When I do an interview, or I guest on a podcast, it never feels like it’s enough of a thing to post about it in my blog. It feels like the sort of thing I should just drop into Threads.
The thing is, Threads suppresses the everlivingfuck out of almost everything I post, lately. It tells me that a little over 1.2 million accounts follow mine, but it typically only shows what I post to an average of about 3000 people. If a post is doing extremely well, it will climb up to 20,000. That’s not nothing, to be sure, but it’s a tiny fraction of the accounts that have expressed a desire to see what I post. It’s incredibly frustrating. We have given away so much of our ability to connect to each other, to communicate with each other, to these profoundly evil and destructive companies that are profiting from our dysregulation.
I wonder if anyone outside of the weird little silos the algorithms create and sort us into even see what we post? Or are we just telling other people who are already furious about the Cornell 7, the murder of Nolan Wells, the endless murders by ICE, the rampant and unchecked construction of fucking concentration camps full of children who are raped by ICE thugs things we already know. I wonder if the evil human rights abusers who sit atop these companies will ever be held accountable for their roles in all of this violence and destruction.
Like, there was real promise in decentralized communication, and we saw entire countries use it to rise up and depose the despots who had been standing on their necks for a generation. Of course it was shitty American Capitalists who saw that, recognized it as a threat to their hegemony, and put us where we are right now.
I don’t know that we will ever be able to undo this, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. And I am trying today because I realized something last night while I was very successfully not falling asleep for my second hour: there are more actual humans subscribed to my blog posts than the stupid algorithm shows my posts to on Threads. If I have something to say, something fun or cool I want to share, even if it is just a quick thing, a couple of links, a stray thought with something interesting at its end, I will just make a post here, and show it to all of you.
So, to that end, a few fun things I’ve done lately that I wanted to share:
Years ago, I spoke with John Moe for his program, The Hilarious World of Depression. At that time, I wasn’t aware of the root causes of my mental illness, so we didn’t talk about CPTSD or child abuse, or any of the things I do to work toward healing that part of my life. I’m happy to say that I recently talked with John for a follow-up. His show is now a podcast that you can get wherever you prefer. And while you are there, you can also grab an episode of Sleeping With Celebrities that I did. If you’re unfamiliar (as I was), it’s a podcast designed to help you fall asleep, a soothing conversation about something I care about a lot, delivered in a way that should help ease you to sleep. I talked all about this old TV show I love, The Prisoner.
I did an interview with The Advocate, too, talking about my experiences as an ally, and why being othered in my life pushed me to stand up for people without my privilege.
“The only way I could be a more protected class of citizen in America is if I were an openly performative Christian nationalist. I’m white. I’m male. I’m upper middle class. I’m semi-famous. I have all kinds of privilege. And yet, I’ve been othered my entire life,” Wheaton says.
“I was othered by my parents. I was othered by people in my neighborhood. I was othered on the set,” he adds, explaining that his Star Trek castmates were the exception.
“And when I see other people experiencing that, I cannot help myself. I have to throw myself between those people and the people who are hurting them,” he says. “I’m standing up for my younger self in ways that no one ever, ever did.”
Wheaton offers this promise to the trans community: “Sometimes people who won’t hear you will hear me, even when we’re saying the same thing. And if I can use that privilege to reach that person and make a change, that’s one less person who fucking hassles you for existing.”
Okay, finally, I wanted to draw your attention to last week’s episode of It’s Storytime With Wil Wheaton, The Glass City by AnaMaria Curtis.
If I described for you a sailor, stranded on an island, a thousand miles of ocean in every direction, it would be easy for you to imagine that person’s sense of loneliness. If I described for you a businessman, who has been on the road for a month straight, sleeping in hotels that blur together and smear across the same lobby restaurant over and over again, some of you could probably relate to and imagine that. If I told you about someone who has been Othered, in their family or in their community, told you how they sat in their bedroom with the door closed and wished that anyone would see them, some of you will, unfortunately, understand precisely. I grew up knowing that particular flavor of loneliness all too well. Even now, as happy and surrounded by love as I am, I can remember, and I can feel it. Loneliness is such a powerful feeling, even when it fades, some part of it lingers … at least for me, lurking, waiting, on the horizon of my memory.
This week’s Storytime is a beautiful, surreal meditation on loneliness from Ana Maria Curtis, who you may remember as the author of The Coffin Maker, a wonderful story I told you about a year ago. (If you haven’t heard it, it’s in the archive.) I’m thrilled and honored to speak her words again, and so grateful that you are choosing to hear them. I’m going to go ahead, and when you’re ready, come and meet me. I’ll be waiting for you, at The Glass City.
I just really loved this story, and I thought I did especially good work telling it. If you have some time to spend, I hope you’ll consider spending it with me.
That’s all for now. Until next time, maybe it will happen today.
Hi, I’m Wil Wheaton and I write this blog (among other things). I’m glad you are here. If you’d like to get my posts delivered to your inbox, here’s the thingy:
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Of all the voices I ‘see’ on Threads, I think you’re my favourite. You talk about all the things that are important to me as well. I am also other. Found my way in highschool at an alternative school, but I was sooooo bullied, so badly treated, so abused. I am so grateful that you use your voice. I will always like your threads. I am listening. Dang it though, the choking. Tech Bros. Boo.
Thanks for posting this Wil! I don’t use Threads, so I will only see stuff on your blog. Keep up the good work. Now I have to go listen to your thoughts on Prisoner.
I kicked Facebook and Twitter to the curb years ago, and I never jumped on the Mastodon/Threads/Bluesky bandwagon to replace them, so the only things I ever see from/about you are what you post on this blog, and what may occasionally bubble up in the Google News App on my phone, once in a blue moon (whenever Google’s cruddy algorithm deigns to show it to me).
Also, I don’t know if it’s just a weird “on my end” thing or what, but the comments for this post are not showing properly. As of typing this comment, it says “Comments (62)”, but only two comments are showing. When I click the “Older comments” link, only one different comment replaces the two that were previously showing. So… out of the supposed “Comments (62)” that were left in response to this post, I can only see a grand total of three of them. Tried in two different browsers on my PC (which, granted, are behind a VPN) and also on my phone (which is NOT behind a VPN), with the same result.
I loved listening to you read The Glass City and especially your interview with AnaMaria Curtis. I am not a writer but I love hearing about writers’ process. You do a great job of engaging authors while sharing your journey as a writer.
Thank you so much for posting about CPTSD and child abuse. I don’t follow Trends, even though I do have Facebook, so I enjoy when I get to see your posts here.
I’ll have to check those podcasts out. The Hilarious World of Depression sounds awesome.
I like Threads, because of the format, though what I don’t like is that I get a lot of the “interact with me if you’ve ever felt/dealt with this”…and that’s it. There’s no follow up from these accounts. I saw someone post on Threads that they had been a Bedroom Kid growing up, and I realized that was me too.
Loneliness and being Othered are things I know very well as a disabled person. Before my dad died, I hadn’t realized the staying power of cruelty. I was able to brush it off easier – the jokes from kids, the bullying. After my mom met (and later married) my alcoholic abusive stepfather, Loneliness became my only friend because I was surrounded by toxicity at home and at school. Being disabled and being Othered go hand in hand (in my experience). People don’t know how to talk to me, or want to keep things very surface level because they are uncomfortable with my depth. Most people are so hesitant around me, so they don’t get to know that I have a sense of humor, that I am creative, empathetic, etc. It’s their loss, though it still stings sometimes.
I see you. I’m glad you’re here.
We are our blogs! I ended up exactly where you are a bit over a year when Facebook decided to « disappear me » for three weeks. Glad to see you help rebooting the blogosphere.
As sad as this story is it’s not that sprizeing out current president ran because he wants to be president when the Bell rights happens. We need to start small your friend Tom Paris may run for a small office in Utah. Let’s wich him luck! Beth Frame 😀
I didn’t know you loved The Prisoner – that’s exciting!
It is one of my missions in life to share this excellent article by Sarah Kurchak about her experience visiting Portmeirion, Wales as a fan of The Prisoner with everyone who loves The Prisoner and/or is interested in the beautiful side of fandom:
https://magazine.catapult.co/people/stories/when-the-way-you-love-things-is-too-much-autism-special-interests-portmeirion-pilgrimage
Oh thank you! I’m on a mission to read everything I can about The Prisoner, and I haven’t yet read this. I appreciate it!
Yeah ya got me my jaw trembling my eyes blurry wet just struggling to not tremble at how close you hit with loneliness, othered and waiting to be seen. I felt and feel it personally. What do I say i have spent 40 minutes trying for the brief comment. Delete try delete try again. Thank you for sharing.