Janani Bala used to write about “unicorn syndrome,” — the ways in which people with certain “rare “marginalized identities compete with each other, particularly in elite spaces.

It blew my mind at the time. in many ways, regardless of what it looks like in elite spaces, I think the way the world has changed in the last eight years, allows for more connection around identity.

yes, even with cancel culture.

“unicorn syndrome” has evolved, adapted, to the way the world works now.

But then, and now, being a unicorn requires a certain level of blankness.

You have an informational identity, a perspective on the world that serves as a mirror for everyone else in the room.

Being a unicorn, isn’t compatible with having an ideology, let alone a personality.

Because this kind of blankness is encouraged, i think it afflicts way more people than we realize.

Okay anyway! This thought isn’t fully formed yet, huh?