This piece will stay with me. The way you brought in Byung-Chul Han — the violence of positivity, self-regulation as a quiet form of rebellion — hit so close to home. So many of us have moved through the world feeling like we have to always be open, always share, always be seen. And it’s only now we’re beginning to understand how that constant visibility can actually take us further away from ourselves.
I especially loved how you wove in the idea that visibility isn’t the same as agency — that learning to pause, to not react immediately, is a strength. The reference to Christopher Lasch and mimetic desire was such a powerful reminder too — how often are we performing desire, or even authenticity, just to feel like we belong?
Thank you for holding space for all of this, and for gently showing that there’s another way — that we can build our way into the world with care, with patience, without having to always explain or offer ourselves up. You’ve put words to a feeling I’ve been sitting with for a while now. :)
Love this, Harnidh! I've been doing a lot of reading on platform regulation (the legal kind), so this one was a very interesting and different take on this. :)
This piece will stay with me. The way you brought in Byung-Chul Han — the violence of positivity, self-regulation as a quiet form of rebellion — hit so close to home. So many of us have moved through the world feeling like we have to always be open, always share, always be seen. And it’s only now we’re beginning to understand how that constant visibility can actually take us further away from ourselves.
I especially loved how you wove in the idea that visibility isn’t the same as agency — that learning to pause, to not react immediately, is a strength. The reference to Christopher Lasch and mimetic desire was such a powerful reminder too — how often are we performing desire, or even authenticity, just to feel like we belong?
Thank you for holding space for all of this, and for gently showing that there’s another way — that we can build our way into the world with care, with patience, without having to always explain or offer ourselves up. You’ve put words to a feeling I’ve been sitting with for a while now. :)
Love this, Harnidh! I've been doing a lot of reading on platform regulation (the legal kind), so this one was a very interesting and different take on this. :)