tower of babel

lingua franca

language, like the withholding thereof, is a precision implement. through it, we create worlds, destroy others, execute software, craft lies, and (perhaps most importantly) order coffee. it is knowledge distilled, and a physical manifestation of power and intimacy.

rules of engagement

you see, as i have begun to write again, i have been thinking about how i present myself to the world: the conveyance of my passions. as a scientist (and a self-proclaimed tech bro), my eq sometimes fails me. for such things, i am still learning the language and earning my membership card so that one day i might say the right thing at the right time.

instead of being slowly initiated into the club over the course of a childhood like many others, i censored myself intentionally for so long that my own censorship became unconscious. then i went to school for two years to learn the elite and exclusive language of academics, and promptly discarded that alphabet. because sometimes instead of needing a functional language, you just need the institutionally-ascribed illusion of one.

conversational

i don’t intend to ever reach native proficiency in anything, really. and i certainly won’t pander my language learnings to senseless in-groups. but as with my international travel, i don’t want to wander along the border and come across as a tourist.