A blog? In this economy?
On one hand, I’ve always wanted to avoid the pretentiousness of suggesting that others should stop and listen to whatever I have to say. If I Tweet, I more often than not feel incredibly foolish when I go back and read whatever thought I tried to cram into those limited characters. I rarely post on other social media platforms. I don’t produce Instagram stories or reels with any frequency. It’s not that I don’t think my thoughts are valuable or distinct. I just don’t have the desire to hunt for an audience that cares.
On the other hand, the months since COVID spread across the planet in 2020 have taught me that I have a lot of things I want to say, and that I want there to be a record of what I said. The way that much of the public handled the outcome of the 2020 election really disappointed me. The abdication of responsibility by a loud plurality of the US population to take care of their neighbors over the past 18 months has been shameful. I also have fewer opportunities than ever before to discuss various topics with friends and family.
I still don’t want to participate in the shouting match on social media. On those platforms, my voice is only going to be elevated if I can muster the sickest burns and dunks on those with differing political opinions. But I would like to write some things here, in longer form, as an excuse to get these thoughts out of my head in a location where they are public enough that I’m held to a standard of personal accountability. I’ll take it as a practice in responsible communication. It’s still probable that I’ll look back at these posts and cringe in the way I do when I read my old Tweets, but hopefully this content will be substantive enough that I can still stand by it.
So I’m starting a blog! Or at least I’m starting a blog section on my website. Public enough that anybody can find it, but not outwardly publicized. At least for now, I don’t intend to really advertise it, but anybody can Google my name and see that I’m willing to have an opinion and put my name on it. They can even save my quotes to use them against me if they want!
If you find to be interesting the thoughts expressed here, feel free to reach out on the Contact Me page. I’d love to hear from you.
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Arthur
September 23rd, 2021
