So proud to be an official Black Sheep! Thank you, Jake and Salomé. Such important work you’re doing creating a space for thoughtful opinion and debate.
Thanks, Alta. Yes, the commodification of identities is a great way to put it -- spot on! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your work too.
A very well written and necessary essay. I was familiar with many of the cases of identity fraud presented here, but this is a very good summary, which asks some very good questions. And these stories of griftivism need to be repeated over and over until they are etched in everyone's consciousness. This insanity is the result of a society that commodifies identities. This didn't start yesterday: it started on American campuses decades ago, but it took a long time for people to notice.
Glad you enjoyed this one Alta. And yes, repeating these examples until they become part of the mainstream culture's consciousness is exactly the goal!
There’s a lot of monetisation towards the most vulnerable people who are exploited for their own monetary gain & to grab at social brownie points. I’ve personally been on the receiving end of it.
I’ve also been cancelled/shadow banned for not being woke enough. The callous way that people have used me and no doubt others too, is heinously revolting thing to be subjected to. Hypocritical grubs.
One of the best things we’ve got going for us right now is that Elon has bought Xitter. This has caused an uproar among the woke and levelled the playing field for the rest of us.
Now EVERYONE gets to have a say. I don’t really even bother arguing with them because it’s far more satisfying to leave them on read. Narcissists love attention no matter if positive or negative as long as they get it.
And being a griftivist is the most narcissistic thing a person can do.
Thanks, Tziporah. Sorry to hear you’ve also been on the receiving end! I agree -- Twitter is much more balanced now that Elon is running the show. It’s still a dumpster fire, but at least all sides get a go. Thanks for reading ‘Griftivism’. Really appreciate your feedback.
Fantastic essay! I don’t know what it is about Australian culture that makes it easy to cry victim, but my experiences of smear campaign and failed attempts to cancel me led me to conceptualise & describe the communal narcissist called the Social INjustice Warrior. It’s great so many more people are able to spot these destructive people posing as wounded saints.
Oh no! I was hoping it was just prevalent in the insular Aussie poetry scene. But of course, it’s probably Western-worldwide. Poetry Magazine, the Chicago-based Mecca of poetry, is a shell of itself after one of its former editor, Don Share, was taken down in the madness of 2020. A lovely man who genuinely supported poetry from all corners of the globe :(
So proud to be an official Black Sheep! Thank you, Jake and Salomé. Such important work you’re doing creating a space for thoughtful opinion and debate.
Thanks, Alta. Yes, the commodification of identities is a great way to put it -- spot on! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to reading your work too.
This dynamic is in play on both left and right, by the way
Absolutely. These machiavellian tactics are a hallmark of authoritarianism, which can go left or right, as you said.
Appreciate your comment and really thrilled you came across my publication. I'm a huge admirer of your work!
Exactly. They mirror each other’s tactics so clearly.
True. It’s non denominational.
Thanks, Robert. Yes, without doubt!
A very well written and necessary essay. I was familiar with many of the cases of identity fraud presented here, but this is a very good summary, which asks some very good questions. And these stories of griftivism need to be repeated over and over until they are etched in everyone's consciousness. This insanity is the result of a society that commodifies identities. This didn't start yesterday: it started on American campuses decades ago, but it took a long time for people to notice.
Glad you enjoyed this one Alta. And yes, repeating these examples until they become part of the mainstream culture's consciousness is exactly the goal!
“Griftivist”- love it 😊.
The grift is massive in Australia.
There’s a lot of monetisation towards the most vulnerable people who are exploited for their own monetary gain & to grab at social brownie points. I’ve personally been on the receiving end of it.
I’ve also been cancelled/shadow banned for not being woke enough. The callous way that people have used me and no doubt others too, is heinously revolting thing to be subjected to. Hypocritical grubs.
One of the best things we’ve got going for us right now is that Elon has bought Xitter. This has caused an uproar among the woke and levelled the playing field for the rest of us.
Now EVERYONE gets to have a say. I don’t really even bother arguing with them because it’s far more satisfying to leave them on read. Narcissists love attention no matter if positive or negative as long as they get it.
And being a griftivist is the most narcissistic thing a person can do.
Thanks, Tziporah. Sorry to hear you’ve also been on the receiving end! I agree -- Twitter is much more balanced now that Elon is running the show. It’s still a dumpster fire, but at least all sides get a go. Thanks for reading ‘Griftivism’. Really appreciate your feedback.
Fantastic essay! I don’t know what it is about Australian culture that makes it easy to cry victim, but my experiences of smear campaign and failed attempts to cancel me led me to conceptualise & describe the communal narcissist called the Social INjustice Warrior. It’s great so many more people are able to spot these destructive people posing as wounded saints.
Thank you, Nathalie. The Social INjustice Warrior -- love that! Wonderful to connect and I will read up on your work.
Thank you! Looking forward to reading more of your work! From my knowledge of the poetry communities in the US, what you describe is common.
Oh no! I was hoping it was just prevalent in the insular Aussie poetry scene. But of course, it’s probably Western-worldwide. Poetry Magazine, the Chicago-based Mecca of poetry, is a shell of itself after one of its former editor, Don Share, was taken down in the madness of 2020. A lovely man who genuinely supported poetry from all corners of the globe :(