Some Thoughts On Why I'm No Longer A Centrist...

If I had written this blog  twenty(or even ten) years ago, it would have been very different.I really believed that “working hard and playing by the rules” was going to be my ticket, despite lousy access, a benefits system that is less like a dignified reward than “Hotel California”, prospective employers and editors who liked me better when they heard my voice on the phone than when they see me, and I could go on. (For the record, I’m still grateful it’s there, and I will resist any attempts, whether Republican or Democratic, to undermine its value…just kind of think it’s a poor trade for my whole life.) I think the center matters less to those of us, who, like Snot Boogie, have to steal our way in to get to play.The Obama years felt good to me, but only a few of the reforms touched my life.(I think, whoever the next President is, I need to be determined not to be fannish of him or her) I’m an activist and need to keep policy at the forefront, although the hero-worship thing was fun for a while, not gonna lie.

Socialism gives me hope and a team to play for.(Maybe any hope for a middle-aged disabled woman is largely bullshit), but since I’ve been denied the future of being some kind of adapted trend-piece media chick, I will say considering disability as part of the working-class struggle has helped me feel less marooned and alone and paradoxically less like a failure when I can’t solve all my problems. 

There are powerful systems in play that keep power in the hands of the same people so maybe I’m not going to break through by myself, but maybe we could do it together. Like all stereotypes, there is a kernel of truth in the idea that youth want a lot.(Not so sure about the ponies.) America used to be a place people used to go in search of a better life, but it seems like the moderate vision is, you know,” We’re The Greatest Country In The World That Can’t Do Shit”(exciting stuff, eh?) They want a lot, but I don’t think the list is out of line…yes I know, I don’t have much, and some short-sighted individuals would say I didn’t earn it either.(If you would say that you don’t know what a drag our benefits system is…not working is a lot of work sometimes.)