Guess who's Back?

I used to have a blog. 
It was largely about personal development and a bit of self-reflection, however when I read through a lot of the posts, it was mostly about my friends trying to "correct" my attitudes, and whilst there is always an element of truth in what they said, it left me feeling like I was somehow letting them down...constantly.

Be better than you are!

So, out with the old and in with the new.

I'm reasonably opinionated about a lot of topics and that often rubs people the wrong way. I'm also opinionated about a lot of topics that don't directly affect me. In fact, I used to do a podcast with a friend, but it's so hard to build listenership when you are time poor and don't really promote it. Feel free to check it out, it actually touched on some interesting topics...Pricking the Bubble

I care about those who are unemployed, homeless, disabled, marginalised, mocked or ridiculed. I care about our First Australians and their rights, I care about the LGBTQI+ members of our society and their access to fair and equal resources and opportunities, I care about equal rights and pay for women, especially when they are discriminated against by those in more privileged positions. I care about the elderly and those in the Aged Care system.

And what I feel is important about all those things above, is that I'm none of them.

I'm not gay or trans, homeless, disabled, a woman, old or in a position where I need assistance from the government or others willing to help.

The reason I give a shit about these people is not because I am one of them or because my life is directly affected by them. It's because I care about people who need support. Now sure, I've been told to pipe down in conversations between women about women's issues. I've been told that I have no Aboriginal heritage and so could perhaps "sit this one out" when discussing the date of Australia Day. I've felt left out of many conversations in the past because I am not a source with whom many I know may feel comfortable sharing their own experiences. 

But I'm still here. I still have a position and a voice.

The problem with social media is that there is always someone more informed than yourself or someone for whom an issue hits harder at home. In fact I was once told by someone that my views were largely "academic" and that "many issues that [the person] felt strongly about" were not treated as seriously by me as they were by them. WTF?

I'll try to keep my language reasonably polite in this blog, but sometimes it frustrates me when people dismiss you for not having a "dog in the fight", as if to say that in order to care about something passionately, you need to have it affecting you directly.

It's important not to care unless you're affected.

That attitude is a very conservative position to take. Those on the right of politics have shown over the years that they ONLY seem to care about things if it affects them or their mates or perhaps even worst of all, so long as they can control the help being given to those in need. So when I hear this from folks on the left, I'm torn between thinking they should know better and being a bit disgusted.

So what am I going to be blogging about? Mostly politics, but other things as well.
My twitter feed is a mix of rantings, celebrations, casual abuse and other fun things. 280 characters is better than 140, but sometimes you just need an outlet that allows you to get stuff out of your system.

I intend to write more than I used to at the old blog because there's so much going on in the world that waiting feels unproductive. 

llama
@SirWonderLlama