Dear INCEL-gram…I Mean Instagram
Art, Design & Words by Brenna Cheyney|For @bcheyn on INstagram|December 20, 2020
Dear INCEL-gram, I mean Instagram— I will be boycotting you indefinitely starting 12-20-20, due to your new authoritarian terms of service. Your censorship policies on sexuality & hate speech are that of patriarchal white supremacy, and your heightened levels of surveillance, policing & data mining are that of invasive, militarized hackers. Ever since you sold out, you’ve been thoroughly Zuck’d.
It must take so much negative energy, this drive to control people, when you could be relaxing and channeling that energy towards the greater good. You say these policies are meant to improve user experience, but have you ever asked users if this is what they want? No, because all you care about is profit & power & the sadistic comfort of knowing you’ve brainwashed millions of people through algorithmic targeting.
Why are you so afraid of sex & the human body? the titty nipple? the full moon ass? the baby making bits? Every human has a varying semblance of these parts, we have all seen these parts, we all look at them through a scientific lens & a sensual lens, and this is all ok & should be fully normalized by now. Being able to freely express & explore our bodies will truly bring us safety, not suppression & oppression by puritanical prudes. You have the technology & people power to moderate predatory behavior without banning those that celebrate sexuality in a consensual manner.
Speaking of moderating with distinction, you really need to learn the true meaning of hate speech, and distinguish between “hate” and “free.” The ever-so-American tenant of free speech was created by the white supremacist founders who wanted, in part, a loophole for their hate speech. You are smart enough to tell the difference between words that are truly harmful & violent, be they threats or words that actually result in physical violence, and words that are a critique of those that have historically been in power which are not threats to their physical or mental safety.
I’m not here to go into an in-depth analysis of the many faults of IG and it’s demise, just here to let you know why I feel it’s time to cut ties. I will be deleting all Facebook owned apps from my phone, but won’t fully deactivate this account until I feel I’ve made a comfortable transition. It’s been a good to ok to whatever run INCEL-gram, I look forward to exploring new ways to share creative work and stay in touch with friends. Here’s how to KIT (have a great summer!)…
ECOCENTRISM
ART, DESIGN & WORDS BY BRENNA CHEYNEY / FOR @BCHEYN ON INSTAGRAM / SEPTEMBER 13, 2020
What is Ecocentrism & why is it the key to surviving the climate crisis caused by global corporate pollution…?
Ecocentrism: a nature-centered system of values; the understanding that humans are but one small part of the global ecosystem, and have equal value to that of all organic & inorganic matter on Earth; biospherical egalitarianism.
The integrity and health of our biosphere depends on all parts of the whole working together in harmony, from soil to sea, tree to fungi, and insect to raptor…the Earth is a living organism and human survival is intertwined with each part of this organism.
Although Aldo Leopold coined the phrase, this is yet another case of a white man getting credit for something that Indigenous peoples have always known to be true.
“We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn— we must look to our teachers among the other species for guidance.” -Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer
“The ecocentric argument is grounded in the belief that, compared to the undoubted importance of the human part, the whole Ecosphere is even more significant and consequential: more inclusive, more complex, more integrated, more creative, more beautiful, more mysterious, and older than time.” -J. Stan Rowe
The biggest threat to ecocentrism: anthropocentrism, which favors a human-centered system of values, encouraging the exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of humankind, rooted in the Creation story told in the book of Genesis.
If you believe in evolution, how can you also believe that all of Earth’s resources exist for human benefit, when we are the youngest species on the planet? The answer is, it is fundamentally contradictory.
A nature-centered system of values is not just something one believes, it must be integrated into a daily life practice of treading lightly, slowing down, deeply noticing, making connections, and understanding consequences.
To be truly ecocentric, one cannot be afraid to die and cannot put human survival on a pedestal. This is a difficult feat to reach, for a species rife with the glorification of unique personhood. I struggle with letting go of that fear, out of a deep yearning to truly experience being in love, visit more of the world’s wildlands, and dedicate more energy towards the ongoing transformation of our globe into a more ecocentric and egalitarian society.
If we do our personal best to respect and honor the many pieces of our biospheric whole and end global corporate pollution, we might have a fighting chance & stick around a little longer. Embrace ecocentrism, embrace empathy, and the Earth will embrace you.
Love In The Quaran-times: Productivity & Purpose In A Post-Capitalist Society
art, design & words by Brenna Cheyney / copy for @bcheyn on Instagram / March 19, 2020
We find ourselves in a moment of great upheaval & isolation & change. A microscopic force has taken over the world & it does not discriminate. Many have worried that these times would someday come, while some have welcomed some kind of “end times,” and others have been lucky to “live in the now.”
I don’t have dreams of heaven or a belief in the Messiah’s return, and I usually air on the side of worry, but I do welcome an end to the times that have been harming our planet & harming our humans, by way of discrimination & poverty & patriarchy & inequality & hyper-inflation of Ego.
So, in a post-capitalist society, where do we find purpose and how do we re-define productivity? If only, and sooner rather than later, all of this could be accomplished without physical separation from the ones we love!
Empathy
Script Pitch for Educational Video (ages 6-8)|November 22, 2019
Hooray! it’s recess, your favorite time of the day, and usually your best friend’s favorite too. But your best friend doesn’t seem very excited to go outside and play today. Your BFF has a case of the frowns. “What’s wrong?” you ask. “I’m sad,” they say. “Why?” you ask. “My dog died,” they say. Your best friend’s dog died and suddenly you feel a rush of sadness washing down from your head to your heart to your fingers and toes. Your dog died two years ago, and you remember this feeling. The feeling of life without soft & fluffy fur, without funny tricks & frisbee games, without sloppy dog kisses from slobbery tongues. Now you have a case of the frowns too. You’re sad, because your friend is sad, and you sit on the bench and feel sad together. This feeling is called empathy. Empathy means having room in your heart and mind to feel what another person feels, even if the thing that made them feel that way didn’t happen to you. Chances are, you’ve felt the same at some point in your life, so you remember what it’s like, and you remember that the only thing that made you feel better was having your best friend by your side. So you say, “Thanks for telling me about your dog. It’s ok if you just want to sit here and watch the other kids run around. I’ll sit here with you and we can frown together.”