Nothing is normal, so everything is normal
Thanks for reading A Social Work Generalist’s Notebook. On Fridays, I like to write about creative works and the relationship to the practice of social work. It’s a pretty open canvas here, but I try to make it interesting.
This week, I’ve been finding myself slipping into the rolling vacuum of the endless scroll. Often I chastise myself for this behavior. Other times, I think, it can be meditative. My social feeds are fairly well-maintenanced. That takes work. A ton of “Not this, more of that” clicking.
When nothing is normal, everything is.
I find that Meta is out to desensitize its users to witness explicit acts of violence a normal part of life. Not a week goes by where, when I open that company’s products, images of the Twin Towers (and the deaths of literally thousands of people) are tucked in between promos for Taylor Swift’s latest swag and commentary from politicos (ones I actually want to follow).
This kind of media loop shouldn’t be normal. But not only is it normal, we appear to be calloused over to accept multiple narratives of our living environment.
We’ve come a long way in just under a decade. Back then, it felt like the public was convinced things were never actually going to change. Yes, bad things may happen, but they won’t directly impact me.
I remember, when Trump was elected for the first time, there was this thing people would say. The people who were thrilled at the 2016 outcome had the “cry more” response to any, I dunno, reasonable concerns a person would have at that electoral outcome. Well-intentioned people, however, would just encourage you to believe that nothing would actually get worse. Certainly nothing was going to get better, but overall, the status quo will hold. Somehow. This is America, where bureaucracy and red tape are inescapable.
“It’s all going to be OK.”
Ayaz Virji, MD was a rural doctor in Minnesota at the time, and he wrote a book, Love Thy Neighbor, which was published in 2019. I listened to the audiobook. He narrates, with clarity, the experience of his neighbors assuring him things were going to be okay. He chooses to discuss his faith openly to his community. It’s riveting and I recommend seeking it out.
Especially this week, the memory of this book came rushing back to me. It’s not okay. None of this is okay. It’s notable that people aren’t saying that anymore. We have mutated.
A good share!
Let me share one accomplishment this week. I was invited to write a chapter on Social Work and Technology, and that book comes out later this year.
See you Monday. I am off this weekend and my TBR is calling.
