NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION

Good Morning 2018.

Right away, you tried to play your same old 2017 tricks, but we are wiser now.
We are smarter, more resilient, less naive.

In 2017, I felt like nothing was in my control.
I felt at the mercy of the media, of politicians, of big companies who couldn't care less about me.
I felt manipulated, overlooked, exposed and vulnerable.

I felt powerless.


And as the end of the year approached, I began to realize the biggest thing I wanted to take away from this year was the overcoming of that powerless feeling.

So when I opened facebook at 7am on January 1st 2018 and the first fucking thing the stupid bloody algorithms tried to tell me was that North Korea was constantly ready to push their nuclear button, I said, "FUCK THIS and FUCK YOU."

Because no.

I don't think we're on the brink of nuclear war.

I think the current administration wants us to believe we are because then we will cling to it.
We will be so cowed by the biggest, scariest threat that they can feed us, that we will let them "do whatever it takes to protect us," and gobble up all the stupid fear mongering bullshit news articles about "escalating tensions," "good guys and bad guys," and every other carefully chosen phrase that will not make you freak out, but put you in a low level of anxiety and tension that makes you feel vulnerable, weak, and desperate for a big, strong hero to tell you, "Do not worry citizens. I have this under control."

You are being manipulated.
Every article you read.
Every headline.
Every tv show.

All of it is designed to make you feel a certain way.
Every piece of media you engage with is designed to make you feel invested in a plotline, or character development, or mounting dramatic tension.
Not every source of such material is in it for simple entertainment value.

And it is really really really fucking important to know where you're getting your entertainment/news/media from, and what they benefit from if you wholly engage with their manipulation.

They may get a second season of their incredibly well written netflix series.

They may get a third article on the well read blog that's gaining popularity.

They may get a third release of their celebrity endorsed clothing line.

And they may get a second term in office, or avoid prosecution for their multitudes of crimes, if we, as the consumers do not pay attention.

SO NO. I WILL NOT BE BUYING YOUR CULTIVATED FUCKING WAR SEEDS. I WILL NOT BE BUYING INTO YOUR POORLY CONSTRUCTED SUBPLOT.

2017 was really hard.

It was a year of disillusionment and fear.

Part of that was realizing that there are still a ton of people who hate other people for no bloody reason, which I admit, was really brutal.

I, like many, believed we were well on our way to a new time of peace, love, hope, and understanding.

The thing about all that really nice stuff, is that it's like a garden, it must be tended to and taken care of, or else it withers and dies.

If you leave the garden to everyone else, you will come out one day and there will be no tomatoes for your pasta sauce. You have to water the garden. You have to plant the seeds too. You may even need to teach your children or your friends how to take care of the plants should you get ill or need to take a break so that the garden survives your absence, but the thing is, WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE FUCKING TOMATOES.

Long story short, it is okay if you had a rough 2017.
It is okay if you are tired, and it feels overwhelming to go right out and check on your garden right now.

BUT WE SURVIVED YOU GUYS.
AND WE WILL KEEP SURVIVING.

IN FACT WE WILL THRIVE AND SO WILL OUR TOMATOES.

Okay that metaphor is a little ridiculous now...

But truly.

Don't let the follies of last year inform your decisions for this year, or exhaust you before you've even begun.

Do not read articles that discourage you from resisting.
You do not have to believe something just because it is in print.
You do not have to believe something because it is on tv, because it is on a well reputed blog, or because it is being spouted by the supposed leader of your country.

You do not have to believe a god damn word.

And you shouldn't.

Because you are being manipulated.
Constantly.
And you can decide not to be.
You can decide to turn off the computer, or the phone, or the television.
You can talk to your friends, read other articles, and speak with the representatives who engage with and stand up for your beliefs.

Believe me when I say this alone is an act of rebellion.
Continued education is an act of revolution, and choosing not to be manipulated is a virtue of that education.

Believe me when I say, we are going to thrive this year.
2018 is not a year of fear for us.

It is a year of fear for THEM.
BECAUSE THEY ARE TERRIFIED OF US.
WE HAVE THE POWER.
 BECAUSE WE HAVE THE MAJORITY.

HAPPY NEW YEARS REVOLUTION.