Sep 04, 2021 12:00 AM
Jul 31, 2025 12:00 AM

DL 302

Tolerance for Discomfort

Published: September 4, 2021 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome back to Digitally Literate, issue #302. Your go-to source for insightful content on education, technology, and the digital landscape.

Take some time to recharge this weekend and focus on what makes you feel good.

đź”– Key Takeaways

đź“ş Watch

Plastic transformed manufacturing but came with devastating environmental costs. Mycelium technology might offer the solution—a renewable, plastic-like replacement with extraordinary versatility and commercial potential. Matt Ferrell explores how fungal networks could drive the next sustainable manufacturing boom.

Detailed analysis available here.

đź“š Read

Australia is Becoming a Surveillance State

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 grants Australian Federal Police and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission three unprecedented powers:

  1. Data disruption warrant: Authority to modify, copy, add, or delete digital data
  2. Network activity warrant: Permission to collect intelligence from devices and networks
  3. Account takeover warrant: Power to control online accounts for investigation purposes

This legislation represents a significant expansion of digital surveillance capabilities, raising critical questions about privacy rights and democratic oversight in the digital age.

The piece examines how intellectual discourse has become constrained by fear of social media backlash. A particularly striking observation emerges:

"How much intellectual life is now stifled because of fear of what a poorly worded comment would look like if taken out of context and spread on Twitter?"

While "Twitter is not real life" for most people, the silencing effect on public discourse deserves attention. At the core lies the complex challenge of guaranteeing equal outcomes for all individuals—a more nuanced problem than many acknowledge.

One quote stands out particularly:

"I think people's tolerance for discomfort—people's tolerance for dissonance, for not hearing exactly what they want to hear—has now gone down to zero. Discomfort used to be a term of praise about pedagogy—I mean, the greatest discomforter of all was Socrates."

The brilliance of culture wars lies in their magnetic pull—we can't help but engage, making it an effective strategy for group cohesion and enemy identification.

Stephanie Toliver brilliantly extends Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's literary metaphor, adding a crucial new dimension. While Bishop's original framework explored how books serve as mirrors (reflecting readers' experiences), windows (offering views of other worlds), and sliding glass doors (enabling entry into authored worlds), Toliver adds telescopes:

"Through telescopes, children—especially those whose access to futures and fantasies has been distorted by violence and oppression—will be able to see that those futuristic and fantastical landscapes are actually closer than they first appeared to be."

This addition provides essential hope for marginalized children, helping them envision futures and possibilities that extend beyond their immediate circumstances.

A comprehensive resource offering insights from thought leaders, books, articles, videos, and podcasts covering:

These resources equip educators to foster inclusive and critical conversations about digital literacy and cultural awareness.

Vanessa Bohns, Cornell University professor of organizational behavior, offers insight from a recent Wall Street Journal article:

"While we often are overconfident in our beliefs, the tendency to shout—whether over our neighbors, friends, or adversaries—comes from underconfidence in our ability to convince others."

Effective alternatives to shouting include:

🔨 Do

MIT Technology Review suggests these strategies:

🤔 Consider

The problem is not people being uneducated. The problem is that people are educated just enough to believe what they have been taught, and not educated enough to question anything from what they have been taught.

Richard Feynman

This observation perfectly captures the challenge explored throughout this issue: our declining tolerance for intellectual discomfort. Whether discussing cancel culture, surveillance expansion, or persuasion techniques, the common thread involves our relationship with uncertainty and questioning. Feynman's insight reminds us that true education involves cultivating comfort with discomfort—the ability to sit with questions, contradictions, and evolving understanding.

Newsletter Evolution Note

Issue #302 demonstrates Ian's growing sophistication in connecting environmental innovation (mycelium technology) with social dynamics (cancel culture) and political developments (surveillance legislation). The inclusion of Stephanie Toliver's telescopes framework shows his engagement with cutting-edge educational theory, while the emphasis on gentle persuasion reflects his increasing focus on practical wisdom for navigating polarized discourse. This represents a clear evolution from simple tech curation to complex cultural synthesis.

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Part of the 📧 Newsletter archive documenting digital literacy and technology.

I'm a Luddite. You should be one too. :)