What it is
The rebel frame is a self-narrative that casts you as the conscious critic of systems, and others, partners, coworkers, family, as unconscious participants in them. It’s flattering. It’s sometimes accurate. It’s usually doing more identity protection than analysis.
What it can describe accurately: real differences in how people see institutions, and a refusal to fully absorb the ideology of the place that pays you.
What it can cover for: that the critique mostly stays in conversation, not action, and that you still enjoy the privileges of the system you’re criticizing.
How it shows up for me
I wear this frame more than I’d like. The question that breaks it for me: what have I actually done about the thing I’m criticizing, this month?