A week or so ago, I posted an innocuous quote about slander on my Instagram feed. It was quickly labeled as “false information” by “independent fact checkers” and censored— hidden away because it was apparently so threatening.
Here’s what the quote was:
In reality, I have been experiencing a painful episode in my private life of professional and personal slander. Being the good social scientist/anthropologist that I consider myself to be, I set out to understand the psychology of slander. Anyone that knows me intimately knows what this means— I dove deep into the world of slander, the history of it, the neurobiology, the interpersonal web of group dynamics that makes it so powerful.
This quote was intended as a teaser for the upcoming blog I am writing about slander. It’s really a story about the lions and the sheep in society. But, I digress.
My partner in crime Chrissann (who does all my social media, PR/website design) asked if I wanted her to remove it from my IG page. My immediate reaction was, “Fuck no.”
The Instagram police censoring a quote card doesn’t in and of itself bother me. Most of my career takes place in the depth and authenticity of IRL. But the principle of being censored really gnawed at me—Because today it’s a quote card, but tomorrow it’s my ideas, and the next day it’s my rights, and after that, well, we know this script.
So I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that if my website/social media offends you in any way, please feel free to unfollow me using the power of that unfollow button. That, right there, is the power you have on these platforms to curate your exposure to anything that hurts your sensibilities. Seize it.
And, if you are new here, or you’ve been around a while (thank you!), I want to reintroduce myself with Five Facts You Should Know About Me:
1) I’m unconcerned with being liked. Plain and simple. I left that in my thirties and honestly, I barely had it then either. I am interested in discussing topics that have deep tentacles that impact our life in profound ways. And I am interested in the human experience: mine and yours. But I am not concerned with being liked. If I am doing my job well, you won’t like me all the time. I’m okay with that. I hope you are too.
2) I believe freedom of choice and freedom of speech are partners in crime. You can’t have one without the other. My goal is to provide people with information, a POV (often a strong POV), and a launching pad for you to find your own way towards your own truth. This is an invitation to learn about your own relationship with yourself. But in the end, this is a benevolent dictatorship here in my tiny slice of the internet— I curate my content to suit my professional and creative urges. I won’t tailor that to suit popular opinion. See number 1 for why.
3) I have a mailing list, in case you didn’t know. Here’s the link if you’re not already subscribed, or if you know someone else who should be (thank you in advance for sharing!). My areas of interest are broad and sweeping. I have consciously chosen not to become an expert in any one lane. Lanes make me nervous. This mailing list is my (and Chrissann’s) top project for 2021. It’s the only thing I really own when it comes to the internet, and I intend to spend much of my focus this year on my website, content, book proposal, and blog. So, please sign up to stay in touch. I will be on these platforms as little as I need to be in order to reach my goals.
4) You won’t get any photos here or on social media of my family, my love, or my personal life in any deep sense. You can’t have access to that. I’ve got a small tight pack I run with, and we have something that can’t be shared, mostly because it can’t be replaced if it got injured or hurt. I keep everything of consequence to me offline. For that matter, you won’t get selfies or ads on here either. It’s not my jive. (No slight on anyone who does, I’ve bought a bunch of life changing products through IG ads.) Also noteworthy, I’m allergic to bullshit. Occasionally, I’ll use this space to announce seminars, events, and content on my blog. Daily, on social media, you’ll get a snippet about something I am thinking about or working on, or something I have experienced. I’m trying to keep it simple here. These platforms make me itch. Again, see number 3 on how to stay in touch with me in a much deeper and more meaningful way.
5) I believe social media platforms are a social experiment, for which we are all subjects. We are not the puppeteers. We are the puppets. As a people watcher, this fascinates and terrifies me.
I’ll be frank about my intentions here: I am here to source opportunity. I am here to monetize my talents. And I am here to add value to valuable conversations. Those conversations might provoke or trigger you. You’ll have to be accountable to yourself about whether or not it’s good for you virtually hang out with me.
Okay, that’s it for now. Stay curious.
