Let’s re-envision, not just remake
Dear Cog reader,
I’m the newest editor at Cog and every week I’m interacting with new writers and new parts of the job. This week, I spent a lot of time thinking about how we tell — and retell — stories about ourselves.
Theresa Okokon was six years old when she fell in love with Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which inspired a main character moment for her.
"I would go to the pool in the summer, a swim cap protecting my Jheri curl or braids protecting my natural hair," Okokon writes. "I would dive in, squeezing my legs together like a fin, find my way towards the edge, and muster my childhood biceps to surge my body from the water — flicking my head back and doing my damndest to recreate the iconic rock scene at the end of “Part of Your World.” "
As kids and teens, we’re the star of our stories, just like little Theresa was. But as we mature, we begin to see our stories in a larger context — the context of community, of family, of history. When our stories are placed in a broader context, they can become more universal.
Okokon came to realize something about herself in the process of watching the new “Little Mermaid” (and writing about it). Seeing Halle Bailey, a Black actress, play Ariel was great, but it wasn’t transformative. She wanted a full scale reenvisioning.
That’s what Margaret Woo got when she dug into her family’s history. When Woo first sent us her story, she said it was about the rise of Asian American political power. But as we worked on it together, she realized it wasn’t quite so simple. That even as her family celebrated the accomplishments of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, anti-Asian sentiment simmered.
“A ‘model minority’ myth complicates matters with seemingly positive stereotypes that oversimplify the history of Asian people in America and obscures the bamboo ceiling that has limited so many of us,” she writes, "including my grandfather.” What she found while writing was a new, more nuanced understanding of the progress between when her grandfather emigrated from China in 1923 and when Wu was elected 98 years later.
At Cog, we do our best to empower writers like Okokon and Woo to re-envision, not just remake. I’m happy to be here.
P.S.— At Cog, it’s our role to spark thoughtful conversations about what's happening in today's world. We can do that thanks to the generous and voluntary support of our Members. Please join them! To keep our voice strong, we need 700 new monthly contributors by Thursday. Your gift of $10 or $12 a month will make a meaningful difference to you and everyone who values can't-miss commentaries and essays. Please give monthly today.
Kate Neale Cooper
Editor, Cognoscenti
