I mean, I'm not a tell-all lifestyle blogger, so of course my online life is going to look pretty one-dimensional. This is my research subject and it fascinates me. I don't think the fascination it exerts is *entirely* dissimilar from that it exerts on the people who become believers... there's a sense in which we both end up falling down the rabbithole. But there's a huge difference between "I need to upend my life for this" and "I have to understand this." I've always had strong "I have to understand this" tendencies that migrate from subject to subject. But it's one part of my life and it's the part I share online with strangers. I dont have any plans to share the rest.
“I have to understand this” is the healthiest approach. I am an attorney and in a fantasy world, I quit my job and dedicate my career to advocating on behalf of detransitioners. That said, it still wouldn’t afford me the luxury of looking to understand. Your work is important and USEFUL to the rest of us who don’t have the ability to approach these issues with curiosity and sensitivity. You are doing more than driving down the rabbit hole, you’re exploring this excavated path with a headlight and a walkie talkie. We thank you for it!
Oh, weird. I was responding to a comment (from someone else, saying it was "weird" to spend so much time on this) on this post and they must have deleted their comment after I responded. Some people are just wired to do research.
Ah - I see. That said, what’s weird is to speak publicly to someone, receive a direct reply and decide to withdraw. Kudos to you for being in conversation with readers when you don’t have to!
I mean, I'm not a tell-all lifestyle blogger, so of course my online life is going to look pretty one-dimensional. This is my research subject and it fascinates me. I don't think the fascination it exerts is *entirely* dissimilar from that it exerts on the people who become believers... there's a sense in which we both end up falling down the rabbithole. But there's a huge difference between "I need to upend my life for this" and "I have to understand this." I've always had strong "I have to understand this" tendencies that migrate from subject to subject. But it's one part of my life and it's the part I share online with strangers. I dont have any plans to share the rest.
This was responding to a weird comment that the person later deleted...
“I have to understand this” is the healthiest approach. I am an attorney and in a fantasy world, I quit my job and dedicate my career to advocating on behalf of detransitioners. That said, it still wouldn’t afford me the luxury of looking to understand. Your work is important and USEFUL to the rest of us who don’t have the ability to approach these issues with curiosity and sensitivity. You are doing more than driving down the rabbit hole, you’re exploring this excavated path with a headlight and a walkie talkie. We thank you for it!
Oh, weird. I was responding to a comment (from someone else, saying it was "weird" to spend so much time on this) on this post and they must have deleted their comment after I responded. Some people are just wired to do research.
Ah - I see. That said, what’s weird is to speak publicly to someone, receive a direct reply and decide to withdraw. Kudos to you for being in conversation with readers when you don’t have to!