Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.
-Timothy Snyder
_______
This is a call to resist the easy trap of groupthink and recycled language. When everyone starts repeating the same phrases, whether in politics, activism, or everyday conversation, it often means critical thinking is being replaced by slogans. "Lionize, monolith, woke, thoughts and prayers, owning, fake news, defund the police, deep state, maga, both sides."
Language shapes how we think, so if we only use pre-packaged words and phrases, we limit our ability to see beyond them. Instead, challenge yourself to express ideas in your own words. Read books. Not just tweets and headlines; because deeper, slower reading helps develop original thought.
Step back from the internet when you can; social media encourages quick, reactionary thinking, while books and real-world discussions cultivate nuance and independent reasoning.
I’m thinking of a book club. Penny for yalls thoughts?
Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.
-Timothy Snyder
_______
This is a call to resist the easy trap of groupthink and recycled language. When everyone starts repeating the same phrases, whether in politics, activism, or everyday conversation, it often means critical thinking is being replaced by slogans. "Lionize, monolith, woke, thoughts and prayers, owning, fake news, defund the police, deep state, maga, both sides."
Language shapes how we think, so if we only use pre-packaged words and phrases, we limit our ability to see beyond them. Instead, challenge yourself to express ideas in your own words. Read books. Not just tweets and headlines; because deeper, slower reading helps develop original thought.
Step back from the internet when you can; social media encourages quick, reactionary thinking, while books and real-world discussions cultivate nuance and independent reasoning.
I’m thinking of a book club. Penny for yalls thoughts?
