I didn’t make it to 2000 posts, or 2021, both milestones to which I was looking forward.
Last night, it was made clear that the one change which had been presented to the board – the removal of “informational” memes – was not acceptable. When there was an attempt to address this politely it was met with sarcasm, negotiation and outright defiance.
Efforts were made to present the issue as confusing and arbitrary – despite a post just three months ago which explained everything and which triggered 88 comments in response. Some of the people who commented, in fact, with things like “your house, your rules” and “I understand your intentions with your new rules and will abide as best I can” were among those pushing back.
I understand that one of the failings of the current political culture is the shortening of memory, but I refuse to believe that three months is no longer enough time for the mental buffer. If it is, the republic is already lost.
That leaves the other obvious answer: that I’ve become so incompatible with the board that my efforts are neither appreciated nor, in truth, desired.
This seems quite plausible. I’ve been attempting to remind people that the Democrats are currently in charge – that they did, in fact, win in November (no matter what the cultists may believe) and that they are now in control of all major aspects of government. Because they are enacting policy which will have a direct effect on our daily lives and the Republicans are merely putting on a fascist clown show, I’ve been attempting to redirect the attention to issues readers may not be considering – something I’ve viewed as my primary role on this blog, and a reason I’ve often posted about foreign policy or political philosophy or projective analysis.
It’s been rough, in what has devolved into a near-constant reiteration of two minute hate. I thought I’d be able to push through it… after all, the Democrats are in charge now, and people are going to have to deal with that. Instead, the focus has been on the unfair spin the Republicans have been trying to put on things – typically a valid complaint, but ultimately a diversion from real issues because they have very limited influence at the moment. I’m no more interested in hearing the propaganda from Brian Tyler Cohen than I am the propaganda from Sean Hannity. There’s a country that’s in crisis, well beyond the he said/she said and the binary option.
This place was started because of pushback against the binary and a devotion to solutions. That remains my focus. I continue to actively doubt the official line not only from the Republicans but from the Democrats – and to doubt them equally. It doesn’t seem like I’m welcome with that view. It can hardly be said I haven’t had a proper exposure to the board and that I’m casually misinterpreting things, either; note, I wrote almost 2000 pieces over the course of three years and was one of the primary troll-smashers.
I’m retreating. I’ll continue to argue in favor of my beliefs, but I’ll do it in person and during my irregular visits to Facebook. I’ll probably check Twitter every few weeks, the way I currently do. I’d have liked to continue here, but it’s become apparent I’m just not a very good fit for the board.
I’ve never thought any single person is indispensable. Had I been felled by a car accident or some jackhammer with COVID-19, we’d be in a similar situation. It’s one reason why I’ve been asking for submissions for a few years. I will say that Tiff is going to need breaks, or she’s going to snap – especially considering how often people go to post in her threads without reading the thread and seeing she’s already covered the topic. As I leave, my wife is leaving, too, which opens four slots per week on the Owl, the two weekend afternoons, and an article each morning as well as incidental items like breaking news and election coverage. If anyone wants to step up and start contributing, this might be a good time for it.
If you want a last topic, which I’d have otherwise been discussing today, how about the decision by the Biden Administration to grant humanitarian exception asylum to anyone identifying as transgender? Certainly that can’t be abused, not after we’ve established that all one needs to be recognized as transgender is to self-identify in that regard. It’s exactly the sort of thing I’d normally bring up… but, hey, Liz Cheney isn’t in a power spot anymore, and that’s going to affect my life somehow, maybe, in some weird oblique way…?
Anyway, that’s all from me. Thanks for your time, and have a good life.
