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solarbirdI wrote this over on Twitter earlier today, bringing it over here as well. Here's the original; below is the text, without all the twitter wrapping and such, but not rewritten. Vixy's thread (linked in her quoted tweet) is worth reading as well, since this is basically a reaction to her thoughts, building on the points she raised.
Thread.
And the reason it's a thread is that I used to be a musician.
_Used to be._
Semi-pro at most, mind you. But there was some very low-level touring, and a couple of long list (NOT SHORTLIST!) Grammy nominations, both on Bone Walker.
And it just turned off, all at once. Click.
I haven't touched an instrument - except to dust it - in _years_.
I'm a writer now, and that part's pretty good. I have a patreon (patreon.com/solarbird) with a very small number of backers. That's not why I do it, but it's nice.
I kinda got lucky. It mutated, rather than vanishing completely.
_Din of Thieves_ (the third album) will probably never happen, and that may be kind of a shame, since I think it had some pretty strong material, particularly "Supervillian For I Love You," "Everybody's Famous (at the NSA)," and "Sad Muppet."
I can't imagine trying to work on it. Just can't.
And again, I think of myself as having got lucky. I like my writing, I think it's good. I have a little fan discord. I'll never win an award, but so what?
And that is getting lucky, because for so many people it didn't mutate - it just died.
And that's the thing, right? From long, bitter, _mean_ experience, that's what they want. Fundamentalists have always wanted queers to be dead, except for a small number...
...specifically kept around to be _miserable_, so they can _gloat_, and show us off as The Wages of Sin...
...and that's all the GOP have. That's what they've become, as a party.
They don't "win" by making anything better. They "win" by making others' lives worse, and making sure everyone knows who did it.
That's what "owning the libs" really means.
The cruelty really is the point.
And the worst part is that there isn't too much you can do about it, other than fight to keep them out of power, forever, always, and hope you have some time and brain leftover for the actual life you want to live, because the alternative is just having nothing at all.
All while for them, making you have to do that is their idea of a good time - even if they lose a lot.
Sure, some of them will get discouraged and quit, but for a lot of them?
They _like it_. It's _fun_.
All of which gets into why there have to be some goddamn fucking consequences. Why the whole idea has to be crushed.
So that it's no longer _fun_, for _them._
They steal lifetimes of creativity, of energy, of joy. And the only way to stop them is to make them pay for it, and most importantly...
...pay more than it's worth.
Because until you understand that's the transaction, they'll just keep doing it.
Forever.
Thread.
Vix o' Lantern
@vixy
This month, this year, this PRESIDENCY, has robbed me of so much brain.
I can't stay on top of deadlines. I can't stay on top of everything. Some days I can barely function. I repeatedly let people down.
The worst is how much creative energy I've lost.
1:01 PM · Nov 28, 2020
And the reason it's a thread is that I used to be a musician.
_Used to be._
Semi-pro at most, mind you. But there was some very low-level touring, and a couple of long list (NOT SHORTLIST!) Grammy nominations, both on Bone Walker.
And it just turned off, all at once. Click.
I haven't touched an instrument - except to dust it - in _years_.
I'm a writer now, and that part's pretty good. I have a patreon (patreon.com/solarbird) with a very small number of backers. That's not why I do it, but it's nice.
I kinda got lucky. It mutated, rather than vanishing completely.
_Din of Thieves_ (the third album) will probably never happen, and that may be kind of a shame, since I think it had some pretty strong material, particularly "Supervillian For I Love You," "Everybody's Famous (at the NSA)," and "Sad Muppet."
I can't imagine trying to work on it. Just can't.
And again, I think of myself as having got lucky. I like my writing, I think it's good. I have a little fan discord. I'll never win an award, but so what?
And that is getting lucky, because for so many people it didn't mutate - it just died.
And that's the thing, right? From long, bitter, _mean_ experience, that's what they want. Fundamentalists have always wanted queers to be dead, except for a small number...
...specifically kept around to be _miserable_, so they can _gloat_, and show us off as The Wages of Sin...
...and that's all the GOP have. That's what they've become, as a party.
They don't "win" by making anything better. They "win" by making others' lives worse, and making sure everyone knows who did it.
That's what "owning the libs" really means.
The cruelty really is the point.
And the worst part is that there isn't too much you can do about it, other than fight to keep them out of power, forever, always, and hope you have some time and brain leftover for the actual life you want to live, because the alternative is just having nothing at all.
All while for them, making you have to do that is their idea of a good time - even if they lose a lot.
Sure, some of them will get discouraged and quit, but for a lot of them?
They _like it_. It's _fun_.
All of which gets into why there have to be some goddamn fucking consequences. Why the whole idea has to be crushed.
So that it's no longer _fun_, for _them._
They steal lifetimes of creativity, of energy, of joy. And the only way to stop them is to make them pay for it, and most importantly...
...pay more than it's worth.
Because until you understand that's the transaction, they'll just keep doing it.
Forever.
