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I'm going to say something a little odd and self-contradictory, but I want to try saying it. One of the most powerful insights I've been experimenting with in the past decade is: When you have an insight, you often shouldn't talk about it – you should often enact it instead.
I have three egs coming to my mind right now 1. when you begin to appreciate feminism, don't talk abt it – embody it 2. when you learn abt productivity, don't talk abt it – be productive 3. if you're frustrated with an arts scene, don't bitch about the scene – discuss the art
I am one of the most prolific writer-conversationalists I personally know. Actually, the most. I don't personally know anybody who writes-talks more than I do. A consequence of this: I am VERY (painfully) aware of the limitations of talking-writing as a tool of persuasion
there are things that you will NEVER be able to persuade other people of through conversation, argument, rhetoric there's in fact a local maxima of persuasiveness, beyond it, each additional thing you say actually diminishes your credibilty consider "the lady protests too much"
There are two recent triggers for this set of tweets 1. Another article about some person's "much needed digital detox" experience on a cruise ship 2. This take by @priya_ebooks – the more I think about it, the truer it resonates with me https://t.co/zVRjH8Xy2R
I instinctively have some -ve thoughts abt a person who goes on a "digital detox" with the intent of coming back to write an article about it if you go on a social media fast with the intention of coming back to tell social media about it... you merely delayed your gratification
Of course, it's not so binary. Nothing is ever so binary. You can seek out a fast (or a road trip, or any sort of change) for selfish reasons and then be changed in more profound ways along the way. Not knocking on that. I'm talking abt how your signals will be interpreted
I've had several conversations with frustrated men who say things like, "How can I talk about feminism w/o women accusing me of being a fake male white-knight feminist who's out to score points?" See, this is a lemon problem. It's NOT ABOUT YOU. It's about the CONTEXT you are in https://t.co/JpjCc5PoRt
Which reminds me of this guy who was apologizing to all women on behalf of all men, and got mocked and trampled for it. You know, I honestly believe there's about an 80% he was being completely sincere. But it's like a second-hand car salesman going NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR!!! https://t.co/MT5BFrUDea
This is a gd point. The problem is a lack of proof. Too many people deal with the problem of lacking proof by trying to make their gestures/rhetoric more dramatic, but this actually casts more doubt on their legitimacy. Focus on acquiring concrete proofs https://t.co/Wva7BrRVkW
Circling back: 1. Generally speaking, show, don't tell, because the world is swimming in bullshit and skeptical of unproven/unverifiable statements 2. When you share sincere information that cannot be verified by third parties, don't take it personally when they doubt you
Sometimes you will have something that you want to say – something you think is powerful, because it's honest, sincere, true. It feels legit. You should definitely write it down. But before you share, ask – how will this information be interpreted by a skeptical marketplace?
That is really the central challenge of a lot of communication online, where the cost of transmitting BS is incredibly low. Smart people are constantly pattern-matching the firehose of Other People's Feeds, looking for evidence that they Get It. Which reminds me...
Something I read that really blew this open for me was @vgr's description of some dialogue on The Office. Reading this a few years ago made me realize how incredibly textured and subtle social reality actually is, and how much I was missing IN PLAIN SIGHT https://t.co/70t7p0bkSj https://t.co/E4mTwPwi2W
Anyway. I've already said too much. Some of ya'll will connect the rest of the dots on your own. Some of ya'll will completely miss the point. (Hopefully not too many.) Looking forward to the interesting DMs I'll inevitably get 🤓. G'night ya'll.
To clarify point 3: the BEST thing you can do would be to actually make superior art. But if you can't do that, then drawing attention to the best art, sharing your reviews & constructive criticism would be MUCH more effective at improving the scene than complaining abt the scene