all essays.

video game fantasy, modding, and why “it’s just a game” does not fully explain how choices and patterns are interpreted.

why society can’t talk honestly about sex isn’t about discomfort or immaturity. it’s about power, silence, and the social costs of questioning the standards that shape how desire, worth, and legitimacy are measured.

when work turns into a game, distance becomes a survival skill. performance replaces context, people flatten into numbers, and instability starts to feel normal long before anyone questions why.

most americans don’t avoid the doctor because they misunderstand health care. they avoid it because they understand what follows: opaque billing, delayed charges, denied coverage, and decisions made far upstream of the exam room. over time, that experience teaches people that seeking care carries risk, not just medically, but financially and administratively.

a few hundred dollars spread across a year reveals how companies decide what labor is worth, and why raises are treated as optional even when commitment is not.

every february, the same reactions surface. questions about balance, calls to move on, claims that history already handled itself. the defensiveness around black history month reveals something deeper than disagreement. it exposes how uncomfortable people become when the default shifts and attention lingers where it usually doesn’t.

job listings don’t always lie, but they often reframe pay as potential instead of wages. job listings pay is shaped by titles, sign-on bonuses, and “unlimited” upside that shift risk onto workers while presenting underpayment as opportunity.

mental health awareness is widespread, but knowing help exists doesn’t mean it feels usable or safe. label avoidance helps explain why systems often treat honesty as risk rather than responsibility.

the arrival of michael scott (and dwight schrute) in fortnite points to how recognition, now keeps characters alive in culture.

influencer culture often frames visibility as opportunity, but beneath that framing sits a quieter entitlement. this piece examines how attention becomes leverage, how sincerity turns performative, and how small creators and businesses are pulled into systems that reward extraction more than integrity.