Hello SAV (ages),
Your old (fer reals gettin old) buddy JakeAl aka dip dibbler here.
I've thought since the beginning a "Forum' format would be more functional than others. Haven't been around for some time as I took offense to some Native stereotypes posted on here a while back. I don't expect ya'all to get that since it's the prerogative and programming of the majority of the dominant colonial society to interpret and demean the indigenous for entertainment and as an irrelevant and whimsical subject.(Not to mention occupying our lands) There have been conflicts about sexual orientation and body shaming here but I basically stood alone on native issues with a deafening silence anytime I brought up the topic. The HCR episodes were somewhat a confusing seachange for me as well. IMO, Helpful well-intentioned people with a sizeable dump of data to slog through or be confused by. "How to win friends and influence others" could facetiously be the tone of this post. Ha ha.
I'm on a train going through the Rockies at this moment to arrive home after nearly a 2-week journey. I'm passing time on my phone as I haven't had consistent or any cell service. The trip has been a personal test/quest to see if the old guy still has it. Overall the answer is no. It's been a grueling, sometimes miserable journey with some memorable episodes and a degree of financial hemorrhaging. I've noted Faucci has pontificated the pandemic phase of Covid has ended(fingers crossed). Airports, airplanes, and railways are a mixed bag of masks and no masks. Still, the anti-vaxxers, right-wing, and new age loonies abound. Jerks wearing the equivalent of "Heil Dumpster" T-shirts, are about here and there. I'd rather not know if a person in a RWNJ. I made part of this journey with my ½ sibling. I won't undertake that again. I believe he's representative of the right. Bigoted, ignorant, arrogant domineering, anti-vax/mask, anti-science, bible by his bed, is misinformed and promotes such in a loud and ignorantly loud grandiose manner on a number of topics. His sons are lesser so but the toxic masculinity thing manifested in one of them as he and a friend attacked a west coast homeless camp after a theft. That attack led to the death of the homeless man. It appears nephew will face slammer time though he wasn't the trigger man. He (nephew) told my son a bit of the story while on a phone call while he guzzled beer and puffed out clouds of what appeared to be marijuana smoke. Overall a likable sort with a flip side apparently lesser so. Some refer to this country as a "great democratic experiment". I see it definitely as something else. This country is a continuing exercise in imperialism by an aggressive, racist genocidal group(s) of religious zealots, corporate monsters, and foreign entities who will exploit any and all resources to the point of unsustainability. I guess that's old news, isn't it? What you call immigration is the continuance of colonization.
Dramatic News Flash:
A Freight train derailed up the line. Supposedly 11 cars on fire and hard to access. Delayed now a minimum of 2 hrs. Oh dayum…now rumors of canceling until tomorrow. I guess that's about enough rambling from me. I been wearing my mask most of the trip up till today. Oh, I got my 2nd booster about a week before I left on my version of Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I was switched from Moderna to phizer(sp?) for the last dose. I did have some odd reactions but I'm not sure if it's psychological or physiological. Lots of stress going on as I'm trying to relocate from rural prairie hell. FINAL UPDATE: Good ole Amtrak had us sidelined for 8 hours. During that period our traveling fate changed numerous times. It was obvious Amtrak didn't specifically have a plan. Finally, we learned the train was being turned around and went back to the original place of each passenger. It was fubar and snafu 100%. We were told to call and make reservations to again restart our journey the next day. When people tried this they were informed no trains were available for 3 or more days. This meant waiting around somewhere or paying for hotels in the interim. Several people were missing flights and appointments due to the situation. One woman was going to miss a funeral. My meds were nearly depleted and I had an important Dr. appointment the next day. It was obvious we couldn't depend on Amtrak. My son borrowed a car and drove 5+ hrs to get me. i had to sit around like a hobo at a truck stop until my ride arrived. About 2 weeks previous, I had booked a train to start this trip which was canceled at the last minute. I had to board a plane costing $500+ in order to meet my obligations in Seattle. Amtrak and fate managed to screw me in both directions.
I wore my mask most of the time and did not spread or get infected by covid. My situation wasn't the end of the world but it certainly wasn't pleasant or convenient. I was surprised that when I ranted and raved to Amtrak, I was given a refund. Don't know all the changes, if any, that are here. I just dropped by to unload my recent experience and frustration here.
Dip
You have been missed and many have asked about you! Thanks for updating. Hope you are home now and safe. Please return, just block the members who offend you.
Yah no doubt there are good people here Kathmandu. Bashing and ridiculing covid victims and particularly rabid anti-vaxxers provides a certain vengeful satisfaction but it can become tedious. The rhetoric can devolve and be anything but productive for the covid victims. In the past, I've referred to this as a version of being pilloried in a public laughing stock ala the Dark ages - the 1800s. But yah there is good, sometimes useful information, to be learned once separated from the general mocking and teasing that happens regularly. Thx for your welcoming comments.
Great read Dip! I've been in and out of here so much lately, I'm ashamed to say, I missed this whole scene/convo afterwards. I'm sorry brother, this is a solid group. Don't let a few idiots keep you away from us good guys. We want and very much need your insights and tales of the world you traveled and lived. I think we're a band of brothers and sisters here looking to strengthen our grip on society. No way we can ever accomplish this without a full team, you are a valuable member, just your wealth of knowledge alone. I personally hope you not only stick around, but keep us on a regular schedule. We need insight and intelligence from all walks of life, and you bring it brother. 💯
Thanks for the check in, Dip. Missed your words.
Your trip sounds like a nightmare. Have been pondering a train trip.
Perhaps it's best I don't. Sigh......
Think about all the colonized people that British/Spanish/Dutch fucked over that accepted it and then turned and became colonizers themselves. It’s so fucking fucked. Languages gone, music gone, economic systems gone. Just gone. Far too many dumbass Americans don’t understand what their ancestors were fleeing from and how fast they decided to climb ladders by stepping on others. I am sorry your people had so much stolen from them. I wish things were different. I wish people were not so gross.
Really glad to see you back. I saw the post that caused you to feel the need to leave. I feel the same ire towards the body shakers. Absolutely shocks me when someone I liked posts something about “whales”. Unreal. I’d never seen any of the anti-native shit that led up to that. I’m sorry people are assholes. Overall we are less assholeish on many topics than Republicans. Glad Amtrak gave you a refund. That would have sucked.
Welp...I'm not up much for large doses of confrontation these days. Yah know? No trouble on my account, please. if there's cause to throw down, I'll be among the first through the door. I'm not sure if I want to keep addressing topics and crap here or anywhere on the net. Damn skary world these days. But somehow now and then I feel compelled to let it flow. Practice my snark-fu for jollies heh.
I started writing this topic, as I mentioned and Poida did too, as a way to pass time and vent while on the train. I wasn't sure I'd even post it...sort of a diary-like thing. So yah, no trouble on my account, please. I'm sure there are a number of trolls hereabouts to smackdown lol. 😜
Dip, you've been missed mate. That incident wasn't seen by many of us. I learned about it after you left and someone brought up the post and we discussed it. Rest assured you have people here who have your back. I for one am disgusted by the way the aborigines are treated in my country. We have so much to learn from them. Great to hear from you again. Thanks for the adventure diary, that was fun to read. Amtrak... ugh. I'm surprised they weren't sued.
Good to see you Dip! Come back, please
Disappointed, disgusted and delayed, but in the end, your son comes through!!
I fully agree with your assessment of this country. As a millennial, when I see others say things like "this country is going downhill" or "what's happened here?", I cannot relate, as this sounds like the same America it always was. It's an empire built on racism and environmental destruction, and I've never seen any evidence to the contrary in school or anywhere else.
I am truly sorry that I was still a lurker and too cowardly to back you up when you spoke up about indigenous stereotypes etc. on here. You're right that people refused to get it and the silence was deafening. There was another gross reference just yesterday and white people just don't gaf; they embody a colonizer mentality even while talking about the evils of colonialism. So I don't know if this space is any better for you now. I will call shit out when I see it here, though. Not that that's remotely enough.
I'm extremely sorry to hear about the Native stereotyping you saw. I've only been here a little while, but if I see any racial stereotyping, I'll call it out. Your observation that "This country is a continuing exercise in imperialism by an aggressive, racist genocidal group(s) of religious zealots, corporate monsters and foreign entities who will exploit any and all resources to the point of unsustainability" is pretty much my take as well.
Train travel is one of my favorite things but, man, not especially reliable. Still, it's a great way to see the country. and very eye opening.
Best to you. Take care.