I’m currently listening to Ed Sheeran’s new songs on repeat and burning a ‘fresh linen’ candle. The study door won’t close properly all of a sudden so I’ve stuck a foot stool in front of it to keep it closed.
Essentially, I’ve barricaded myself into the smallest room in our flat and I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. I’m wondering if this is the start of my descent into despair... but, hey, Ed’s new songs are awesome so I’m pretty cool with the current situ.
I think I’m addicted to the news atm. You may have noticed that there’s a lot of shit going down in the world right now (and if you haven’t, where the actual eff have you been hiding?) and I seem to be glued to
And by instalment, I mean the next giant turd that is being hurled out into the world.
I’m FED UP.
And for that reason, I’m doing it. I’m bringing up politics on the blog.
Soz. Not soz.
I wouldn’t usually delve down this path. If I’m perfectly honest, despite the fact that I pay attention, read articles and watch the news, I still don’t feel like I know enough to write about it. Politics is a complex beast and there is a lot to get your head around and I never feel like I’ve grasped the complex details enough to write about it outside of friendly discussions with my pals.
But I’ve kinda reached a point where I’m past that.
Because I am such a mess of thoughts and emotions that I just want to shout them out as loud as I possibly can. Because not quite getting your head around the complexities of voting systems and government doesn’t mean you can’t spot the toxicity that’s spreading through the world like wildfire.
And I. Am. Done.
I am so aware that as a white, middle-class, straight, cis-gendered person, I was automatically born onto the easier ride and it would be so easy to keep my head down, keep burning my candles and listening to Ed Sheeran and hope it all blows over and doesn’t directly affect me.
But then, well...
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
Yeah, that.
At the beginning of 2016, a bizarre number of big names dying seemed like the main thing the year would be remembered for.
Lol.
I know bringing up the topic of Brexit is a little bit like poking an angry snake so I won’t stay here too long.
Yes, I voted remain. Yes, I was upset with the results.
But I wasn’t angry at those who I was able to have healthy, friendly discussions with about their legitimate, well-researched reasons for voting to leave.
What I was angry about was the hate and vile that suddenly seemed to be swirling around the place. When white, privileged men stood in front of that poster and spouted blatant discrimination at minorities which, in turn, encouraged people to quote these thoughts back at me like they were now acceptable and legitimate.
Yeah, that pissed me off.
But then it got worse. Those views got worse.
Because there now seems to be an excessively rich tangerine running a very big and very powerful country that affects the entire world, and the first days of his presidency have been downright alarming.
I’ve spent a lot of the last week shouting at the TV (which G is loving btw. Ahem).
Some issues raised in the past few days have made me so angry that I’ve been incoherent when trying to articulate my thoughts aloud.
Like I have so many feelings about men dictating laws about women’s reproductive rights, and anti-feminist women, and the future of the free press (the crowds were smaller idiot; brazen lying doesn’t stop me having eyes), and climate change, and equality for all, and whether women are ever asking to be raped.
(Answer: NO THEY ARE NOT YOU UTTER IMBICILE. EVEN IF THEY ARE WEARING SHORT SKIRTS AND SMASHED OFF THEIR FACE, THEY DON’T WANT YOUR SCUMBAG SELF ANYWHERE NEAR THEM. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO SHOUT IN CAPITAL LETTERS BEFORE YOU GET THE EFFING MESSAGE?)
But I also find those feelings stressful and anxiety-inducing and kinda like I just want to lie in bed and cry for a while.
So how do you find the balance?
How do you balance the anger felt at the outright misogyny displayed by the likes of Tangerine Ballbag and Piers bloody Morgan and yet still focus on going to work and keep spinning the many plates of your life?
Well, to conclude this slightly directionless post, I don’t know. I’m still figuring it out.
I do know that I want to focus on my loved ones and plan holidays and write blog posts about small, happy, slightly trivial, things.
I want to live my small, happy life.
But I also know that I want to roar with the masses. Because our basic rights that enable us to live these small, happy lives are being threatened by those who believe they are somehow superior.
And enough is enough. I have the right to decide what to do with my body. I have the right to fully-informed healthcare. I have the right to walk down the street holding hands with the person I love. I have the right to live on a safe, healthy planet. I have the right to express my creativity. I have the right to live a life free from discrimination against my skin colour and gender.
I will never stop believing in those rights. And if I am forced to fight for them, then I will.
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