1.3.15

What does it mean to me?

In this particular spot in the interview (page 10), Tavi and Ella are briefly discussing feminism, but when I read this bit it spoke to me of how I've felt about many topics and many situations where I've not said anything because I didn't feel like I knew enough to say anything. Perhaps it's something many people, or all, deal with at some point or another, or often. It's certainly a feeling I get with some frequency. I've always thought I was just a person who appreciated knowing the big picture, everything, before moving on or producing or opining. But this is a new twist for me, and I think it's good.

Tavi speaking, in reflection:
“‘How can you ever have read enough to be able to talk about this in the right way?’ What I’ve learned is that the answer isn’t to retreat into ignorance, but to find the ways in which it’s important to you and talk about that....”
I think this is wise: discover what's important to you in said topic, and talk about that. And it can also be applied unwisely. It is important to remain cognizant of your own experience in relation to the topic you may want to address. It is important to remain curious. It is important to keep an eye out for the real ways a topic is meaningful to you, because it may not really be the topic, it may be another underlying issue that the topic brings to the surface. But talking about a hard topic, or a popular topic, is not something to avoid until you are an expert on the topic. I suppose if that were the case, no one would ever know that another was an expert. But expertise isn't the point... Finding what's important to you, from whatever angle that means coming from, is the cool part. I think that's the place where we'll relate to each other. That's where one will find the most satisfaction: speaking of the parts that matter to himself or herself. To me. 

That's what I think, anyway.