The Power Dynamic that Brought Us Here

Have I spent just as much time trying to convince men that sexism exists as I have in dealing with it? I am not sure. But at this point, I have to admit, there is a part of me that is dying to stand on the nearest chair, point to the heavens and scream, "I told you so!" 

Watching the way Trump behaves is not shocking to me. I have met powerful men before, and while not all of them are this type of sick individual, many of them are. They believe that their money and power gives them permission to treat others like trash, and not just women. 

They can do it because they know that they can squash you like a bug if you complain. I have experienced this so many times in my life I do not have the time or energy to recount all the tales. But I can tell you that I know there is absolutely no fighting this. These people do what they do because they are broken, hurt or in some sort of irrepairable emotional pain, and any resistance or backlash only gives them further opportunity to flex their power and crush you.

While I see this as an abhorrent form of sexism, I truly believe that this is even more a symbol of the patriarchal classist bullshit that has been operating in this country and the world for far too long. This guy isnt just a sexist or a racist or a homophobe. This guy is part of a power structure that has been turning us little people against each other in order to maintain its dominance. 

As I said, you can't fight it. They have the power. That is why they get away with it. With money, they pay off law enforcement, judges, government officials, you name it, they can pay for it. This idea has driven me to do drastic and unreasonabe things in my life, because more than anything else, I hate feeling powerless. So several years ago, I decided not to participate. While it does limit me in some ways, I have cultivated a life in which I don't have to deal with power structures too often. 

A few ways I have done this:

• I barely if ever buy retail.
• I do not buy pop culture magazines like Vogue or Cosmo. I spend my money on Bitch, Babe, Mantra and Darling IF I feel the need to browse through a magazine full of advertisements.
• I buy local almost exclusively.
• I do not work in places where the power structure is patriarchal (I have been self-employed since January).
• I am in an open relationship which does not constrict my freedom.
• I work (make art and write) to show people how to operate outside of the dominant paradigm instead of fighting against it.
• I do everything I can to create an alternate paradigm so that I am not dependent upon the approval or permission of anyone in power.

​This is the basis of my work, to attain some sort of freedom; to exist beyond the boundaries within which society teaches us to conform. I write and make art in order to inspire people to hope for something better, something human. 

Because this shit is killing us by getting us to kill each other. That this reality star, failed business psychopath has this kind of reach is just evidence that the power structure works. But we can create something better. We do not have to depend on these fucks to have an existence. We can live beyond this bullshit. But it takes effort. It takes deliberate, conscious effort. 

We all know what kind of choice we have this election. It is not one too many people want to make, but the reality is that we are here because we have been fooled into belieiving that this is the way it has to be. It is not. But we must be responsible. We cannot keep watching our Facebook feeds for news. We cannot passively sit in front of our TVs every night, waiting to be entertained. Entertainment is for those who can afford it. WE CANNOT. 

The time has come for us to stand for ourselves and each other. The time has come for us to stop buying into what they are telling us we have to be. The time has come for us to use our time instead of doing time. 

Sick of sexism? Sick of homophobia? Sick of racism? Sick of hearing people blaming immigrants for the problems of the poor? Do not buy into it. Do not buy the magazines that pedal the twisted versions of humans that they tell you to aspire to. Do not buy video games that celebrate violence against ANYONE. Do not give your money to multinational corporations that believe you have no right to clean water.

Be responsible. Know where your money goes. Know where your time goes. Know where your energy goes. 

It might not seem like it, but we have power. It is the power those in charge have been keeping us from through divisiveness. It is the power of the many. We are so far in the majority, those of us who are the 98%, that those in power go to these extremes in order to control us. It is time to REJECT THAT. Reject the idea that you have more in common with a Trust Fund Millionaire Psychopath than with the guy that just came over the border from Mexico. Do not be deceived by skin color, gender, religion, ethnicity or otherwise. THESE ARE INCONSEQUENTIAL compared to the power wielded by the rich.

You think what Trump says it is ugly? You are right. But what are you going to do about it? Are you going to stand up for the people around you when they are oppressed? Are you going to fight against corporate interests in politics, interests that dictate where your money goes? Interests that pay for the privelege to pollute your world? Trump is not the point. The point is that even when you vote, all of the regulations, laws and mandates passed by the legislative branch is paid for by big pharma, big oil, the military industrial complex, or a company like Nestle.

It was not too long ago that government regulated business. Now, business regulates government and We, The People are losing our rights, slowly but surely. The world is dying because there are no protections. People are dying because they are seen as obstacles to profit.

I am sick of standing on chairs and saying I Told You So. I would love it if you could give me the benefit of the doubt here and do some research. Look into the history of humans, the history of this country, and what other countries do to care for the land and the citizenry. You will see that America is not the great country it claims to be, but a place where those in power dictate what goes on, by their leave. 

Next week, I will go back to writing about bodies and relationships. This week, I had to speak out, even if it was only to a few thousand people. I had to say something, because while a lot of people think it is too late to do anything about this now, just wait a few years. If this shit continues, I will be in the sad position, once again, of fighting the urge to find the nearest chair and point to the heavens as I scream.

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I know. Not your typical Eloquent as Fuck topic, but I had to. If you like it, if you don't like it, if you agree or disagree, share it. Tweet, FB, email, they all work.