a human function, but a computer one. It’s an easy tell; I defy anyone to find people talking at the dinner table with all these labels! It’s fundamental to AI, specifically, and is born from racist and misogynist algorithms created by mostly White tech bros, who currently control the world and are hellbent on burning the planet—because they can’t be bothered to develop anything less environmentally destructive than the 150-year old combustion engine.
This relentless categorizing hides an utter lack of creativity that will,sooner rather than later, result in climate collapse and humanity’s extinction. But tech bros are so busy counting and numbering trees, they’ve totally lost sight of the burning forest.
It's human nature to want to name things. It gives us the means to talk about our world, the parts we are presented with, and the parts we construct. All labels arise from someone's need to say something. In a complexifying world, I imagine this need will only increase.
That doesn't mean *you* need to use or care about tags that aren't relevant to you. It doesn't mean that anyone needs to impute or assume value judgements associated with particular terms.
"Groups so small that they become powerless and have no chance of effecting any societal change. Unless, of course, we choose to ignore the labels and realize they don’t matter because we really are all the same." Exactly. So well said.
Humans all share the same finite spectrum of emotions, so every other human on the planet has experienced every emotion that you have. That's why art works to connect us and why authoritarian types want to ban books and defund art programs. Thank you for writing and sharing this.
Thank you Rebecca
Once again a very thoughtful piece. It’s so sensible and yet so new and clear thinking. I am glad I found your stack.
Thank you Marg 💜
I disagree completely with E2. This relentless push to force people into smaller and smaller subsets like Matryoshka dolls is not a human function, but a computer one. It’s an easy tell; I defy anyone to find people talking at the dinner table with all these labels! It’s fundamental to AI, specifically, and is born from racist and misogynist algorithms created by mostly White tech bros, who currently control the world and are hellbent on burning the planet—because they can’t be bothered to develop anything less environmentally destructive than the 150-year old combustion engine.
This relentless categorizing hides an utter lack of creativity that will,sooner rather than later, result in climate collapse and humanity’s extinction. But tech bros are so busy counting and numbering trees, they’ve totally lost sight of the burning forest.
So well said!! I completely agree with this perspective but have struggled to explain it this well.
Thank you Rachel!
It's human nature to want to name things. It gives us the means to talk about our world, the parts we are presented with, and the parts we construct. All labels arise from someone's need to say something. In a complexifying world, I imagine this need will only increase.
That doesn't mean *you* need to use or care about tags that aren't relevant to you. It doesn't mean that anyone needs to impute or assume value judgements associated with particular terms.