TEN YEARS OF REAL ART!

From Real Art (and politics and culture) back on November 7, 2002:

You know, I wonder how it felt in 1930's Germany when the Nazis came to power. The House is Republican; the Senate is Republican; the White House is Republican; the majority on the Supreme Court is Republican. Maybe if we're all lucky this is the deathknell of the Democrats leaving the way open for a true people's party like the Greens or something. But I'm not feeling too lucky right about now...I don't even feel like the trains are going to end up running on time.

That's the entire post, but click here to see it by itself.

I wrote that very shortly after the midterm elections during W's first administration.  Obviously, I was depressed.  The sabre rattling leading up to the Iraq invasion was in full swing at that point, and the quiet hush that had descended over the land in the wake of 9/11 had me watching my every word in my capacity as a high school theater teacher.  Blogging allowed me to speak out, even if nobody was really listening, during a time when I simply needed to speak out.  And, actually, it's been playing that role ever since, an entire decade.

Things have changed greatly of course since those dark days.  I mean, we just reelected Obama, after all, a Democrat, and our nation's first African-American president.  And Democrats held onto the Senate, which is also quite nice.  But we continue to be in that rut, of course, that has had our nation heading slowly, under the Democrats, and quickly, under the Republicans, toward absolute corporate rule.  So we're moving slowly now, which I guess I prefer--it's not so frightening.  But I continue to need to speak out.  Even if nobody's listening.

In addition to the political changes, we've also seen internet changes that have made the once faddish concept of blogging into a bit of a relic.  I mean, there are still blogs that people, sometimes large numbers of people, continue to read.  But it seems to be much more about facebook at the moment.  My buddy Matt, who runs The Warzone website, and who hosts a podcast in which I sometimes participate made the observation that facebook is where people are now, so facebook is where people who have a lot to say ought to go.  With that in mind, and with the inspiration I've gotten from science fiction writer David Gerrold, who makes what are essentially blog posts on facebook, I've been experimenting with adapting Real Art posts for the popular social network.

And I seem to be having some success with that.  Lots of discussion in the comment threads.  Lots of emotional reinforcement via the "like" button.  Indeed, I'm getting the sense that, if I'm not actually changing minds, I'm getting conservatives to listen, to see that things are more complicated than they might have believed.  And, of course, my liberal friends seem to have their feelings and thoughts reinforced by my writing.  It's a win/win situation at the moment, even if it means my actual blog languishes in a cyber-backwater.

But Real Art is where I go first.  It's where I learned to really write, on a regular basis, where I articulate my thoughts and ideas before going to the wider facebook audience.  That is, Real Art is here to stay, if only because I continue to find it to be immensely valuable to me.  Another ten years?  I have no idea, but I do know that I have absolutely no plans to stop what I'm doing.  I'm having too much fun.  And so what if nobody reads the damned thing?

Actually, I know that a few people do.  So thanks for your support.  And happy birthday to Real Art.  It's ten years old.

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