#mimzamine

[mimzalot]

jotting this down here but the connection between:

method acting being held in high regard

'based on true story'

the way press runs try to lean into the 'fictional character qualities' of actors (see: 'wow he actually acts like Superman in interviews!')

distrust towards anything intangible, perceived as inauthentic, fiction, fantasy, spirit

'this wasn't in the script it was improvised'

stand-up comic crowdwork

comment section culture

and how it relates to:

feeling disconnected from the human experience; rampant individualism, distrust of other, disregard of the village, inflated sense of self without any of the confidence

the uptick of generative AI and the insecure, self-important mindsets around it

disrespect of performing arts, aligning with that sort of puritan 'burn the witch!' energy that persists in how people view artists and writers and 'magicians' as charlatans, deceivers

something something about how commodified art in a culture that systemically devalues education and imagination, rooted in the fear of exile/suffering (the type that an empire fosters) means we have a culture that would prefer to buy manufactured authenticity than anything perceived as Other. colonial and capitalist structure eating themselves. idk I think it's interesting that the performance of life is preferred over the living of it bc it can be carefully controlled and monitored whereas the art of performance is degraded. idk. anyway back to work

[mimzalot]

bits and bobs

things change all the time. folks often see negative change (things that take, loss, despair) as inevitable but positive change (things that give, transformation, improvement) as optional, or idealistic. doesn't make any sense. both are possible and that's all that matters.

it's important to know when identity categories exist in order to undo the impact of existing categories vs. when you're beginning to use categories to uphold themselves, thus recreating the same conditions of colonial division. like if I identify the difference between polynesian, melanesian and micronesian it will be in order to point out the negative impact those imposed labels had on our perception of ourselves as Pacific people. but if I become so centred on them that I reinforce the need for them to exist, then that is counterproductive.

they're not kidding when they say perfectionism is ruining everything. but there is a difference between perfectionism and having a high standard of quality. I reckon it's always okay to pursue mastery but you just gotta be aware that you're pursuing mastery, so that you know when you can go 'hm, maybe this situation doesn't need mastery, maybe an apprentice would suffice'

the perceived distance between you and the people in power is not that big actually. half of the work they do is convincing you that they're in an upper echelon and thus untouchable. they're just a guy. you're also just a guy. fight fight fight

the internet is feeding on your negative attachment to things, every now and then if something pops onto your feed and upsets you, try to spite the algorithm by refusing to give a fuck about it

[mimzalot]

I recently got a job at a company where I'll be delivering anti-racism training and doing racial justice work and so it's probably the most inconvenient time in the world to say that I've completely lost faith in my Theory of Change and have no idea how to rectify it. damn. that's really annoying

[mimzalot]

smiles unsettlingly over my Silent Hill f playthrough. hey, chat? what do you mean you could sit through an entire game unpacking a white man's psyche when it comes to his feelings about [redacted] but you can't extend empathy towards a teenage girl experiencing the cosmic horror of being perceived as a woman in a world that hates women?

[mimzalot]

you know when there's a new game release with a protagonist that isn't white/male and there's a leftist in the room that starts saying 'and here come the hate comments 🙄🙄🙄' you know. you actually started that. the self-fulfilling prophecy of preparing for haters means that now you're bringing the hater energy to the party. the party where the hater energy was not present until you started talking

[mimzalot]

started a new job today and they warned me that the work I'm doing is known to incite racists in the comment sections. never fear! I have been trained. I share opinions about video games on the internet

[mimzalot]

groans I don't want to write policy I want to write gay shit under a pseudonym and somehow it defeats the climate crisis and decolonises the minds of millions

[mimzalot]

my work contract is ending and I was trying to go out with a bang by finishing the newsletter on time and posting these things on our socials but... perhaps it is only suitable that I finish my time with this job the way I spent my time there... missing deadlines and doing the bare minimum