Chimamanda Explains

Every once in a while, someone writes something that is far more worthy of your time than whatever I was going to write. This is one of those times.

In this age of social media, where a story travels the world in minutes, silence sometimes means that other people can hijack your story and soon, their false version becomes the defining story about you.

Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it, as Jonathan Swift wrote.

Chimamanda Adichie lets it all out. Forget me. Read her today.

8 thoughts on “Chimamanda Explains

  1. Richard Kopf

    SHG, I am glad you posted Ms. Adichie’s essay and I am particularly glad that it appears with your post entitled “Darker Shades of Pale.” The connections are evident to me but admittedly I frequently see things that are not there. In any event, as you frequently do, my morning was made more interesting and educational because of your efforts.

    All the best.

    RGK

    1. SHG Post author

      My morning was made more interesting and educational because of Ms. Adichie’s efforts. We all win.

      1. John Barleycorn

        If bathos were a iquid, at room temperature, and you could take a bath in it you would not only be “famous” on the Twitter’s but you would probably become a TickTock star.

        However, no one could explane why.

        Tis is the question, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

        P.S. Speaking of all those words birthing like spiders from the faucet of my tub, dare I say it is fun to read in the bath even if the journey becomes absurd.

  2. PseudonymousKid

    Thanks for this to chew on. The unadorned writing style is nice, but the piece lacks a punch. By the time she got to moralizing about indecency, I was yawning. The author can come to my book club which doubles as my essay club since the enrollment is the same for both if she wants to collaborate ever; she seems great. I have more than enough bean bags for everyone.

    She’s not wrong. I need my “scramble suit” ala A Scanner Darkly to be able to speak my mind. The fear of instant and unappealable rebuke and condemnation is real. Even with the suit on its best to obfuscate the real point under a layer of obscurantism than to be seen as obscene. Then again, I am McCarthy’s worst nightmare as a socialist wearing a liberal’s wools who is used to donning masks of my own face constantly, so maybe it just comes with the territory. All the paranoia is exhausting.

    Like you said to the Harry Potter guy, Pops, if she wants social media to not be shit then she should make her own better version. Otherwise, she should deal with the cesspool of poorly reasoned and evidenced takedowns. Not playing the game isn’t the answer. Hopefully she repeats and reinforces her message in the hopes my generation might retain it, if the disease is truly unique to my set.

  3. F. Lee Billy

    Oh really now! Say it ain’t so?. Just when we were starting to gain insight and achieve a glimpse of Nirvana, you had to spoil everything. You are a horrible person.

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