Standpoint and Agency in a World in Crisis

Do I observe, or do I dissociate? Distancing myself just enough

I took this photo today.

Halfway through last week’s one-hour episode of The Check-In (“In the Fire”), Danielle Moodie mentions the trauma we unconsciously ingest when we leave on the TV news and commentary while we’re washing the dishes.

Then Jared Yates Sexton brings up dissociation. He says it’s not so much any one charismatic personality on the TV who hypnotizes us; rather, the entire culture is hypnotizing us, and so we’re living in a dissociated state.

A couple days ago, Andrea Pitzer published a reflection, “Mind the Gap.” While acknowledging that if someone is “a journalist, an organizer, or an educator,” they may need to spend a lot of time writing or interacting online, she said most people can deemphasize this. And all of us are at risk of “the trap of secondhand experiences that strip you of agency.” For example, “social media companies are competing to create virtual AI friends for you, instead of fostering real-life connections.”

What we need to learn is how to “switch modes from armchair quarterback to actually going out to demonstrations, running for office, and organizing a diaper bank or a Covid clinic.” Sure, if you’re just looking to entertain yourself, go ahead and enjoy “slowly degrading…