One of my favorite writers when I was studying Journalism was Tom Wolfe. RIght Stuff, ELectric Kool Aid Acid Test and Bonfire of the Vanities are all stone cold classics. But what made him a favorite was how he went about his writing.

For those who don’t know, Wolfe came about in a time that was called New Journalism. It meant that reporters would not just report the news, sometimes they’d participate. George Plimpton exemplified this when he went and tried out for the NFK and then wrote about it. Hunter S. Thompson damn near joined the Hell’s Angels. But Tom Wolfe? He said, fuck that shit.

By all accounts, Wolfe would show up to report, and be dressed like he was going for tea on Martha’s Vineyard. Same cream colored suits, ties and the whole get up. He did this while touring in a bus with Ken Kesey, at the ground zero of the Hippie movement. And did this cause the acid freaks to not trust him? Fuck no.

They recognized Wolfe for the iconoclast that he was, and figured he was a straight shooter. Same thing with the astronauts he wrote about in the Right Stuff. He may have dressed like he was upper class, but he didn’t act like them.

Which is why I’m thinking about why some people act like their supposed betters. Why they do their best to kiss up and make their fellow humans look bad. At this point, has nobody learned anything? Shit, even Jeffrey Epstein tried to act like he belonged, and look where it got him.

I know these people. I see them every day. The problem is, they think I don’t see them. And maybe I didn’t. But those kind of people? They’re so desperate, they just can’t help themselves. And they think the shit they do makes them beyond reproach and punishment.

And maybe they’re right. Maybe there is no justice in this world. Maybe the game is rigged in favor of bootlickers and toadies. It certainly feels that way in this country lately. So what’s someone like me supposed to do?

Pay attention is what you do. Not to the naysayers and abusers, the bullies and their minions. Pay attention to what drives you. Pay attention to the things you like, and water those things. Dress how you like. Listen to what you like. Talk about things others might not care about or deem offensive. As long as you’re not hating or punching down on people. That’s not watering your own bush, that’s pissing on someone else’s garden.

I’m not here to give advice on how to succeed in today’s world. I’m here to help those who’ve been beaten down by it, by those who the world has deemed outcast for who they love, or what they believe about things. I think a lot of the so called culture is pureed capitalist propaganda that leaves no room for those who were abused , traumatized and left for dead. I’m here for those on the edges, to say hey, don’t give up. You matter. You’re beautiful in your own way.

I’ve never belonged, and it still gets to me, especially after I go home alone and have to be with myself. But I’m learning to love myself, to deny those who think I’m a complete waste of flesh. So I’m going to listen to bands I like, shake my ass to beats I like, and wear some awful shirts. Because I can, And so should you. Good night