veganarky

I sporadically reflect on everyday interactions, some times (and some interactions) more than others. Recently I witnessed—perhaps voyeured is a more apt term here—contrasting actions that highlight some of the serious issues we as a society still face. I was provided a very striking example of how prominent, normative, performative and ubiquitous patriarchy is, in perhaps one of its most extreme forms. How this came about is not suprising—I was at a bar. What may be surprising is that I have some optimism situated alongside my pessimism (rooted in a nuanced awareness of injustice — related to…

One thing that disappoints me very much is when those who consider themselves progressive do not live their politics. They act explicitly counter to their expressed ideals, often directly harming those around them. On the weekend, I stopped by an anarchist book store to pick up some books for my upcoming travels. The volunteers staffing the store had trouble providing the correct change as one of the volunteers had absconded with the takings. Analogous to this, a friend has been subjected to, and disrespected by, the actions of self-identified progressive male. Unfortunately, it continues (and…

A conversation I had recently spurred me to think back to the music that had an impact on my person. I recall the early 1990s as a key turning point. The conversation referred to having a dark side, and I have been pondering a tangent of that notion. Like many ‘youth’ of that time and generation, I was impacted on by bands which emerged in the early 90s and lyrically reflected on not fitting in with constructed social stereotypes. Most people instantly think of Nirvana, and I cannot deny the influence. Arguably the song most remembered from that time is Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. For m…