Oh my goodness. I see it so clearly now. Having only learned of my autism last year, it is essays like this that are helping me put much into perspective.
You have a couple of awesome phrases that just blew me away:
"the fabricated nostalgia of Boomer prosperity"
- we (WASPs) did have prosperity - compared to our depression era parents, and Oregon Trail emigrant great-grandparents. But, as you've written, this is what drives the MAGA cult. Sadly, across town, a whole community of red-lined, POC were rioting and begging to be heard.
"one of our strongest desires post-diagnosis/identification is to stop masking and discover who we really are beneath all the layers of learned behaviour."
- This whole paragraph packs a punch and says much. John Mellencamp once sang, "I know there's a balance cuz I see it when I swing past." (Between a Laugh and a Tear, 1984). This has been me over the past year. Am I revealing too much? and I too anxious? Am I really a leader, teacher, change agent - or was that just a part of my mask.
I'm pretty sure unmasking is more exhausting than masking - because much of the masking was automatic, and I had my scripts. And If all else fails, I'll just resort to narcissistic jabber (aka, baffle em with bullshit).
Once again - thanks for a great essay. I suppose next you're going to tell me that Risky Business is about neurodivergence? Or Dances with Wolves?
Thanks again for stopping by and reading, I'm so thrilled my essays are resonating with you!
Masking is such a minefield, I'm only beginning to understand it myself. There is so much to unpack and unlearn and I'm not sure we'll ever fully unmask they way we might wish to!
As for Risky Business, I've actually never seen it!! And it's been 20 years maybe since I've seen Dances With Wolves. I guess it's not so much that any particular movies are about neurodivergence, as something in particular narratives reflects the neurodivergent experience. This newsletter is all about me looking back at my favourite movies and trying to understand my experience through the aspects of those movies that most spoke to me. The Truman Show has been a surprise favourite on here!!
I was actually teasing about Risky Business 😉, and I only mentioned Dances with Wolves because it has quite the trajectory of race, culture, and authority (I don't know if anything is there or not, but like Blade Runner, it's a favorite).
I'm finding the more I unmask, at least at this stage, the more socially avoidant I become. Like Decker.
Oh my goodness. I see it so clearly now. Having only learned of my autism last year, it is essays like this that are helping me put much into perspective.
You have a couple of awesome phrases that just blew me away:
"the fabricated nostalgia of Boomer prosperity"
- we (WASPs) did have prosperity - compared to our depression era parents, and Oregon Trail emigrant great-grandparents. But, as you've written, this is what drives the MAGA cult. Sadly, across town, a whole community of red-lined, POC were rioting and begging to be heard.
"one of our strongest desires post-diagnosis/identification is to stop masking and discover who we really are beneath all the layers of learned behaviour."
- This whole paragraph packs a punch and says much. John Mellencamp once sang, "I know there's a balance cuz I see it when I swing past." (Between a Laugh and a Tear, 1984). This has been me over the past year. Am I revealing too much? and I too anxious? Am I really a leader, teacher, change agent - or was that just a part of my mask.
I'm pretty sure unmasking is more exhausting than masking - because much of the masking was automatic, and I had my scripts. And If all else fails, I'll just resort to narcissistic jabber (aka, baffle em with bullshit).
Once again - thanks for a great essay. I suppose next you're going to tell me that Risky Business is about neurodivergence? Or Dances with Wolves?
Thanks again for stopping by and reading, I'm so thrilled my essays are resonating with you!
Masking is such a minefield, I'm only beginning to understand it myself. There is so much to unpack and unlearn and I'm not sure we'll ever fully unmask they way we might wish to!
As for Risky Business, I've actually never seen it!! And it's been 20 years maybe since I've seen Dances With Wolves. I guess it's not so much that any particular movies are about neurodivergence, as something in particular narratives reflects the neurodivergent experience. This newsletter is all about me looking back at my favourite movies and trying to understand my experience through the aspects of those movies that most spoke to me. The Truman Show has been a surprise favourite on here!!
I was actually teasing about Risky Business 😉, and I only mentioned Dances with Wolves because it has quite the trajectory of race, culture, and authority (I don't know if anything is there or not, but like Blade Runner, it's a favorite).
I'm finding the more I unmask, at least at this stage, the more socially avoidant I become. Like Decker.
Congrats on finishing your dissertation!
Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks for reading Kit, great to have you here!
I'm going to have to read this a few times to absorb it all thoroughly, Thank you for this!
Thank you for reading Becky, so glad it resonated! <3
Absolutely love this!
Thank you! Delighted to connect here :)
This is so great and I'm pretty sure you'd like my own work lol.
Thank you, will check that out!!