Probably first among them is the desire to have an outlet for the various thoughts, ramblings, and passions that flit through my mind on a daily basis. I would guess that this is probably the foremost reason behind the majority of blogs out there, much in the way that people in generations past kept diarys and journals, to have a means of expressing themselves, or sorting through their thoughts and emotions, to put them down on paper, to be able to go back and re-read them hours, days, or even years later, to remember what they were thinking and feeling at a certain time in their life, or during a certain event.
I find myself reacting to the various stimuli I encounter on a daily basis in a wide variety of ways, and more often than not I feel that I would like to share my feelings with others around me, to discuss them and to find out if I’m the only who reacted the way I did, to know whether I’m sharing a feeling or a thought with someone else, perhaps, in that way, to understand better how my mind works versus those of the people around me, of my family, friends, and of strangers.
However, so often in life, particularly living in New York City, there aren’t people around who are interested in discussing your moment by moment feelings. This is even more so the case when one is of a conservative bent, living in New York City. Somehow, this is even more when one is of a conservative bent, living in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Park Slope has taken on a certain degree of notoriety in recent years, perhaps mostly for its so-called “Stroller Mafia,” the veritable legions of new mothers taking their children for rides in wide body conveyances. However, like much of gentrified Brooklyn, Park Slope is also relatively famous as a hotbed of liberalism. One has merely to step out onto the sidewalk to encounter spray-painted slogans reading “End the Occupation of Palestine,” a walk down 7th Avenue to the grocery store entails dodging seemingly endless pockets of solicitors asking for support for Obama or MoveOn.org.
Indeed, to be a conservative in Park Slope strikes me as akin to being an undesirable, unclean in thought and deed. To publicly admit to being a conservative is to label oneself as a neanderthal, someone to be viewed with scorn, with perhaps a touch of pity, the way one junkie begging for change on the corner. Except the liberals around here would probably give him some change, whereas a conservative would be fortunate to recieve merely a disgusted look.
Therefore, along with the desire to express myself, to have an outlet for my thoughts and feelings, I hope read by more than myself, but if not, so be it, I’m also starting this blog in the hopes of reaching an as of yet unidentified minority in Park Slope, those who share at least some of my views on how this country should be. You’re not alone.
Wow, somewhere along the line this took a turn for the overly dramatic. Whoops. I’m guessing that’ll happen a lot in the future. Just so you’re prepared.
Oh, yeah, and I love movies. So they’ll be some of that too!
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1 comment:
I am glad that you are posting. I was about 28 when I began to think about changing from a liberal to a conservative. As a life long New Yorker, the one party state of New York City was an obvious hotbed of corruption and incompetence, where humankind's most base needs triumphed over basic civil services, such as low crime and educational opportunity. If it were not for a bunch of Republican mayors, we would still be living in a graffiti infested crime cesspool.
Basically, life hit me in the head, and I learned that being a democrat in New York meant being a member of the no-nothing, do-nothing status quo. I did not want to condemn my children to this fate so I became a conservative.
You seem to be further along than I was at your age. Take heart. There are more conservatives in Park Slope than you think. They just have to speak quietly in order to avoid physical attack from the left wing cadres who prowl the streets.
Also, don't be too hard on the kids. In general, conservatives have more children than selfish, self-absorbed liberals. After all, someone has to raise Crusaders to fight off the Islamist plague or we are all going to be screwed.
Semper Fi!
Good luck.
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