I’m at a loss as to where to start.
There’s been so much big stuff been going on in the world in areas that I’m passionate about and in the rapidly declining state of affairs in our national political discourse—things like climate change, Adani, refugee policy, unprecedented attacks on civil liberties, concentration of power, and more… And I’m angry…
I haven’t blogged in ages. In part due to this sense of overwhelm. When I write, now, I feel a need to be considered and to dive deep into what I’m talking about or responding to. Something I’ve mentioned here before. I find it increasingly difficult just to bang out a “quick” post. (Nowadays a typical post takes me upwards of 4 hours to write, time blocks of that scale are rare in my world…)
This, coupled with writing for work etc. I’ve found it very difficult to get back into the swing of it.
But I’m finding it more and more difficult not to write.
I am reminded when I first started blogging*, in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, Sep 11 2001, it was an overwhelming urge to write, in response to the rubbish being peddled by politicians and the media.
This rubbish had consequences—attacks on our civil liberties, attacks on people of Muslim Faith, attacks on refugees, all in the name of combatting “terrorism.”
The ramifications of these events reverberate to this day.
A politics of fear, that is fundamentally unfounded in reality. You have more chance of being killed by a car than a the terrorist “threat.” Heck, you’ve probably got more chance of being killed by the air pollution caused by cars. Women in this country die at the hands of their partners far more often than politically motivated violence (exhibits A and B.)
And you know, the same political parties remain in power and employ the same tactics. While the figurehead changes (like a revolving door) the power-brokers remain the same. The same shock jocks still dominate the airways. The same editorial spin appears on the front page of any Murdoch publication any day of the week.
And the populace is still voting seemingly for their own interests, while propping up the very parties and “leaders” that are attacking and undermining them. Orwellian double-speak if ever we needed examples.
And, thus, I feel compelled, again, to raise my voice and express an alternate view, a counterpoint to the tripe being repeated ad-nauseum in sound bites across the traditional media landscape, and amplified in the echo chambers of social media.
A lot has changed when it comes to blogs and “internet media.” What point is there to be a lone voice?
My hope is that this space will not just be writings to no-one. But that it will present me, as it did all those years ago, with a place I can sort out the ideas in my head, to refine the arguments, to seek out the source and undercurrents, not just the latest headline. So that I can express these ideas not just here, but to take them further with a commitment to engage with my (so-called) “elected representatives.”
Change must happen.
We’re stuffed if we don’t.
P.S. not everything I write here will be politically focused. It’s just events over the past week or two have really got under my skin and I’ve felt a much stronger sense that I need to get back to this and write more.
(* While the archives for this WordPress-based blog go back to 2013, I started blogging a few years prior to that.)