Provocative. Oh the times I have wanted to say "No one cares what you think", "what you are saying adds nothing". Not just a statement for the other, but one for myself. As I reflect on my journey of going down the path of life I have become increasingly silent. Not because I don't feel and think but because of that process of determining whether something is truly added by contributing. I was taught that listening is curative, and the power of this truth is becoming more important with the increasing level of noise that occupies our world. Thankyou Tara for continuing to offer these moments.
"We are, to quote the great philosophers Kansas - DUST, in the wind." Yes indeed. Thank you for being you, and for the Kornbluh book tip. Love from Texas
Hello Tara. Another deep and interesting Post. I loved the final part about the guy sitting next to you and trying to occupy the moment with his thought bubble. My friend and I both had a good laugh! Cannot wait until next week's Post. cheers, doug
Made me laugh too, Doug. I wondered what the hell was happening. I'm sitting in a room with hundreds of empty seats, and a young gentleman sits right next to me ;). It was as weird as it sounded ;) Biggest hug to you both. txxx
Woohoo 🎉 The middle is where it's at. The personal sub text as a collective reflection is the future. Very insightful, and I can use this to back up how my participants have differentiated between pop psychology and self help. Oh Tara, thanks for coming back 🙏
I think we can all live in that Mirror Moment, Queen Megan. See ourselves with all the failures and flaws and errors. And then transcend ourselves - and build connections. Move beyond the data point of one :) We do that - we have a future :) txxx
Hi Jasmine - you are wonderful. I've just been learning the third episode. And this is a big trilogy. I just said to Jamie that the series involved reading over 80 books and a couple of hundred articles. So no wonder it is a bit intense ;) It is like a thesis in three episodes ;). I'm glad I took the time for this trilogy. Once in a lifetime. Thank you for walking with me through it!
Hi Tara, insightful and thought-provoking post as ever. But I believe that your conclusion is relative and may not speak to all contexts. I was brought up in Iraq under dictatorship and spent most of life time in complete silence. For me, and many other women living in or growing up under patriarchal authoritarian or Islamist countries, speaking up greatly matters. It is like breathing. Some of us do have interesting things to say. Our personal accounts can reveal multiple systems of oppression: local and global. I do agree that silence can be crucial sometimes. Nevertheless, I equally believe that it is important for us not to frame it within an essentialist generalising discourse that speaks to everyone universally because it does not. With all respect and love, Balsam
Wonderful commentary Balsam. You are an amazing and inspirational person. And absolutely - the focus must be on diversity and your views matter so much. Sadly, freedom of speech is used as a hammer to enforce the rights of those in power to continue their rule. The double refusal is a bit different. I've actually just done a keynote on the multiple modes of silence. Silence as resistance is rarely discussed in the literature. But there are many silences. My argument Balsam is that the focus has been on 'freedom of speech.' Why that freedom over others? Why are we not focusing on the freedom to read, to transcend our experience and our data point of one, and engage with research? Why do we not stress the freedom to learn? My worry - and we are living this reality right now - is the culture of equivalence (fueled by the hyper-real referential system) is that ignorance and injustice are perpetuated by confusing experience and expertise, emotion and intelligence. You remain a stellar human. Thank you for your expertise. txxx
Thank you so much for your kind words and detailed explanation! I absolutely agree with you that silence matters as resistance. I have written about this in a recent publication. I just wanted to highlight how it functions in different contexts and varies in significance across class,gender, ethnicity, etc. As for social media, it is so complicated. I research cyberfeminism in the Arabic-speaking world where cyberfeminism can be viewed as a type of constructive resistance to patriarchal and hegemonic discourses. Yet, it is full of paradoxes and tension. It keeps getting reshaped or reterritorialised by human and non-human actors, contributing to fragmenting and pulling it into distinct directions. The immediacy, speed, and emotionality underpinning social media structure equally contributes to its fragmentation. Then, there is the perception of others that reshaped and redirect the conversation. Online challenges including harassment and incitement abound. In the book I am currently writing, I want to highlight silence and slowness as vital resisting strategies in these online spaces. Despite their limitations, they matter a lot to women deprived of other offline opportunities to express themselves, resist, or organise. Thanks so much again for your generosity, outstanding scholarship, and inspiration. I have been watching your videos for years and have learnt a lot, and continue to do so. You are a role model and exceptional academic and human being. I will forever be grateful to you for cultivating this space for knowledge production and learning❤
Is academia a cult? High order interlect, critical thinking, between tick and tock, epistemology, the ontological, is this the thinkers gaze fixed in a mirror phase? Meanwhile, out the window a pragmatic world moves on... Ha I admit, I confess, I enjoyed writing this comment. An indulgence. Love your work Tara.
Oh Paul - you bugger :) But a strong university system can provide evidence and knowledge to frame and shape that accurate mirror. Evidence - rather than emotion... But yep - we are failing... A lot. Biggest hug to you :) txxx
![Megan Thee Stallion - Bigger In Texas [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QxTkZTLWdo4/mqdefault.jpg)
Provocative. Oh the times I have wanted to say "No one cares what you think", "what you are saying adds nothing". Not just a statement for the other, but one for myself. As I reflect on my journey of going down the path of life I have become increasingly silent. Not because I don't feel and think but because of that process of determining whether something is truly added by contributing. I was taught that listening is curative, and the power of this truth is becoming more important with the increasing level of noise that occupies our world. Thankyou Tara for continuing to offer these moments.
Tara, you are brilliant. Love it
"We are, to quote the great philosophers Kansas - DUST, in the wind." Yes indeed. Thank you for being you, and for the Kornbluh book tip. Love from Texas
You rock, MC. And yes I am very impressed by the Kornbluh book. Really impressive. Big love to you. Stay fabulous. txxx
This is why I love you!! Fabulous!
Love you right back ACM. Always. Forever :) txxx
Beautiful and poignant. As always.
Thank you OP - so much love. Straight to you :) txxx
Hello Tara. Another deep and interesting Post. I loved the final part about the guy sitting next to you and trying to occupy the moment with his thought bubble. My friend and I both had a good laugh! Cannot wait until next week's Post. cheers, doug
Made me laugh too, Doug. I wondered what the hell was happening. I'm sitting in a room with hundreds of empty seats, and a young gentleman sits right next to me ;). It was as weird as it sounded ;) Biggest hug to you both. txxx
Woohoo 🎉 The middle is where it's at. The personal sub text as a collective reflection is the future. Very insightful, and I can use this to back up how my participants have differentiated between pop psychology and self help. Oh Tara, thanks for coming back 🙏
I think we can all live in that Mirror Moment, Queen Megan. See ourselves with all the failures and flaws and errors. And then transcend ourselves - and build connections. Move beyond the data point of one :) We do that - we have a future :) txxx
@TaraBrabazonChannel Yes we can. Critical reflection + insight is imperative. Love the Mirror Moment analogy.
Very good video to be honest it is not a video to watch one time I think that I need to watch it at Least 3 times ❤
Hi Jasmine - you are wonderful. I've just been learning the third episode. And this is a big trilogy. I just said to Jamie that the series involved reading over 80 books and a couple of hundred articles. So no wonder it is a bit intense ;) It is like a thesis in three episodes ;). I'm glad I took the time for this trilogy. Once in a lifetime. Thank you for walking with me through it!
Hi Tara, insightful and thought-provoking post as ever. But I believe that your conclusion is relative and may not speak to all contexts. I was brought up in Iraq under dictatorship and spent most of life time in complete silence. For me, and many other women living in or growing up under patriarchal authoritarian or Islamist countries, speaking up greatly matters. It is like breathing. Some of us do have interesting things to say. Our personal accounts can reveal multiple systems of oppression: local and global. I do agree that silence can be crucial sometimes. Nevertheless, I equally believe that it is important for us not to frame it within an essentialist generalising discourse that speaks to everyone universally because it does not.
With all respect and love,
Balsam
Wonderful commentary Balsam. You are an amazing and inspirational person. And absolutely - the focus must be on diversity and your views matter so much. Sadly, freedom of speech is used as a hammer to enforce the rights of those in power to continue their rule. The double refusal is a bit different. I've actually just done a keynote on the multiple modes of silence. Silence as resistance is rarely discussed in the literature. But there are many silences. My argument Balsam is that the focus has been on 'freedom of speech.' Why that freedom over others? Why are we not focusing on the freedom to read, to transcend our experience and our data point of one, and engage with research? Why do we not stress the freedom to learn? My worry - and we are living this reality right now - is the culture of equivalence (fueled by the hyper-real referential system) is that ignorance and injustice are perpetuated by confusing experience and expertise, emotion and intelligence. You remain a stellar human. Thank you for your expertise. txxx
Thank you so much for your kind words and detailed explanation! I absolutely agree with you that silence matters as resistance. I have written about this in a recent publication. I just wanted to highlight how it functions in different contexts and varies in significance across class,gender, ethnicity, etc. As for social media, it is so complicated. I research cyberfeminism in the Arabic-speaking world where cyberfeminism can be viewed as a type of constructive resistance to patriarchal and hegemonic discourses. Yet, it is full of paradoxes and tension. It keeps getting reshaped or reterritorialised by human and non-human actors, contributing to fragmenting and pulling it into distinct directions. The immediacy, speed, and emotionality underpinning social media structure equally contributes to its fragmentation. Then, there is the perception of others that reshaped and redirect the conversation. Online challenges including harassment and incitement abound. In the book I am currently writing, I want to highlight silence and slowness as vital resisting strategies in these online spaces. Despite their limitations, they matter a lot to women deprived of other offline opportunities to express themselves, resist, or organise. Thanks so much again for your generosity, outstanding scholarship, and inspiration. I have been watching your videos for years and have learnt a lot, and continue to do so. You are a role model and exceptional academic and human being. I will forever be grateful to you for cultivating this space for knowledge production and learning❤
Is academia a cult?
High order interlect, critical thinking, between tick and tock, epistemology, the ontological, is this the thinkers gaze fixed in a mirror phase? Meanwhile, out the window a pragmatic world moves on...
Ha
I admit, I confess, I enjoyed writing this comment. An indulgence.
Love your work Tara.
Oh Paul - you bugger :) But a strong university system can provide evidence and knowledge to frame and shape that accurate mirror. Evidence - rather than emotion... But yep - we are failing... A lot. Biggest hug to you :) txxx