This made me think of a quote from the 19th-century education writer Charlotte Mason: "The ideas we admit become our opinions; the opinions upon which we take action become our principles; our principles and our opinions are ourselves, our character, the whole of us for which we are responsible."
Thank you, Charlie. What an important topic to address—especially in 2024, given the polarization online.
Even though I'm AuDHD, I tend to see more grey than black/white. I believe this inclination results from my professional training as an integrative health provider and university professor, emphasizing evidence-based research and the importance of diverse perspectives over the past 25 years. Being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent helped me see more grey through all the various academic debates, scholarly research, assisting patients/clients through some challenging health issues, and my own lived experience going through various personal challenges. I constantly forced myself to see different angles on any topic we'd discuss in the classroom. I was ready with questions and discussion points from various points of view.
My thinking was different in my 20s. I recall going through a university course forcing us to watch TV as homework. We had to watch critically and write long papers about the various biases, points of view, power dynamics, and ways that race, ethnicity, class, gender, orientation, sex, nationality, etc., were portrayed. Through that course, I learned how much I was missing when I "just" watched TV. Because of this course, I began questioning what the media told us. That was nearly 30 years ago before all the social media platforms existed.
Now, I try teaching critical thinking to all my students and play the devil's advocate when someone makes a point in class--regardless of my personal view on the topic.
We need more media literacy courses and discussions, and this is a great place to start. Thank you again for bringing this up as a topic.
This is fascinating to hear about thank you David. I studied geography, mainly human geography, at University and as part of that course we were taught to think critically about a variety of world issues. But that did not include media/social media and its impact upon society and culture. I wonder if these days geography courses include the geography of social media, the internet, and media. To be honest I'd be fascinated to take a media literacy course now to develop more of an eye for the grey!
I think this brings up a lot of important things to think about...whether it's my neurodiversity and/or my personality, social media seems to be more inherently black/white for me than other people I have noticed. One idea I have for a question for the community in your upcoming series is, "how do you make social media a positive experience--do you have any boundaries that are helpful? Do you stay off social media completely; or what platforms do you use?" I'd love to hear how other neurodivergent souls navigate social media, especially for those of us who have a strong tendency towards black/white thinking. I love hearing your journey and perspective on navigating social media/technology, and I'd love to hear other people's experiences too. Thanks Charlie!!
Such a great point! I asked my husband, who is allistic, to read this before I published it and we talked about how he finds it easier to find the grey through social media than I do - even through other more traditional media outlets too, like the news or documentaries.
Thanks for suggesting these questions for our Community Threads coming up - I’m so interested to hear everyone’s experiences on this!
"And grey doesn’t sell online" THIS! How very true. I think I also got sucked into this mindset online, as is so easy for many to be but like you say especially so when you are predisposed to a certain way of thinking.
Isn't it funny how we always seem to come across things at the exact point we need them? I am very much a black and white thinker and it can absolutely hinder me in certain situations. However, I also attribute my strong drive for justice and die-hard passion for social issues to this black and white thinking. It also blinds me to the grey which can be problematic in my real life I have found. I'm working on this.
Thank you for this. I have certainly felt and seen the lack of nuance. Seems like social media grows ever more divisive. I can tell it’s time for me to take a break. I also found myself feeling like it was easy to blame neurotypicals. But what does that even mean? It’s far more persuasive and helpful to start with where we are the same when building community. And community is what we all need now more than ever. I love having a safe place to be my unmasked autistic self, don’t get me wrong. But I was starting to lose my general love of people. And that’s never the way. Thanks again. I really enjoy your writing!
This made me think of a quote from the 19th-century education writer Charlotte Mason: "The ideas we admit become our opinions; the opinions upon which we take action become our principles; our principles and our opinions are ourselves, our character, the whole of us for which we are responsible."
oooooofff a lot to think about within that quote. Thank you so much Sylvia.
Thank you, Charlie. What an important topic to address—especially in 2024, given the polarization online.
Even though I'm AuDHD, I tend to see more grey than black/white. I believe this inclination results from my professional training as an integrative health provider and university professor, emphasizing evidence-based research and the importance of diverse perspectives over the past 25 years. Being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent helped me see more grey through all the various academic debates, scholarly research, assisting patients/clients through some challenging health issues, and my own lived experience going through various personal challenges. I constantly forced myself to see different angles on any topic we'd discuss in the classroom. I was ready with questions and discussion points from various points of view.
My thinking was different in my 20s. I recall going through a university course forcing us to watch TV as homework. We had to watch critically and write long papers about the various biases, points of view, power dynamics, and ways that race, ethnicity, class, gender, orientation, sex, nationality, etc., were portrayed. Through that course, I learned how much I was missing when I "just" watched TV. Because of this course, I began questioning what the media told us. That was nearly 30 years ago before all the social media platforms existed.
Now, I try teaching critical thinking to all my students and play the devil's advocate when someone makes a point in class--regardless of my personal view on the topic.
We need more media literacy courses and discussions, and this is a great place to start. Thank you again for bringing this up as a topic.
This is fascinating to hear about thank you David. I studied geography, mainly human geography, at University and as part of that course we were taught to think critically about a variety of world issues. But that did not include media/social media and its impact upon society and culture. I wonder if these days geography courses include the geography of social media, the internet, and media. To be honest I'd be fascinated to take a media literacy course now to develop more of an eye for the grey!
I think this brings up a lot of important things to think about...whether it's my neurodiversity and/or my personality, social media seems to be more inherently black/white for me than other people I have noticed. One idea I have for a question for the community in your upcoming series is, "how do you make social media a positive experience--do you have any boundaries that are helpful? Do you stay off social media completely; or what platforms do you use?" I'd love to hear how other neurodivergent souls navigate social media, especially for those of us who have a strong tendency towards black/white thinking. I love hearing your journey and perspective on navigating social media/technology, and I'd love to hear other people's experiences too. Thanks Charlie!!
Oh and just so you know I’ve added your question to the list for our Community Threads :)
Oh thank you for doing that!!❤️❤️❤️
Such a great point! I asked my husband, who is allistic, to read this before I published it and we talked about how he finds it easier to find the grey through social media than I do - even through other more traditional media outlets too, like the news or documentaries.
Thanks for suggesting these questions for our Community Threads coming up - I’m so interested to hear everyone’s experiences on this!
"And grey doesn’t sell online" THIS! How very true. I think I also got sucked into this mindset online, as is so easy for many to be but like you say especially so when you are predisposed to a certain way of thinking.
Isn't it funny how we always seem to come across things at the exact point we need them? I am very much a black and white thinker and it can absolutely hinder me in certain situations. However, I also attribute my strong drive for justice and die-hard passion for social issues to this black and white thinking. It also blinds me to the grey which can be problematic in my real life I have found. I'm working on this.
Thank you for this. I have certainly felt and seen the lack of nuance. Seems like social media grows ever more divisive. I can tell it’s time for me to take a break. I also found myself feeling like it was easy to blame neurotypicals. But what does that even mean? It’s far more persuasive and helpful to start with where we are the same when building community. And community is what we all need now more than ever. I love having a safe place to be my unmasked autistic self, don’t get me wrong. But I was starting to lose my general love of people. And that’s never the way. Thanks again. I really enjoy your writing!