I talk about humanity, politics, economics, values. I choose to emphasize that I am untrained, undisciplined, an artist centered on feelings. I want to cast my views in the proper perspective. I got this from a book I read (in 24 or 23), Sarah Schulman's Conflict Is Not Abuse. In her introduction, Schulman identifies her exploration as “undisciplined” because she is speaking outside her discipline. Schulman is a professor of creative writing & playwright not a sociologist. I found her admission to be empowering. Perhaps on social media it's a given that folks are opining beyond their expertise, but I get turned off by the certainty of many assertions without evidence. Our feelings are strong and we have our good reasons. We don't speak for others. We don't know “the truth” or “the answer.” And I believe it is a sign of self confidence to be able to say so.
By Rob Middleton who can be reached @[email protected] on Mastodon