Reading this was a mindfuck— a good one! Very convicting because tbh I see/find myself at both extremes of the dynamic simultaneously, but in a completely different and (unfortunately) power-dynamic-laden context 😓
I was also wondering about the diagram from ig, thanks for sharing more on that! It resonated. I went to my first “circling” session in Austin this week and the diagram maps very well to my experience of it, specifically to “my story” and to some extent “the story” (I think there was too much awareness in the room for much groupthink haha). But one thing that I wish could be worked into somehow is a notion of “your story” or “others’ story” at the innermost level as like a sibling to “my story.”
Communication is dizzying— It’s all such a game of telephone, even when played consciously / in integrity. Anyway if you haven’t heard of circling, Relateful is the place here, they have in person and online sessions. As a group practice it seems to aim at getting past all the individual stories to The Story, which seems very aligned with these themes
completely agree the head fuckiest of headfucks 🥲. and honestly, a lot of what i write - especially pieces like this - is just as much a self-callout as it is a cultural critique. i’ve done all of it…the moral high ground, black-and-white thinking, expecting people to say exactly what i need to hear in order to feel okay inside myself etc. i’ve seen how that pattern wrecked relationships in my life. so i’m not writing from above it, im writing from having been fully inside it.
also ive never heard of circling, now you’ve got me curious. i’ll definitely be checking into it. and for the record, you did an amazing job articulating something that was *incredibly hard* to put into writing. i see where you’re going there, though. you’ve peaked my interest so I’ll go down that rabbit hole.
and seriously, i really appreciate you showing up here meeting me in the complexity / messy middle. this is the kind of conversation i want to be in. thanks for being part of it!
Dude no thank you for providing the space to be real and the opportunities to reflect/own our shit (or not, as applicable). Much of your work has gotten me through the last two years (the hardest years of my life so far) and seriously the way the messages show up *exactly* when I need them is uncanny.
Enjoy the circling rabbit hole! Have only done it once but planning to go back, get better at it, and try to model the practice outside of the circle in my life to see if that helps tune the engine of my world a bit better. And keep being real as fuck, I love it
Been listening to & reading you for 2 years. So grateful I happened upon your work. Thank you for your offerings Mollie. You are a giant help to us all xx
this is beautiful ahh. i found u from a tiktok comment section i wld love to be mutuals bc i rly want to connect with other writers!!!!! i wld also love if you ever want to read my pieces to see what u think hehe 🩷🌟🌟🐞🐞
The internet was fun when we didn't feel the anxious need to pussyfoot around for the almighty righteous hall monitors, ready to penalize anyone who isn't up-to-date with their Code [each individual's Code varies, and changes by the day, of course]
We went from the internet being the Wild West to an Orwellian Hell, where all the Demonic things from the Wild West era still remain.
Also it's gross that there's this compulsion that we all need to be homogenous in our every way of Being, seeing, and thinking. No acceptance for diversity of thought, opinion.
There's a terrible illusion that they "really think they are doing something"
They're the Holy Soldiers fighting The Holy War
Sorry buddy, but if it's as easy as typing a half-brained, rage-fueled response on ur iphone app, you are not doing anything at all lol. Do something difficult for once homie.
imagine they spent that energy on something genuinely effective and productive.
Maybe they wouldn't be so mad on the internet then lol
first: who’s “we?” you’re commenting anonymously under the name of a dead poet (love her tho), speaking like you’re the voice of some collective tribunal. you are one person behind a keyboard, just like me.
second: anyone who’s actually listened to my work with the patience and context it deserves already knows what kind of space this is. Bftb has always been a haven for people from all walks of life, across cultures, identities, sexualities, and backgrounds.
and third: this comment is basically a live-action case study in exactly what this piece is about. there’s no engagement with the actual ideas.. just a demand for public submission.
i guarantee i have trans listeners who’ve supported me for years reading this and laughing - because they know who i am. they know my work and they know how absurd this ritual of moral performance has become, too.
i’m not here to audition for anonymous internet hall monitors. thanks for the demonstration, though. the jokes really do write themselves at this point.
Reading this was a mindfuck— a good one! Very convicting because tbh I see/find myself at both extremes of the dynamic simultaneously, but in a completely different and (unfortunately) power-dynamic-laden context 😓
I was also wondering about the diagram from ig, thanks for sharing more on that! It resonated. I went to my first “circling” session in Austin this week and the diagram maps very well to my experience of it, specifically to “my story” and to some extent “the story” (I think there was too much awareness in the room for much groupthink haha). But one thing that I wish could be worked into somehow is a notion of “your story” or “others’ story” at the innermost level as like a sibling to “my story.”
Communication is dizzying— It’s all such a game of telephone, even when played consciously / in integrity. Anyway if you haven’t heard of circling, Relateful is the place here, they have in person and online sessions. As a group practice it seems to aim at getting past all the individual stories to The Story, which seems very aligned with these themes
completely agree the head fuckiest of headfucks 🥲. and honestly, a lot of what i write - especially pieces like this - is just as much a self-callout as it is a cultural critique. i’ve done all of it…the moral high ground, black-and-white thinking, expecting people to say exactly what i need to hear in order to feel okay inside myself etc. i’ve seen how that pattern wrecked relationships in my life. so i’m not writing from above it, im writing from having been fully inside it.
also ive never heard of circling, now you’ve got me curious. i’ll definitely be checking into it. and for the record, you did an amazing job articulating something that was *incredibly hard* to put into writing. i see where you’re going there, though. you’ve peaked my interest so I’ll go down that rabbit hole.
and seriously, i really appreciate you showing up here meeting me in the complexity / messy middle. this is the kind of conversation i want to be in. thanks for being part of it!
Dude no thank you for providing the space to be real and the opportunities to reflect/own our shit (or not, as applicable). Much of your work has gotten me through the last two years (the hardest years of my life so far) and seriously the way the messages show up *exactly* when I need them is uncanny.
Enjoy the circling rabbit hole! Have only done it once but planning to go back, get better at it, and try to model the practice outside of the circle in my life to see if that helps tune the engine of my world a bit better. And keep being real as fuck, I love it
Been listening to & reading you for 2 years. So grateful I happened upon your work. Thank you for your offerings Mollie. You are a giant help to us all xx
This was waiting at the bottom of my inbox for this very moment. Thank you, Mollie 🫶🏻🩵
this is beautiful ahh. i found u from a tiktok comment section i wld love to be mutuals bc i rly want to connect with other writers!!!!! i wld also love if you ever want to read my pieces to see what u think hehe 🩷🌟🌟🐞🐞
fuck yeah mollie.
The internet was fun when we didn't feel the anxious need to pussyfoot around for the almighty righteous hall monitors, ready to penalize anyone who isn't up-to-date with their Code [each individual's Code varies, and changes by the day, of course]
We went from the internet being the Wild West to an Orwellian Hell, where all the Demonic things from the Wild West era still remain.
Also it's gross that there's this compulsion that we all need to be homogenous in our every way of Being, seeing, and thinking. No acceptance for diversity of thought, opinion.
There's a terrible illusion that they "really think they are doing something"
They're the Holy Soldiers fighting The Holy War
Sorry buddy, but if it's as easy as typing a half-brained, rage-fueled response on ur iphone app, you are not doing anything at all lol. Do something difficult for once homie.
imagine they spent that energy on something genuinely effective and productive.
Maybe they wouldn't be so mad on the internet then lol
first: who’s “we?” you’re commenting anonymously under the name of a dead poet (love her tho), speaking like you’re the voice of some collective tribunal. you are one person behind a keyboard, just like me.
second: anyone who’s actually listened to my work with the patience and context it deserves already knows what kind of space this is. Bftb has always been a haven for people from all walks of life, across cultures, identities, sexualities, and backgrounds.
and third: this comment is basically a live-action case study in exactly what this piece is about. there’s no engagement with the actual ideas.. just a demand for public submission.
i guarantee i have trans listeners who’ve supported me for years reading this and laughing - because they know who i am. they know my work and they know how absurd this ritual of moral performance has become, too.
i’m not here to audition for anonymous internet hall monitors. thanks for the demonstration, though. the jokes really do write themselves at this point.