An update and a preview
Reclaiming my mind with a shift in focus
A few events conspired this week to get me reflecting on what exactly the point of this endeavor is. I’m still not interested in money, nor in increasing the number of subscribers or scoring a bunch of “likes” (though I do always look forward to interacting with you all in the comment threads). I’m enjoying the chance to practice my writing skills, but there are far less controversial ways to do that. And goodness knows that neither Substack nor the internet-at-large needs another “anti-woke” voice in the culture wars (though I do try to avoid drifting to that extreme). I can share my thoughts on the news of the day, but usually by the time I get a few hours to myself to reflect on it, another great writer out there has already made all the points that I think are important to make.
One of my initial goals was to have an outlet for “the thoughts that roll around my head,” but I find having the goal to publish something here every other week or so causes the thoughts to be more dominant in my mind, not less. And to be honest, I’m reaching a point where I want to “reclaim my mind,” so to speak. I want my time with my family not to be hijacked as much by my wandering thoughts. I want my time at work to be more productive, especially in my new role where I need all the brain capacity I can muster. The cost of this endeavor is high—not just in monopolizing my mind, but in the effect it has on others: upsetting real-life people I care about, as well as potentially fueling disillusionment or antipathy towards causes that I largely support. What is the return on this investment?
I started this blog after I suddenly decided that I’d been looking at social justice issues in a warped and counterproductive way, and that I wasn’t the only one doing it, loudly. I was compelled to try to reach others in the same position and attempt to convince them to shift perspective in the same way I had. I toyed with the idea of writing a book, but I challenged myself to start small, shape my thoughts, practice being concise (ha), and see how much time I really had to spare for this kind of work. Over time, though, I find myself with the all-too-familiar recognition of the futility in attempting to change the minds of others who are not interested in change. If one of my biggest prior learnings was that being preachy, sanctimonious, and know-it-all was ineffective, what makes me think this time is different?
What always bothered me about critics of antiracism was the widespread lack of alternative proposals to understand or address the problems I cared about. Looking back, I’m proud of most of the posts I’ve written, but I’ve done remarkably little to shape a clear vision for a better (more accurate, more humane, more actionable, more optimistic) way of looking at the world than my previous version. Probably the post that came closest to this goal was Systems & Starlings & Magnets & Morals, my favorite of all of my posts, but the one that received the least engagement—which is ok, really! Again, this doesn’t bother me, since I’m not in it for the hearts, but it does reinforce something Jeff Maurer and Jesse Singal both wrote about recently—there are all sorts of social motivators to focus on the more controversial aspects of the culture wars; less so on positive, big-picture analyses.
This long-winded windup is my way of saying: changes are coming. First, I am no longer committing to any sort of regular publishing schedule, which hopefully shouldn’t bother too many people since (1) this is free and (2) like me, you’re probably subscribed to more Substacks than you can keep up with anyway. The other change is that I am going to try to avoid the temptation of commenting on the news of the day. I want to focus on describing, from the ground up, the structural problems that many of us want to address, and breaking down the constituent contributing factors (legal, cultural, psychological) as fairly as I can to possibly help bring some clarity to the ways various collective actions can both help and hurt the overall cause. This may end up being a little dryer than the rest of your Substack diet. But my goal is not to build a media empire; it’s to capture my current perspective on a finite set of issues. In order to focus my attention and effort, I plan to work through a specific list of topics and then eventually, for the most part, wrap this project up.
Likely topics to come
Back to basics: What is racism and what makes it bad? Comparing two frameworks
Systemic racism through the lens of systems thinking: components, interactions, and causal mechanisms
Why “hyper-collectivism” backfires as a response to “hyper-individualism”
Identity, pride, and prejudice: when filling your cup requires contrast and conflict
RFT, ACT, CBT, and modern psychology’s implications for antiracism
Ironic processing theory and unconscious bias
Moral relativism not as an end, but as a means for refining one’s moral stances
Why we have to talk about anti-white attitudes (dreading this one)
The symmetry of left and right extremism: seeing yourself in your enemy
Cultural assimilation, cultural appropriation, and inter-cultural bias
The Golden Rule of Effective Antiracism (Treat your opponent like you want them to treat your friends)
Utopian vision of a post-racism (but not post-racial) America
Obviously, topics/order subject to change; I’m sure I’m forgetting some things. I welcome your thoughts/suggestions.
I recognize how “white-splain-y” this list (and entire blog) appear. I’d like to claim I don’t care, but I do. I can acknowledge that my personal distance from these topics gives me space, perhaps too much space, to view them analytically and impersonally. I know that approaching these topics so directly is deeply uncomfortable or even painful for many people. I know I sound way too sure of myself to someone unconvinced. That’s the nature of a blog… I’d rather it be a collaborative conversation between people who see things in different ways (and I do welcome comments to that effect) but in my posts, I have to lay it all out there from my perspective alone.
I don’t know how long this project will take… maybe months, maybe years. For anyone who would like to share the journey, I’m glad to have you here.
Thank you for your writing. I came upon your Substack by chance a few months ago, and I consistently find your posts insighful, inspiring, genuine, and... how do I put this? Sane. Which is really a big deal in today's world.
I look forward to anything you choose to publish. Something that pinged for me: when you said “white-splainey.” I 100% understand the impulse to acknowledge your privilege of distance, as it were, but I’ve become weary of the necessity for that caveat. I DON’T think it’s necessary though others do.
The idea of examining and acknowledging privilege can be an important and even essential thought exercise. But, as with the closely related intersectionality, I find the moral calculus implicit and explicit in having to “acknowledge your whiteness” to be at the core of the problems with woke ideology.
I’m never going to forget that I’m white. You’re never going to forget that I’m white. And if public apology or regretful caveat for “whiteness” being part of my identity is necessary as a new form of politeness, how will we ever get beyond the moralization of race?