Summer of Discontent

A time of reflection is passing slowly. I have decided to take a long social media break. Misinformation, stupidity, and tragedy unfold each day in torrents on social feeds. I feel on edge. The internet is a blessing and a curse. Its importance is in witnessing events from afar like the miracle of birth and the devastation of death. I do not have children and do not understand what it means to bring life into the world or to have a child taken away suddenly. All I can feel is a dull ache of loss or joy—emotion in reflection. The feeling reminds me of a time when I was a teenager. Then, I would lay on top of the roof listening to Pink Floyd, truly understanding what it meant to be comfortably numb from all the buried emotions of troubled youth. The past is gone, yet the paradox lives in the mirror.

The internet is a necessary evil—from commerce to modern social life—but it has a downfall. Sensory overload is shown in a scroll unfolding in an onslaught of the politicizing of science. Nostalgia is on a never-ending loop in the background. The 80s are romanticized now like the 50s were during that decade. Things that were not popular are held up, while things that were are forgotten. Realities of homophobia, racism, crime, drug abuse, censorship, and greed are buried in the past to be unearthed and re-rendered in the forge of the present. Issues hidden until they explode to the surface in fiery debate. Hate thrives. Faceless trolls surface on innocuous posts looking to fight over any comment. Algorithms pull favor to whoever pays the most money for ads. (I know this firsthand from seeing how writing posts never reach the full amount of followers on any platform.) And privacy is a myth in a world where every keystroke, picture, or spoken word is recorded and sold to corporations. From all of this, I need a break.

My blog stuff will automatically post, but while on break the rest will be quiet. The only exception is if some fantastic news comes out of the blue, like Godzilla rising from the ocean to stomp through New York City, or I get a publishing offer.

In regards to my next blog, Teenage Wasteland, it has given me a new perspective on the psychological aspects of Rebel’s Edge, my based on a true story series. I have created an appropriate advisory for Suburbia, Punks, and Over the Edge. — Disclaimer: Based on true events, the Rebel’s Edge series deals with mental health and substance abuse issues from the point of view of a teenager living in the 80s. During the turmoil of an out of control adolescence, consequences are sometimes not taken into consideration until it is too late. Rebel’s Edge is a cautionary tale. — I think these issues are prevalent throughout the story, spread out over three manuscripts, and deserve to be highlighted.