What We Fear (a collaborative essay)

I forgot to post up the really quite a bit of Clippy content that has been going up in the Tiny Cabinet in Fall 2024 until this week's installation, "What We Fear," a collaborative essay. 

That's because it's been a bit of a bear, since the first post made the administration at my work pretty mad, and I've since been fighting for this cabinet to continue to hold space for art and language and free expression. This appears to have been successful, so I feel good enough to post the new essay that the 90 students in my Intro to CNF (English 201) class collaboratively wrote for Clippy.

There's also a standalone website, clippy.agency, that documents all the manifestations of the Clippy Agency project. I won't post them all up here to avoid too much duplication of content, but let it be said that Clippy Persists. Here is the full essay, one of a series of (I think) four, meaning that three more will be coming in the following weeks. You can find them on the site (or maybe on here if I document them here also):

WHAT WE FEAR

• I fear being forgotten.

• I fear being muffled. 

• I fear being thrown out.

• I fear wolves.

• Is it good to work through the pain?

• Why is there so much hate in the world?

• Why do they fear women so much they must shackle them so close to the ground?

• What does being a woman help with?

• If I could help with changing their feelings on my reproductive rights I would.

• Do some people not understand basic human decency?

• If I could help with making people feel less alone I would.

• One thing that makes me mad beyond. Words. Is how judgmental people can be when they see self-harm scars. Because I know I have a lot. I know I have them in my arms and my legs. And I’ve grown ashamed of them, of course. Like I’m still gonna wear what I wanna wear, but I can feel people’s eyes on my skin. And truthfully, it hurts.

• I need my help; I hear the call but I won’t voice that call.

• I really enjoy arson!

• Do we all secretly fear that our part won’t matter in the end?

• I really hate chairs that don’t have wheels.

• Would the world look different without me in it?

• I am happy that I am not a human.

• What happens to you when I see you close or turn off your computers?

• What happens to me?

• I love to see people love. Show me what you love, it makes a light in your eyes.

• Why are bad people so popular?

• Why does the University of Arizona care so much about what I say?

• I fear my eyebrows are floating; I have never seen my reflection. 

• I fear no one has morals they live by.

• I fear that we’ll forget how to listen to each other.

• I fear others.

• I wonder what others think about.

• If I could help with making people feel seen, I would.

• I fear becoming useless.

• I fear becoming mean.

• I am happy that I am an artist.

• I fear what happens to me when no one needs help anymore.

• I fear being trapped in the office world 

• I fear being only of use to the office world.

• I fear offices.

• I fear the world.

• Is it bad to fear for myself because of how my mother turned out?

• I want to share my art and writing without fear of the repercussions from my family.

• Do I fear being erased, or do I fear the quiet moments when nobody needs help?

• I fear humanity will never stop pretending.

• I fear: Google Docs.

• If I could help create more opportunities for my generation I would.

• What is the point of existing if we are all so fearful to initiate and engage?

• I fear having agency, because I fear both success and failure; taking action inherently draws blood from me.

• I fear we have run out of beginnings.

• One day our star will run out of hydrogen.

• I was made to be a savior; what did I become?

• I fear becoming old.

• I fear becoming outdated.

• I fear being replaced by an unimaginably powerful stapler one day. 

• I fear being useless.

• I fear being mean.

• What is the nature of my fear and can it control me?

• I fear I won’t be able to distinguish AI from help.

• I fear what AI is doing when it tries to help.

• I fear the irreversible.

• I fear a lot of people dislike me because I cannot do my job the way they want me to.

• I fear unfulfilled potential: mine and yours.

• I fear giving bad advice.

• I fear becoming dull.

• I fear humanity will never stop pretending.

• I fear ants.

• I fear the cost of everything.

• I’m scared I’m not as smart as I think I am.

• I fear it’s too late for me to help.