Little White Lies - 03.2020 - 04.2020

(Barry) #1
Hang on

Let me dig out a quote from
the incomparable So Mayer

After I got offered the position of Times Up
co-chair, while I was thinking about whether
to take it up, I went to speak to them and
their galaxy brain about activism


They said many brilliant things which I have
saved in a doc, but here’s one: “You're going to
lose and lose and lose and then someone who
has nothing to do with it will sweep in and
take credit. The only way to deal with losing
and losing and losing is to build a network
of people who are completely committed to
each other and the project and find joy in the
wholesome boring tasks”


We gotta cling to the wholesome
highs of organising progress

Water under the bridge for you babe

The thing I really struggle with, though, is the
tension between wanting to give time to fighting
the system but also desiring, more than anything,
to write and create and do the selfish artistic
things that make me come alive and make me
feel like I belong to the world in a primal sense

Why do we let it bother us?

Is that what it is for you?

For me, I also have a fundamental
desire to see people's true colours

So much energy exerted trying to improve
things when you could be creating

And so many people are content
to never let it bother them

Like even prominent critics I enjoy very much
do fuck all in the way of The Work

Some deep-seated need to not
see the next gen suffer, I guess

It’s a sweeping statement for sure
but I do think going through Some
Shit makes you more empathetic

I think a lot about the person I was when I was
younger and how deeply unhappy I was, and
how I never want anyone else to feel that way

So I try to do what I can to
make it easier where I can

These things are sent to test
us, as my sainted mother says

Oh for sure
(I’m fortunate that in my position I can
afford to call things out. But I also feel
that’s part of your responsibility when
you have a comfortable position)

I remember in my old job, I worked for days
on a pitch for a new project. And then they
decided they wanted to implement it, and
handed it off to someone else to spearhead

That‘s wonderful

And yes, very true

Though that was the impetus for applying for
new jobs which led me to LWL so not all bad

I felt so betrayed

043
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