Wasn't able to Reply to Sarah3000 about moving to another country, so I am posting it as its own comment.
I spent 5 days in Lisbon, Portugal in September with an eye toward escaping. It is a great town I could see myself living in, though it has become more expensive to live there. I could happily live on the outskirts.
There are small towns and villages in various countries who offer places cheap because they have lost so many people. They may need fixing up and have requirements to stay for a certain period of time, but consider looking for those as an option.
Sometimes these little glitches turn up on this and every other platform. I don't know why you wouldn't be able to post. Yes, I think moving abroad is easier than people realize in many cases.
I have seriously considered moving out of the country. As a black female, I don't see things getting any better from this point. I have never lived outside the US so it is a daunting idea. I wish I knew a safe place to consider.
This is an excellent idea. If only I had the money to travel. But, it may become a priority if things get as bad as I think they're going to get. It may not be optional, but become a necessity.
"Ever since America decided to pick cruelty as a national ideology for the next four years, I’ve been in a heartbroken state of shock."
Like you, I tend to write about a variety of things. Most of my non-political stuff is fiction. Writing about politics has been a challenge. Who am I really writing for? Our echo chamber? That didn't seem to work too well for us. Yet, these... things... keep happening. So I just write about some of it anyway, probably doing little more than adding to the echo chamber, but at least it helps me get something off my chest.
Ultimately, I think we'll need to find a better way. Or at least add some weapons to the mix. In the meantime, as you say, we absolutely must watch our mental health. Good luck with your immigrant family. You have friends. We stay strong together.
Thank you Charles! That’s very nice. I think the “echo chamber” fear is an illusion. It’s important to talk about things with rational people who share the same moral foundation as you. In doing so, you perceive paths that might have otherwise remained hidden. I think the illusion is this incorrect sense of obligation that we “have” to accept or engage with people with destructive, illogical positions. I see nothing to be gained from that. Thanks again for your thoughtful words and your kind sentiment!
Thanks, Walter. I think my argument isn't so much, don't write to our loyal audience so much as, "How do we get our message to those who aren't in our echo chamber?" Obviously, we aren't going to convince MAGA followers of anything. But there are many, many people who buy into many of the thought processes espoused through the huge MAGA ecosphere. One tweet by Musk alone can influence millions. So the question becomes, how do we break through that? How do we influence people who Musk and people like him are influencing? For now, I just keep writing. It just feels like something is missing in our arsenal.
That’s a very good point. I expect they’ll be more open when the prices of goods starts to go through the roof. Our society was already at the point where billionaires almost can’t squeeze any more out of us. Maybe the best thing, at this point, is to just let them sink when the tragedy comes. The way they’ve reacted to people leaving right wing platforms is kind of revealing. But I don’t know… I wish I did.
Yes, the “let the leopards eat their faces” approach! I think there’s a consensus that if the proposed policies are enacted, the midterms will change the look of Congress. Let’s hope so.
I’m interested in your writings about writing and your coaching newbie and stuck or underperforming writers. I have made lot of notes as ideas pop into my mind and plan to turn them into writings for Medium and/or Substack (“publisher” or “publishers”). I have 5 questions: 1) Being graphically challenged, what are sources for graphics and how does one access them? Who decides on fonts - writer or publisher? 2) How would the artists get paid - directly from me to them? From me to their source? Through my publisher off the top of my earnings? 3) When quoting writings or speeches, who handles copyright credits? Payments? and 4) Same question as #3 re quoting music lyrics. I guess that leads to #5) Do Medium and/ or Substack have technology to link quoted music lyrics to an actual artist’s recording of said song? OOPS! #6) Are there services that handle publishing, self-publishing, subscriber database, submitting for books for review, cross-referencing one’s work for earned PR, etc. if a series of writings evolves into a book?
In another article you wrote about editing: I am from the generation that probably wrote in long hand or drafted on a manual typewriter, edited in pencil, cut (with scissors) and pasted (with Scotch tape) both typed and handwritten edited drafts. Re-typed the final (with carbon copies or on mimeograph masters). Desktop computers and word-processing software are our salvation! I died and went to heaven when editing features were built into word processors - no need for extra-party CompareWrite. How is it that MS Word and its edit tracking features are not adequate for you all in publishing and academia? I was a commercial real estate broker; we worked closely with attorneys. The industries’ standard is MS Word and nobody but nobody makes more textual changes (even unnecessary ones) than (real estate) attorneys. An inquiring mind would like to know.
Wasn't able to Reply to Sarah3000 about moving to another country, so I am posting it as its own comment.
I spent 5 days in Lisbon, Portugal in September with an eye toward escaping. It is a great town I could see myself living in, though it has become more expensive to live there. I could happily live on the outskirts.
There are small towns and villages in various countries who offer places cheap because they have lost so many people. They may need fixing up and have requirements to stay for a certain period of time, but consider looking for those as an option.
Sometimes these little glitches turn up on this and every other platform. I don't know why you wouldn't be able to post. Yes, I think moving abroad is easier than people realize in many cases.
Walter, I completely agree. This month should be about finding joy where we can. This may be the last reprieve we have for a very long time.
Yup. We should also be making preparations to escape. My wife and I just sent in our passport renewals.
I have seriously considered moving out of the country. As a black female, I don't see things getting any better from this point. I have never lived outside the US so it is a daunting idea. I wish I knew a safe place to consider.
Start by going for a short trip. If you're someplace for a week or a month, you might fall in love with the culture.
This is an excellent idea. If only I had the money to travel. But, it may become a priority if things get as bad as I think they're going to get. It may not be optional, but become a necessity.
I'm with you. Let's bolster our well being and give some of it away. It'll make a difference
Wouldn't it be nice to live in a country that valued caring for our neighbors?
"Ever since America decided to pick cruelty as a national ideology for the next four years, I’ve been in a heartbroken state of shock."
Like you, I tend to write about a variety of things. Most of my non-political stuff is fiction. Writing about politics has been a challenge. Who am I really writing for? Our echo chamber? That didn't seem to work too well for us. Yet, these... things... keep happening. So I just write about some of it anyway, probably doing little more than adding to the echo chamber, but at least it helps me get something off my chest.
Ultimately, I think we'll need to find a better way. Or at least add some weapons to the mix. In the meantime, as you say, we absolutely must watch our mental health. Good luck with your immigrant family. You have friends. We stay strong together.
Thank you Charles! That’s very nice. I think the “echo chamber” fear is an illusion. It’s important to talk about things with rational people who share the same moral foundation as you. In doing so, you perceive paths that might have otherwise remained hidden. I think the illusion is this incorrect sense of obligation that we “have” to accept or engage with people with destructive, illogical positions. I see nothing to be gained from that. Thanks again for your thoughtful words and your kind sentiment!
Thanks, Walter. I think my argument isn't so much, don't write to our loyal audience so much as, "How do we get our message to those who aren't in our echo chamber?" Obviously, we aren't going to convince MAGA followers of anything. But there are many, many people who buy into many of the thought processes espoused through the huge MAGA ecosphere. One tweet by Musk alone can influence millions. So the question becomes, how do we break through that? How do we influence people who Musk and people like him are influencing? For now, I just keep writing. It just feels like something is missing in our arsenal.
That’s a very good point. I expect they’ll be more open when the prices of goods starts to go through the roof. Our society was already at the point where billionaires almost can’t squeeze any more out of us. Maybe the best thing, at this point, is to just let them sink when the tragedy comes. The way they’ve reacted to people leaving right wing platforms is kind of revealing. But I don’t know… I wish I did.
Yes, the “let the leopards eat their faces” approach! I think there’s a consensus that if the proposed policies are enacted, the midterms will change the look of Congress. Let’s hope so.
100 paid subscribers...not there yet on either of mine...
Keep at it. They come in bunches :)
I’m interested in your writings about writing and your coaching newbie and stuck or underperforming writers. I have made lot of notes as ideas pop into my mind and plan to turn them into writings for Medium and/or Substack (“publisher” or “publishers”). I have 5 questions: 1) Being graphically challenged, what are sources for graphics and how does one access them? Who decides on fonts - writer or publisher? 2) How would the artists get paid - directly from me to them? From me to their source? Through my publisher off the top of my earnings? 3) When quoting writings or speeches, who handles copyright credits? Payments? and 4) Same question as #3 re quoting music lyrics. I guess that leads to #5) Do Medium and/ or Substack have technology to link quoted music lyrics to an actual artist’s recording of said song? OOPS! #6) Are there services that handle publishing, self-publishing, subscriber database, submitting for books for review, cross-referencing one’s work for earned PR, etc. if a series of writings evolves into a book?
In another article you wrote about editing: I am from the generation that probably wrote in long hand or drafted on a manual typewriter, edited in pencil, cut (with scissors) and pasted (with Scotch tape) both typed and handwritten edited drafts. Re-typed the final (with carbon copies or on mimeograph masters). Desktop computers and word-processing software are our salvation! I died and went to heaven when editing features were built into word processors - no need for extra-party CompareWrite. How is it that MS Word and its edit tracking features are not adequate for you all in publishing and academia? I was a commercial real estate broker; we worked closely with attorneys. The industries’ standard is MS Word and nobody but nobody makes more textual changes (even unnecessary ones) than (real estate) attorneys. An inquiring mind would like to know.
This is an excellent comment. I think I'll post it into an article and provide you with answers later this week. Thank you!
Thank you. Looking forward to your article(s) in response.