I
may have figured out why “Tumblr” is often used as a disparaging adjective
(calling a person “so Tumblr”, etc). It’s not just because of associations with
far-left politics—although, despite the common perception, it’s not exclusively
so. There are Tumblr pages and communities all over the ideological spectrum.
The popular contempt for the website also may be because it’s an outlet for
emotional first-person confessionals. That kind of vulnerability
gets sneered at. Some entries may sound kind of exaggerated or theatrical, but
I think what it really boils down to is that the genuinely heartfelt narratives
make a lot of people uncomfortable. Readers don’t want to be raw, so they don’t
like seeing others that way. That reaction is a kind of non-empathetic empathy.
Such self-expression is dismissed as juvenile because the expectation is that adults talk “rationally” about work and money while teenagers talk about feelings. And honestly, I’m tired of that norm for adults.
There is something about openness that makes some see you as a receptacle. If you’re open, the jaded people want to reach into your space and either drain your substance or replace it with their own. I think there need to be communities where people can talk sincerely with friends or strangers or just a blank page, siphoning off their thoughts into the reflective a.m. hours. Tumblr isn’t perfect, but I’m glad it serves that need for so many.
Such self-expression is dismissed as juvenile because the expectation is that adults talk “rationally” about work and money while teenagers talk about feelings. And honestly, I’m tired of that norm for adults.
There is something about openness that makes some see you as a receptacle. If you’re open, the jaded people want to reach into your space and either drain your substance or replace it with their own. I think there need to be communities where people can talk sincerely with friends or strangers or just a blank page, siphoning off their thoughts into the reflective a.m. hours. Tumblr isn’t perfect, but I’m glad it serves that need for so many.
