We're Living in the Future...
Let's keep these good vibes going!
General News
I want a McGriddle so bad, y'all. Fuck.
Anybody hear about the Belgian-Israeli billionaire who died whilst getting his dickus more biggus? Tale as old as time, he’s just like me fr, many such cases, etc. Life would be so much easier if that were the only thing to write about. Do you remember when I mentioned unsubscribing from the Washington Post’s emails? Well, things look a bit crazy over on that front. Controlling the media has never once gone wrong in history; not ever, not a once! Oh, hey, does anyone remember the last time when Germany moved closer and closer to the Right? Anyone else seen the movie Spotlight (2015)? Apparently this guy hasn’t. Does anyone actually learn from history? Anybody?
To be clear, Re: last week's newsletter, I do not have a subscription to ANY news outlets (other than Lux, 100/10 recommend a subscription). I just like the little digests and email blasts. To that end, I got on the Associated Press' (lmfao) and the Guardian's (anyone see this?) lists. Send recommendations if you have any. Speaking of email lists, I heard through the grapevine that H.R.28 will be up for debate. I'll be closely following this bill as much as possible. On the question of "what kind of newsletter would I like this to be," I think I'd like to track bills that I find particularly Heinous and Absurd. If any action should be taken, I'll be sure to blast it here. Happy to share updates as well. You can also keep track of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation here! Anyone else surprised that the state with the highest number of legislation introduced also has the highest number of trans-porn-enjoyers? I love you, too, Texas!
Anyway, back to legislation worth keeping an eye on: H.R.25! (TL;DR: LGBTQIA+ organizations providing vital support and education for the community; i.e. making sure I have a fucking job lol.) The constant uncertainty has been really getting to me mentally and emotionally. I suppose it does help to know that there is a good fight worth fighting. I mean, as a Communist, I don't think my job should exist, but for very different reasons. Like maybe the US should adopt a socialized/nationalized housing model that actually provides affordable housing to its population? Does that exist anywhere? The housing market in the US cannot sustain itself and it certainly serves to benefit the landowning class rather than the renting class. But what do I know about housing? It's not as if I've been working in this field for nearly 4 years now.
I can’t believe I’m taking a risk on a flight to the west coast. And especially at a time like this when the surveillance state is moving towards the Orange Cumrag’s agenda? What a time to not only be alive, but also be trans and alive. To that end, who up thinking about the Illinois gubernatorial election in 2026 and the presidential election in 2028? Though keeping Pritzker here at home would be fine, I kind of think he should run for president. Maybe have AOC on as his running mate. Or vice-versa; AOC for president and Pritzker for VP. That’s my dream “lesser of two evils” ballot. Electoral politics and social progress? Call me a liberal! And whoever it was that punk’d HUD, I am in love with you.
Personal News
I cannot stop listening to the single that Polo & Pan dropped last week. It’s so good. “I can’t believe we’re living in the future.” So true, bestie. Is anyone else super hyped about Cheekface’s new album? It has to be my favorite of theirs so far. All of my favorites are putting out good shit right now and it honestly gives me hope. Also, on Saturday, I checked out a completely free community entertainment event on the south side of the city (where I may be moving to, admission permitting) and I got to meet one of my favorite artists (see below)! I let him borrow my lighter (cigarettes out of frame) and we talked about a mutual friend of ours. The world is so small, am I right? Anyway, they have a new album coming out in May. I feel so damn lucky.
I previously mentioned that I was rejected from two PhD programs that I had applied to. As of Friday, the status of my application for my Dream PhD Program updated from “under review” to “additional review required.” Perhaps a conditional acceptance? I sent the program director an email, and she replied to explain that they’ve made their admissions decisions and we should expect a decision soon from admissions. I’ve heard that the “additional review” is usually a good sign, but the ambiguity sucks. Just tell me yes or do, damn it!
Do you want to know what also gives me hope? The economic blackouts and mass boycotts that are being promoted online and among various communities. While I’m generally skeptical of “social media activism” (like the Black Square on Instagram in 2020 and the Celebrity Block-Out last year, which were pretty silly imo), I think the general culture is getting the idea: we don’t actually need consumer culture to survive! That’s the big takeaway that these movements can have and I support it. Many companies have been taking note of losses, like McDonald’s and Target more recently. Tesla stock is at risk of plummeting due to public shame (it works!).
I don’t think that a revolution will come leaping in on a blazing horse anytime soon. I don’t put my faith into abstract conceptions of revolution that aren’t rooted in reality. The reality is that the average American isn’t a Communist like me nor are they a socialist nor do they sympathize with militant left-wing movements in other countries. As I mentioned before in another newsletter, I don’t think that the left in the US has any actual ground for a “revolution.” However, I do think that general attitudes are finally shifting in the right direction (not that right lol). Like hey maybe we should’ve been boycotting Amazon all along? I’ve been participating in BDS boycotts for nearly 5 years at this point and they didn’t get mass attention until after October 7, 2023. People still have major split opinions on the occupation of Gaza, so it’s still not a “mass movement,” but the discourse around war is changing. Class consciousness is becoming more and more popular, especially as the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour while our rents are rising astronomically across the nation. There’s literally no way to survive on $14k per year in this country. People are realizing this! While the Orange Cumrag pursues his fascist campaign of eliminating human rights in this country, his approval rating is plummeting faster than inflation is inflating.
Movement is slow and requires patience. Unless you’re into violence. Legally, I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not I support violence. However, I will say that Luigi Mangione is setting the tone for spring fashion! To my point about attitudes shifting in this country, I think that the popularity and “celebrity” of this alleged murderer is reflective of people’s outrage at a system that is failing them. I may or may not own agitprop of him…it may or may not be on my wall beneath a much larger poster of a Soviet soldier holding the sheep-wool covering a wolf with a Swastika in its dark fur with text in Russian at the bottom that says, “The enemy is cunning, stay vigilant.” I type this as I wear my Anti-Fascist Social Club hoodie…which may or may not be true! Anyway, the point of all this rambling is that I am hopeful that attitudes will move closer to what I’ve literally always been saying: trade and barter or bust! Let’s keep these good vibes going, y’all.
Poetry
Y’all…I have been eagerly awaiting the moment when I could share this poem. The poets I shared throughout February were totally worth sharing and I’m glad I could honor Black History Month in some small way. I do recognize that this month is supposed to be Women’s History Month, but I’m literally not waiting another month to share this. I’m sorry. I need to talk about this white boy. Philip Larkin (1922–1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. I think about that “coastal shelf” all the damn time. How trauma “deepens,” how heavy it feels. If you want a look into my sick and twisted mind, please also read this other poem by my boy Larkin.
Side note: I read a really incredible book for therapy, Alice Miller’s The Drama of the Gifted Child (1997). Not only did it resonate with me when it came to childhood neglect and exploitation, she really brought up a couple of things that are relevant to this week’s discourse. First of all, she says that an abused and exploited “mother” (dated language, re: gender/sex) is more likely to feel disconnected from their “maternal instincts.” I believe this is true regardless of sex and gender; hurt people hurt people, or whatever (see poem below).
She also says, “Oppression and the forcing of submission do not begin in the office, factory, or political party; they begin in the very first weeks of an infants’ life. Afterward they are repressed and are then, because of their very nature, inaccessible to argument…The old dependency will then be simply shifted to a new group or leader.” (105). “People who discover their past with the help of their feelings, to look for their real causes, and to resolve the transference, will no longer be compelled to displace their hatred onto innocents in order to protect those who have in fact earned this hatred” (114). “The future of democracy and democratic freedom depends on our capacity to take this very step and to recognize that it is simply impossible to struggle successfully against hatred outside ourselves, while ignoring its messages within,” (115). This directly feeds into my “research” on the psycho-social overlaps between fascism and religious cults. Heal your mind, free your mind!
P.S.
Don't forget to pour one out for Gene Hackman. He and Robin are probably laughing at us in heaven. “We tried telling you!” While I fully acknowledge that The Birdcage (1996) contains transphobic scenes (like when Armand tells Albert that she’s actually a man in drag instead of affirming her womanhood, which is odd seeing as Armand is arguably bisexual based on his history with the birth-mother of his son, more to dissect here), I think that it really shows how much of a performance gender really is. Especially towards the end, when the senator can’t believe that Albert isn’t a “woman!” Like yes! She is a woman and he accepted that fact without any questions asked! That’s how gender performance works! Anyway, one of the other takeaways is how the senator was actually genderqueer or perhaps gender-questioning person himself (like towards the end–spoiler (this movie has been out since 1996, if you haven’t seen it yet that’s literally your own fault)–the senator says, “I don’t want to be the only girl not dancing,” or something to that affect). The performance of that gender allowed him to also see himself as a part of that group!
Like hey…MAYBE IF PEOPLE ARE GIVEN THE AUTONOMY TO EXPLORE THEIR OWN GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION THEN THEY WOULD BE HAPPIER? Idk…what the fuck do I know? Does anyone know anything? Do we ever learn anything?
If you want a movie recommendation for another Tale as Old as Time film, I recommend Toys (1992) RIP Robin and Gene, I wish it were…someone else…
