Simulated Kinship

Zero HP Lovecraft

@0x49fa98

“When we watch TV or play video games, we form one-way friendships with the characters, called parasocial relationships. The same thing can happen on twitter, especially with the bigger accounts you follow.”

Zero posted this August of last year, but I only came across it recently, even though I follow him on the Bird App. h/t to Alex Perez’s recent piece at IM1776 detailing the gerrymandering of the literary bad boy. Perez is an alumnus of the Iowa Writers Workshop which influenced the Watts Writers Workshop, which gave us Amde Tsiyon Hamilton of the Watts Prophets (spoken word poetry and precursor to hip-hop) and priest of St. Teklehaymanot the first EOTC parish of Los Angeles.

Zero’s post reminds me of an Amharic adage; ሕዝብ ንጉሥን ያውቃል እንጅ : ንጉሥ ሕዝብን አያውቅም the people know the king; the king does not know the people. In our fragmented world that distances it self from our evolutionary ancestors at inexorably rapid speeds, it’s easy to feel disconnected. The Internets give us an opportunity to hear and talk with people all over the world. Increasing the scope of available people allows us to find and latch on to more people more like us than our local geography would permit.

We have width. Do we have depth? If you don’t see it as too dangerous. And I respect it if you do. I encourage you all to link up irl with your mutuals. Share war stories. Build stronger connections. Build loyalty.

Since we’re still mourning the SPR VLN, here are some words from him, to politely see you out the door, leaving you asking for more.

I found a way to get piece of mind for years, and left the hell alone, turn a deaf ear to the cellular phone, send me a letter, or better, we could see each other in real life, just so you could feel me like a steel knife, at least so you could see the white of they eyes, bright with surprise, once they finish spitting lies, associates, is your boys, your girls, bitches, niggas, homies, close, but really don't know me, mom, dad, comrade, peeps, brothers, sisters, duns, dunnies, some come around when they need some money, others make us laugh like the Sunday funnies, fam be around whether you paid or bummy