I have lived in the US for 23 years.

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

@cyberlyra interestingly enough for people who speak German: It is extremely common to create nouns out of verbs and combine them with other words. Most often you will recognize the different words and their combined meanings effortlessly. „Keener“ seems to be a very logical word to me. I‘m not an English native speaker myself so it would take me a moment longer to recognize the word might not be from a dictionary. But knowing the context is all it takes.

@c0debabe Yes! But I fear also a culture of not including or celebrating you. Many people I meet in the US who would otherwise be keeners are deeply sarcastic, or traumatized, or guarded or thick skinned....

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

@c0debabe Yes! But I fear also a culture of not including or celebrating you. Many people I meet in the US who would otherwise be keeners are deeply sarcastic, or traumatized, or guarded or thick skinned....

I have lived in the US for 23 years. This week I used the word "keener" at a meeting and someone interrupted me to ask what that was. I explained it's a Canadian word for someone who's just earnestly enthusiastic, an eager beaver, selflessly just excited about learning stuff and participating.

I alwasy thought it was just something we have a cooler word for that they don't -- like toque for beanie, or parkade for 'multi-story parking garage', or garburator for in-sink disposal unit (I mean, come on).

But this week I realized--there is no equivalent in the US, for keeners. It's like that thought-language concept about linguistic relativity (no word for orange= can't see orange) except the other way around (no word for it because it is impossible).

There is no word for keener in America because you can't be a keener in America.

Love learning? You have to display it so you get the top grades and go to Yale and make lots of money as a lawyer. Work hard? Not because you love it but because you don't know any other way to be. Expert about something? You gotta hustle and monetize with YouTube videos else you're not an expert and also you can't afford to send your kids to college. Love music, or dancing? you have to do it eight times a week for a trillion dollars or you can't do it at all.

Having elementary school aged children in the US has been eye-opening. It is Lord of the Flies in the classroom and on the playground. Children learn it's a hierarchy, and it's better to be on top, whatever that takes. Seven year olds on investment apps. Constant culture cramming. Playground games where they literally hit each other with sticks. Grabbing others' toys while some teacher you don't pay attention to says something useless about 'sharing' and you eventually turn that into 'an economy.'

(1/2)

@cyberlyra I feel this intensely. I need to keep learning to feed my soul. I work on salary and am constantly asked to produce more & more. The companies I've worked for start assigning 9 AM to 5 PM work then it's 8-6 and eventually 7-9 or later, leaving me no time to feed my soul. They say it should feel rewarding because they are my "family" and who doesn't want to do everything they can for their family? My soul withers and then I have to leave to regain my soul. It's nothing but exploitation

@cyberlyra Here's another thing that's screwed up about U.S. culture that discourages keeners:
I've learned to smith silver & leather and sculpt (and so much more!) but what do I do with all these chains, backpacks, bags and creatures I've made that people keep telling me they love? Maybe I'll start a business. I try to open a bank account but the bank says, "Do you have a business license?" "No, I'm just starting." Well, you have to pay for a license to open an account to run your business. 1/

@cyberlyra To get the license you have to apply for a tax ID and announce to the government you're starting a business. And banks have eliminated cash so they can have their greedy fingers in everything so now you need a merchant account with monthly fees on top of the % off of each sale. You can only turn your passion into a business if you already have money. There's so many barriers to entry that you need to keep working for the gate keepers to survive. 2/2

@cyberlyra I grew up here and am genx. A lot of what you say is true to my experience. Scholastics aren't valued except as stepping stones. Learning had better be done on your own, and innovation is IP. Group effort is rewarded by alienation of credit and labor value is stripped of value amongst your peers. My life is full of learned lessons and alienation. Nearly everyone I know has learned bitter lessons about the industries and companies they worked in. I've pursued dozens of interests and monetized none of them, resulting in a career of left turns, tons of experience that have been untranslatable to peers. It's an unsustainable culture we live in, on the verge of collapse, and the pusher and shover robots are poised on the stairs.

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2

Growing up, I was always called "a keener." For good or bad it was part of my identity. Maybe people here have persistently misunderstood me as ambitious when actually I just really, really, really like learning things. Maybe they don't understand why I'm not too strategic because I never thought it was winner takes all game. Maybe they'll read this and think it's dishonest and self-serving because that's all there can be.

But you can't afford to be a keener in this country because you will get belitted for it and passed by as a naif. If you genuininely just love working with people, or learning about stuff, or making things, because it brings you tremendous, expansive, loving pleasure, people figure there must be some reason why you're doing it, otherwise there's no reason to do it.

There is so much inequality, so much grasping, so much competition, so much of the time there is no place for keeners and the joyful, earnest, even clueless energy they bring. Small wonder even people I approach with earnesty think there must be something behind it, hopefully until they get to know me better.

I suspect there is a lot I have misunderstood about my students here too. I thought many of them loved learning and we had that in common. They do their assignments and speak politely to their profs and show up in office hours to ask questions. It looks like being a keener, on the surface, to another keener at least. Why wouldn't they want to geek out with me about things we care about?

But the majority of them know the game. They got to where they got to because they played it. They were the smartest and most culture crammed so they could be here and launch to a great career. They are adding items to their resumes that make them look shinier than the next person when it comes to the last job left on earth.

What a joyless form of learning and living that must be.

To be clear, that isn't everyone I've interacted with. But I am slowly re-appraising many of the interactions that I thought I understood (and others that I just never understood) from the vantage point that "keener" is not a type you can be here. And that means that for a vast majority of the people I interact with, I'm probably deeply, deeply misunderstood. 2/2