Sorry everyone, the old posts had to go. And even now reviving this blog is still up in the air. With my new life in Taiwan, circumstances have for the most part forced me to literally live on an island so far from home. That said, all the chaos that has followed since the election has been hard to miss.
To be frank, what kept me away from this blog for so long (and what may still) is that I have a real life now... grown up priorities. Secondly, I often get a strong feeling of “Why keep talking when no one listens?”. Yeah, all I have ever done is make myself an echo chamber; my beliefs are an impossible sell in this day and age. Should be obvious to those of you who have actively read my stuff.
The problem with having an “echo chamber”? What is the use? Look everywhere on Facebook, everyone has turned their feed into one. How on earth does this make a difference? All the talk on social media wont stop Trump’s executive orders; sharing article after article after article on your Facebook profile is not a form of ‘resistance’; reposting Trump memes will not change any minds in Washington; the Womens’ March was a nice touch, but what the heck was the ultimate goal of that, more culture war issues? There’s your downfall, “liberals”: thinking that the culture war makes you infallible; thinking that focusing on those issues will be enough to win elections, and losing is the fault of a racist, sexist, homophobic minority. Meanwhile, people who likely share the same economic woes as you are driven away because you make ZERO attempt to connect to them. You won the culture war, congratulations. And at the same time the 1% enjoyed having activist pressure be diverted away. And the Democrats saw that being on the winning side of that war was all they needed to win elections and call themselves “liberal”; forget about fighting for the working class.
That is how you got the Trump. This so-called ‘alt-right’ captured the populist spirit that the culture war does not and convinced the working poor that it is their champion. Of course, thanks to your social media echo chamber there is no way you could even understand that. The irony is, by focusing so much on the culture war, now you’ve given power to the people who are eager to set things back. Yes, it’s your own fault. Congratulations. Maybe if you supported candidates who aggressively ran on economically populist issues you could have protected your accomplishments.
You want to make a real difference? Connect to those like you. Those who are not wealthy are like you. Those with college debt are like you. Those who cannot afford medicine are like you. Those who have to work multiple jobs to make a living are like you. You have more in common with the economically challenged than you do with whatever inherent demographic you identify as; I guarantee, those of that demographic - whatever it is - who are in the 1% care very little for your rights. Why should they? They have enough money and influence to protect their own needs. Stop confusing white privilege (or male privilege, for that matter) with economic privilege (or celebrity privilege, for that matter).
What, is this “privileged talk”? Then get off my blog, run back to your Facebook echo chamber, type paragraphs of capital letters about how I’m such a “privileged” brat, and go back to sharing articles about the next crazy thing Trump does. Become part of what maintains the status quo: sharing, labeling, hiding behind social media. A lot like Trump himself.
I don’t even know what I’m going on about anymore. But before I stop, I should share my thoughts on the election; now that it has been months maybe this will be easier to swallow, now that the emotional shock should be gone:
No surprise he won. There, I said it. Not happy, not apathetic... and not surprised. Heck, Michael Moore called it and he got crucified by butt-hurt die-hard Hillary supporters who silence everyone who rains on their echo chamber (hmm... sounds like Trump supporters). She had no shot against the Trump, period. She acted too much like a Washington insider with her behind the scenes deals with the financial elite. She made no effort to connect to the working class or to Sanders supporters. Maybe she should have used her “great listening skills” to notice that she was losing the rust belt by being the TPP champion and not even visiting Wisconsin. And that she should not anger Sanders supporters (which include a nice chunk of Independents, not a base you want to PO) by flat out saying she does not need them (“I am winning”) or promoting Wasserman-Sh***. The signs of doom were clear as crystal! Oh wait, die-hard Clinton supporters can’t see outside their echo chamber.
The DNC is far more responsible for the Trump presidency than the Russians, or the made up “sexists” that the DNC made up in their echo chambers to blame for this embarrassment. Die-hard Clinton backers, who even to this day have utter contempt for Sanders and his fans, are more to blame than the depressed Sanders supporters who DID show up on election day. Yeah, I said it. They made no attempts to bring them over, instead resorting to hurtful labeling tactics such as ‘sexist’ and ‘ego’, don’t forget “they are mostly white”. What do you think happens when you label an economically disadvantaged group as “privileged”? You know, instead of reminding how you have much in common as 99%ers? And really, if a real fight for the working class is not so important to you; if you were complacent with Hillary’s economic neoliberalism from the very beginning; if Sanders’s progressive record meant absolutely nothing to you, or thought it was unrealistic, or made you upset (because it showed how “she” wasn’t so progressive); if you still believe the Democrats are “liberal" just because they are on your side of the culture war; if you can afford to consider working class needs secondary to said culture war; then you’re the one who needs to check privilege.
Did my “mansplaning” make you upset? Then get off my blog, run back to your Facebook echo chamber, type paragraphs of capital letters about how I’m such a “privileged” brat, and go back to sharing articles about the next crazy thing Trump does. Become part of what maintains the status quo: sharing, labeling, hiding behind social media. A lot like Trump himself.
As for those of you who voted Trump because the ‘alt-right’ convinced you that he will push for your needs... you got played like puppets. I’ll stop there because so many others have covered it thoroughly.
And now, here I am, in my own echo chamber. Am I any better? Probably not, though I give myself a point for using my own words instead of resharing articles again and again and again. But whatever, nobody even has to listen to me. And if there is any detractor reading, I encourage you to tell me why I’m mistaken instead of proving me right and running back to your echo chamber.
Well I’m done. I think I went off about nothing for long enough and now need to get off my train. No, literally, my stop is coming up. Time to get off.
