There’s a common narrative today that breaks us down into two opposing groups: the lucky ones who fit the norms vs. the misunderstood outsiders in need of acceptance. This narrative encourages us to focus on certain parts of our identities in an effort to help outsiders find acceptance. This could be your sex, a diagnosis you received, your race or cultural background, or other identity markers.  What’s more, in this narrative, those identities come with a whole host of things you’re supposed to think and feel.

But what if you don’t think or feel those things?  What if what’s designed to help you only ends up hurting you?  What if you find yourself in those spaces, only to find everyone focused on something you see as meaningless?  What if you’re the outsider among the outsiders?  Were you ever really outsiders in the first place?

It’s this view and its form of maladjustment from which members of this group dissent.

This space is for those who have encountered the dominant values of modern-day maladjusted culture and rejected them.  Whether you are personally out of place in your own minority group or otherwise facing penalties for dissenting from this culture of (negative) maladjustment, this is a place for you to share your experiences and have your thoughts heard.

Our goal here, however, is not merely to vent (though it’s okay to start there).  Our goal is to process this experience. It’s to move toward peace, to find healthy community, and to return to a focus on what matters, not your superficial identity markers.  Metaphorically speaking, we’ll encourage you to drop your sword in the culture war and live instead for your own happiness, focusing on hobbies and growth and modeling universal values, not just counter-arguments to the maladjusted.

To our group’s founder, it felt impossible at first that others could relate.  We at Third Factor, however, can confirm that there are many others out there who are maladjusted to maladjustment itself.  If that describes you, we invite you to join this group.

From the Group Leader

I tried for many years to fit my struggles into this narrative, even though I never felt the isolation or misunderstanding that the culture of maladjustment told me I should. Then one day I saw a crack in their philosophy: everything defaulted to one pre-set experience, based on identity.  That did make me feel offended, isolated, and misunderstood among the people who claimed to be advocating for me. Now I’m looking to connect with others, from all different groups and causes, who feel the same. 

—Margo Margan

What We’ll Do Together

• First and foremost, we will come together in a forum to share our experiences and support each other as dissenters. We can’t always be friendly to others when we’re lacking in friendship ourselves. If we vent our hot takes here, we can keep them from spilling over in more general spaces and even get help from others in figuring out how to say what needs to be said, constructively and with confidence.  We will aim to be heard to the point where we don’t always need to be on the defensive, and to help each other find ways to healthy relationships and community.
• We’ll also hold optional Zoom meetings, to get to know each other beyond the written word! With no set agenda beyond connection, this space will be open to members to use how we see fit.

A Note from the Group’s Founder

Don’t let your experience of feeling an outsider keep you trapped!  Even this group on its own risks duplicating this dynamic, and should be a support as you climb up out of this, rather than a place to dwell forever.  Third Factor has many other forums, and our goal is to complement them, not isolate ourselves from a larger community. I hope to see you in both this group and around in the others! 

Membership Requirements

• Membership is open to those who support Third Factor at the Community Member tier or higher. You can join our community if you’re not already a member; if you’re at the Subscriber Tier, please log in to and upgrade.
• Then, to join this small group, please send a paragraph or so via DM (in our community forum) to organizer Margo Margan describing your experience.  If it’s in line with the description above, you will be welcomed into the forum.
• Please join at least one other space to complement this one. Choose any that you like; we think all of them could offer a useful counterpart to the dissenting that you can do in this group.
• Once you join, please post the one comment you most desperately wish you could get off your chest. We will keep a thread of these “hot takes” here so curious members can see if they’ve found the right space, and help them feel more comfortable letting their walls down.