Deeper,

Part 1.

Introduction to Deeper.

Welcome to the first blog of my series Deeper. About a month ago, while sorting through the comment sections of Facebook I made the decision to jot down notes on topics and discussions that I felt had an overall connection. Storylines, commentator reactions and repeated phrases and arguments repeatedly caught my attention and as I put them together on a spreadsheet these concepts started to take shape as a larger cohesive topic.

At this moment in time, some may call it The Covid Era, people are consuming more media, more news and interacting online, at least it seems so, much more aggressively than before the start of 2020. Though much of the conversations seem to remain the same, the intensity, volume and frequency of engagement seems to be amplified. We have less personal interaction these days and the void has been somewhat filled through virtual interaction. We’ve reduced our person to person consumption of social events and have begun to pay much more attention to what is on TV and social media platforms.

Before the social distancing, before businesses shut down I had already been active in comment sections on Facebook. I enjoy debating, discussing current topics and trying to understand various perspectives on those topics. I am particularly interested in topics of social change. As the months of mandated precautions over the virus have gone by there has been a perceivable increase in both the stories regarding social movements and people are reacting. Oh boy are they reacting. And I have been very interested.

A few weeks ago I decided to expand on my notes and start adding questions to research. Specifically I sorted through and organized my information into topics specific to social movements for marginalized groups. Gathering more information I started to flesh out arguments used in online discussions against the need for addressing issues that marginalized groups face in Canadian and American society. I found strong patterns in the arguments, denials, historical inaccuracies, logical fallacies that were shared over and over again but with full conviction that these arguments were well reasoned. Conspiracy theories were offered as well vetted facts, loaded language used as short forms to describe larger concepts that were meant to be taken on faith. I peaked my curiosity. I asked questions and started to research where these ideas came from.

I took to arranging my topics and questions again, ordering them into an outline of a large essay. It looked to be a very large essay. So, a little more work and I had a rough outline for a book. I decided to organize it to write from my perspective, a middle aged White man delving into the social movements of marginalized groups exploring and identifying online strategies meant to push back against social change. I shared my ideas with a few friends and relations. I asked them how they think I should start. My one friend, Tim suggested I start slow. Zero in on one aspect of the work that most interests me and work out from there. And Tim suggested I start a blog to find my writing style and smooth out the rough edges.

So, here are my rough edges. I intend this blog to be an exploration on one aspect of my larger project. Here I will be introducing Dog Whistles, words and phrases that have obvious or somewhat obvious meaning on their face but are also used to communicate other intentions to specific viewers. In particular I will explore words and phrases used by people that shut down or push back conversations and topics that discuss social change.

For the beginning of this process I aim to introduce one published blog per week touching on only one or two Dog Whistles. This will give me time to do some research and, eventually time to interview people and bring in larger more studied perspectives on the topic. I intend to be open and accurate, somewhat respectful and hopefully interesting. At least I hope to pull you in with my large scale interest in these topics.

So, here I am at the beginning of my writing process. I hope you enjoy coming along with me and, eventually to the natural end of a completed novel.