Are You Who You Have to Be, Or Who You Want to Be?
How social roles and practical identities are different, and why the distinction is so important
Brief disclaimer
This is the tenth of a multi-part article series based on a paper I originally wrote for a University rhetoric course. If you missed parts 1–9 I recommend reading those first.
I broke my very long paper into many sections and made edits to make it easier to read, so I hope you enjoy.
Social(ist) media
Having explained why hearing social media influencers are willing to appropriate and exploit sign language for attention and material gain (namely capitalism, ableism, dualism, and exoticism), I now turn to Marxism and Democratic Socialism in an attempt to lay out guiding principles for a more just and equitable platform.
My last piece outlined how collaboration, communication, and collective ownership can promote increased autonomy, ownership, and empathy amongst socialist media users who would also make up a collective ownership.
Hearing the thoughts and feelings of others helps us gain perspective while building empathy. Working and sharing openly with one another builds connection rather than fostering…
