Critical Thinking, Critical Consumption, Cultural Humility, Cultural Competency - Why We Need It All.

All I think about is how much of a critical thinker I am, how much of a critical consumer I am. I question basically everything, especially because I never really used to at a young age.

Fair warning: this may sound more academic-like. I miss writing academically lowkey, but that’s only because I be missing learning. Okay, now, will start this academic writing. 

Algorithm bias* is just so blatantly obvious. The media that we consume favors the dominant, white community. Well, how do you know that? It’S jUsT aN aLgoRitHm. But someone has to create the algorithm, right? Exactly. It was just in 2018, when Noble (2018) made findings that Google is perpetuating narratives and giving power to dominant groups through their algorithms. Since there is a lack of representation and lack of racial knowledge in who is creating these technologies and algorithms, marginalized groups become so negatively impacted. This trickles down into every aspect of the internet that we consume.

The more I consume media, the more aware I become of the biases that occur just within the internet. It’s just so in your face. For example, if you look up sh*t like “casual outfits”, do you notice the demographic? Or just when you look up anything, period. This can be on any search engine, like Google TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. 

When you have to specify who you’re looking up - for example: Asian light brown hairstyle - it just implies that looking up “light brown hairstyle” doesn’t include Asian people. If you look up “light brown hairstyle”, what’s the demographic? 

I didn’t have to type “White girl light brown hairstyle”, it’s the implication and non-inclusive way of reinforcing that the status quo is white. It may seem so minor, but in the long run, it just reinforces white dominance. Furthermore, the algorithms themselves have shown and proven to disproportionately impact underrepresented and marginalized communities, as shown in Noble’s (2018) research.

This is why inclusivity and representation is SO important. If you don’t question what you look up on the internet or just what you consume on the internet, it can lead to a lack of critical thinking skills.

The thing is, we can’t just put this all on the consumers. What about the creators of these technologies? There needs to be some accountability within that realm, too. There needs to be a real change, there needs to be true representation and inclusion within these tech companies, as to prevent instances in which underrepresented communities become disproportionately affected by biased algorithms.

I, obviously, don’t want to disregard performative actions that occur within society. It takes more than just having someone as a “face of diversity and inclusion”, it’s not the flex you think it is, mr. institution. Listening, learning, and seeking different experiences and stories from all different kinds of people is what’s going to really help you with learning and understanding what inclusivity and representation really means. You have to really step outside of your own circle to learn from and listen to others, to create true change within society.

With that important tangent, let’s circle back to being critical consumers of the media. As mentioned, it shouldn’t be put solely on us to seek and question the media that we consume; there should definitely be change created within these tech spaces, which is also part of an even longer conversation that I am so glad to talk about, too. But, that’s not necessarily what we’re talking about now.

With being a critical consumer, comes being a critical thinker. This helps to understand and dig deep into what the media is trying to say and make you think about the ways you consume media. 

Always do your own research before believing what one thing said. 

That just felt necessary to say. You can’t just believe everything that is handed to you. Question it. It’s okay to. I get it, that’s not what you’re taught in school growing up. You’re not taught how to think or how to learn. You just “learn” random “facts” and sh*t. That can be part of a larger conversation and to get a glimpse into it, read more here!

We are taught to basically memorize and regurgitate facts. It was rare that someone wanted to learn, because no one really taught us how to actually learn or really have fun with learning. No one truly connected with material that was presented to us. You’re basically just taught how to memorize things, how to take information as it is - and barely on how to critically think, be problem solvers, be culturally competent, and exhibit cultural humility. 

That’s just a small snippet into what the education system should be implementing into their curriculum, especially in schools who have large populations of underrepresented communities.

I just think that implementing all of this into the education system, granting more money and resources to the education system, would be a proactive approach to social justice. 

It’s - UGH- an institution so it makes it a lot harder to try to get things like this implemented - like cultural competency, cultural humility, and all that. We’d be teaching children to question what’s presented to them, as they should, and, unfortunately, there’s a lot of places that would definitely oppose this. It’s definitely a more progressive approach, which would, unfortunately, create a lot of chaos and backlash. That is also part of a larger conversation.

With all that said, be aware of what’s being put out on the internet, in whatever capacity. Understand that representation and inclusion is important in all aspects of media consumption. Representation and inclusion is important for communities and individuals. Representation helps with connection, and inclusion helps with cultural competency and cultural humility. All of this, in turn, helps build empathy and helps us strive towards social justice. 

xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3

Maybe I’m an overthinker, maybe this was just a tangent, but I do think everything I said holds truth.

*I learned about this in a class I took - Tech Inequality in the Silicon Valley. Keep an eye out for a blog post regarding everything related to this, that way you can fact check me and my sources (;

Noble, S. U. (2018). Searching for black girls. In Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (pp. 64–109). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1pwt9w5.6

Entrepreneurial Queens vs. Corporate Baddies: The Battle for Time

Do you ever realize how much of our lives are surrounded by time? 

We are literally constrained by the clock. We think about it constantly, especially in a capitalist country, where time and money are damn near synonymous. We are obsessed with making money, which directly correlates to time. 

Everyone is constantly moving, trying to figure out their next move. 

I don’t want to live like that LMAO where the clock runs my life. 

Me and the clock 

I’m having a taste of what it’s like to have the clock run your life, and holy sh*t, y’all really just settled for this?  (A corporate lifestyle btw, if that wasn’t clear)  Working constantly, stuck in the same f*cking cycle - day after f*cking day. 

Don’t get me wrong, I really love my job, I just don’t get how people don’t get tired of this sh*t. Like wtf do you MEAN we only have a TWO DAY break in between five whole ass work days. 

That’s some f*cking bullsh*t. 

Inner conflict with time

Bouncing back off of how this generation is changing the workplace, we’re desiring for more freedom financially, personally, and socially.  I still want to work and hustle, but as an entrepreneur, not as an entity in a corporation. In a corporation, you’re running on their time instead of your own time. As much as I love my job, idk how much longer I can run on this kind of never-ending corporate clock. 

I’m really struggling to find time and balance between corporate work and my own passions. I want to give all of my time to my business, obviously, but it’s f*cking exhausting, b!tch - trying to balance being a corporate baddie, but also an entrepreneur. 

Being a corporate baddie isn’t all that bad. I am definitely learning so much, and think it’s a necessary step for me in my own personal growth, but it’s like, at what cost? Freedom?

The true struggle

The real struggle is being on a strict schedule. 

Listen, if I get a minute off of schedule, everything is f*cking ruined. And this is what I mean by running by clock time. The clock/time is literally running my life rather than the other way around. Do I want that? I mean, who tf wants that? Where every minute of your life is worth, essentially, more than money. Where you’re literally racing the f*cking clock. Like, bro, that’s stressful as f*ck.

But, hey, #GrindDontStop. 

Even though it f*cking should. Lol like slow tf down, let me catch a f*cking breath!!! 

Part of me is like, why don’t we just live off natural time, like the natural human beings that we are? Then the other part of me is like “WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK”, I mean, Riri said it best, amirite. 

So many struggles, feel me? LMAO

What y’all think? 

xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3

Dive into Fearlessness: How Conquering the Unknown Leads to Life-Changing Experiences

Now is the time to take risks. 

I want you to really live your f*cking life to its fullest, with zero regrets. 

This is why we need to be doing things that scare us, because how else can we learn, grow, and have real experiences?  If we remain stable and comfortable, I believe it can be much harder to reach our full potential. 

Using failure as a value

There’s a lot of value in failure, honestly. I know that may have a negative connotation to it, but it really shouldn’t. You are only doing yourself a disservice when you don’t take risks solely because you are afraid of failure. This is for multiple reasons: 

1. Everything always works in your favor

2. There was definitely a reason why things took an unexpected direction since everything always works in your favor

That just means there was a detour to your destination. We can’t really think of it as a failure, just a setback. 

Taking advantage of the words you say to yourself

You really have to rewire your brain, take advantage of your self-talk, and understand that these setbacks don’t define you. It’s all about your reaction to it and how you further navigate it.

You can use it as a learning experience or you can stop and be negative about it. There’s always more than one way to have a reaction to anything. I encourage you to use the one that ends in: things always working in your favor.

This is all about how you speak to yourself. Unfortunately, it can be easier to feed into your negative thoughts, especially automatic negative thoughts or ANTs. Try to take a step back and ask yourself why you’re feeding into your negative thoughts. It’s just negative self talk, that ultimately doesn’t serve you.

Instead, try telling yourself every day: “everything always works in my favor” or “everything always works out for me”, you can even add “I’m so lucky, everything always works out for me”, because it truly works. Your subconscious repeats itself and that’s just exactly what’s going to happen. 

You know how your negative thoughts can begin to manifest? We do it subconsciously, which is why we need to change it to positive talk. Take advantage of your subconscious and rewire it to believe that you can achieve anything you want, despite setbacks.

IN CONCLUSION:

TAKE THOSE RISKS, step outside of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to fail. We have to really live and experience our lives, y’all! There’s value in everything that you do, and that goes with your reactions to your downfalls. We gotta have the downs to have the ups, let’s be real. 

Elsa said it best: into the unknown.

xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3

How the Next Generation is Prioritizing Creativity over Conformity and Changing the Workforce

I love how we all know our worth and won’t let something like corporate America get in the way of that. We all will do what we need to do, to get to where we need to be, but we will not be treated less than human. 

We will not allow anyone to talk to us with any level of disrespect and we won’t be treated robotically either. 

There was just such a lack of empathy and knowledge before (I mean, we can def argue that that’s still a problem, because I mean, hello - but that’s a different story for a different time) that now, we are just feeling as if enough is enough. We want things to change for the better. 

I feel like there's more of a grasp to be our own entrepreneurs - we still want our creativity and energy to continue to flow into projects, just without constraint. We mainly just want to do something we love, while making money, and without feeling so exhausted all the time. There needs to be a good balance when it comes to working and living.

We want the freedom to live, not just survive. 

With rapid advancements in technology, there’s so much more exposure to things that we wouldn’t have seen before. There’s so much more widespread knowledge to be gained. With that comes responsibility, obviously, but it’s just so available, so why wouldn’t we want more for ourselves? Why would we want to be stuck in a cycle? Feel me?

I want to hear what y’all think about this. Or if you even think about this? Thoughts? Questions? Additions? Let me know, I’m so curious. 

xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3

Finding Balance in a World of Uncertainty: A 20-Something's Reflections on Creating Change and Living Freely

Updated: January 2024

NOTE: I do apologize in advance if there are some parts that don’t flow as easily as they should, but I wanted to update this blog post because I felt it was very relevant to the current events in Gaza. All I urge is that we continue to push to #FreePalestine and find ways to support Palestine.

Does anyone else feel stuck between “the world is ending, stop giving a f*ck” and “we gotta make changes to save the world”? Or simply “what in the actual f*ck is going on?”

Honestly, this has been what I’ve been going back & forth on for awhile because how tf can we continue just acting as if nothing is wrong?

This is especially true now, especially with the genocide that is occurring to Palestinians. This is something that we especially cannot turn a blind eye to. We have to continue to talk about Palestine and urge a cease fire, we have to continue to push for a Palestine that is free. #FreePalestine

Not to sound morbid, but it’s honestly hard to think farther down the line when everything feels so uncertain. It’s not even that I’m unsure about my own future, I’m unsure about the world’s future tbh. 

I don’t like doing things and moving through the world as if everything around me isn’t basically in flames, turning into sh*t.

I say this because, personally, I sometimes feel bad for posting about my own life and me just having fun, knowing that there is so much sh*t going on around me. I definitely feel like a hypocrite, continuing to go on with my own life, knowing in the back of my head that Palestine isn’t free. It feels as if all I can do is continue to post/repost and write letters to urge a ceasefire and push to help Palestine be free.

Thoughts about the future

I always feel as if I have a responsibility to create a better future for future generations, especially with my Child Studies degree, but I cannot fathom even thinking beyond a few years from now - it’s so hard because everything actually feels like sh*t. Obviously, things are continually evolving, but with this rate, how can we even be sure that it is evolving in the right place?

Especially now. There is a whole population of Palestinians who need our help, who just want to be free, free of genocide, free of the murders that are nonstop. Like many people are saying, history is repeating itself. The thing is, though, that it doesn’t seem like much is happening to stop this. We’re really pushing, but what do we need to do in order for it to stop? In order for these other people to see that they are taking lives away.

It’s not even supposed to sound so morbid, lol, but when so many things are plummeting at once, how can we even possibly think the future is bright? LOL see, that sounds so morbid - the thing is it kinda is, but it’s not supposed to sound so dark. But, I mean, how else is it supposed to sound? 

Here’s why this comes up - it’s mainly because when I think about procreating (lmfao not really, but you know what I mean), it’s like, why would I want to bring a future generation into this — that’s assuming my own issues/traumas are solved & whatnot, but that’s a story for a dif. time — , when so many things are so unsolved, when it’s so hard to find peace, when there’s always so much conflict that goes beyond our own scope. I’ve lived in a drought damn near my whole life, and then there was nonstop rain, flooding rain, for a hot minute, and no one knew how to act. No one was really prepared for what was going to happen. But we’re somehow prepared to be on fire, as if that’s normal? (I reside in California btw). It’s like why would I want someone else to endure the vast uncertainty that we live in right now.

More thoughts and questions that develop

The more that I consume media, the more obvious it is that the newer generation seems to have a better understanding of empathy and critical thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I know our algorithms are working to show us what we want to see, but it does seem more apparent that the newer generation just wants humans to be treated as humans. It is so hard to fathom just how controversial that statement is because it shouldn’t be controversial that humans want to be treated like such, yet here we are.

When it comes to how we consume media, we should continue to question what we come across and take the time to think before forming opinions, especially since media is far more in our faces now than it ever has been before. Personally, I wish that I was taught to be a critical thinker at a younger age, because it becomes harder to unlearn things at a later age. Everything lives on a spectrum and we should continue to question things and try to understand different perspectives. I honestly find it beneficial to look at things through multiple different lenses because you never really know what solution can arise. 

CONCLUSION

With that, I just want to know what your thoughts are on trying to change the world and salvage it or just letting it be and continuing to live your life as is? Are our new use of critical thinking skills propelling us forward? Are we just thinking about the issues without trying to find any real solutions? It seems to be the direction we’re headed: understanding the issue, but not having real hard solutions, which brings me back to my initial thought of “what in the actual f*ck is going on?”

xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3