I would count myself a woman of great riches if I had one friend as insightful and as honest as you are. Cheers to you and to your journey wherever it leads you. Thank you deeply for sharing it with us.
Sasha, no way I can understand what you have experienced or are going through. I do remember when movies were magical experiences and left a lasting impression on you. Sadly that hasn't been the case for many years; you might find a nugget here and there, but it is rare. I taught, coached, and eventually counseled high school students for 27 years before I had to walk away from what that crazy profession had become. And, I can tell you I was missed just as much as the bucket of water missed the fist when it was removed...so, not at all. But, I know the impact I had, both good and bad. And, remember the opposite of love is not hate; it is apathy. Don't hate the haters, just ignore and move on. You'll be better off in the long run. And, subscribe to satellite radio before your next trip. Something for everyone to listen to on the road. Last, you should write a book or autobiography. Thanks for your posts.
There are people who have gone through a far more severe version of this - innocent parents who have lost everything in their lives due to being betrayed and attacked by a Cluster-B spouse who then takes their children through Parental Alienation.
Losing jobs or friends through WOKE evil is one thing, but losing a marriage, home, finances, friends and most upsettingly -- children; that is another level altogether.
And yet there are several thousand families across the West in this predicament.
Sasha, my life experience is obviously different than yours. I grew up in a smaller town in western Oregon when it was still a conservative farming and logging oriented economy and culture. It was the best place on the planet back then. Now it is almost unrecognizable it is so distorted and corrupted by the worst of Californian culture influence. I have had to say goodbye to the place I was born and grew up. My brothers are all still there. My parents are gone. I have little reason to connect to it. Because I am more a libertarian than a conservative, I spent most of my adult life in what was then purple-Minnesota. It is a lot like Oregon, culturally and economically as well as physically. 10 years ago I said goodbye to Minnesota and the liberal friends I had made there as they began turning against anyone conservative. I left a few like-minded libertarian friends behind as well. Here I am in Arizona rebuilding my life a third time and this time I am very selective on who will be my friends. I am not going to waste any time cultivating friendships with people I don't understand and ultimately will not like to be with. If they show me "Woke" colors, I go no further. This causes me no pain because I am committed to live my life in peace and harmony and the "progressive" people suck the life from you. Maybe you can find peace by disinvesting yourself from anyone in your life who diminishes you because of what you believe, the most undemocratic and intolerant thing anyone can do to another.
What you are doing now is an extremely important step in having safe friends around you. You show up for them and they show up for you. It sounds like you are having success in the process. I wish you well.
Once you begin to live an honest life & those so called friends can’t handle that you’re different than them & not hiding it anymore it leaves room for new relationships with kindred spirits. It’s very exciting to be able to be honest in your beliefs & be understood & not canceled.
I am not a glutton for punishment. I hang out with people who are pleasant and can have a good laugh with me. They happen to have a similar life-view. If people of highly liberal persuasion feel better with others like themselves, more power to them. I am a libertarian and believe people should just live their best lives and leave others alone
I did the same forty years ago next August, to begin my career - the nearest town of any size was Owatonna - but six years ago I returned to pay my respects to the father of a friend of mine where I learned a handful of my friends who stayed behind had turned on me because of my unapologetic support for Trump, and later, that friend turned on me, too.
Thankfully, more of the others are as MAGA as am I.
I know Owatonna and have done business there in the past. Nice town. Wow! Hard to believe you are treated that way in small town Minnesota. Wokism is a mind virus
No one needs to argue about what Woke is because we all can see it all around us. Woke is the embodiment of DEI and CRT theories. It is anti-America, anti-white, anti-business, anti-Christian/Jew, anti-meritocracy (which is captured in DEI theory) and is FOR whatever takes all of that down. BLM's rise in 2020 is what brought the term of Woke to the public mind because the leaders of BLM used that term in their public speech. It means, basically, to crush conservative, Caucasian America. I am sure there is a lot of nuance around the term for different individuals, but that is the crux of it.
LOL! Well, if you are doing some kind of a thesis on that topic, I will be interested in it. I only care about the manifestation because that is what affects me personally. The basis for Woke is the feeling of oppression, whether real or imagined. It is an effort to overcome that feeling or take down the perceived oppressor. If you can get to the bottom of the human cause of this phenomena and help correct it, you will be famous
That must have very hard for you. I hope that you are dealing with it not with anger but with acceptance and possibly even forgiveness.
I have four cousins, all brothers that I grew up with in New England. Since 2016, they have been split apart because of Trump. One brother is a Republican and supports Trump but three hate Trump. Sadly, one brother refused to speak with him since 2016 and is now in a memory care facility with his wife for dementia. Another brother is dying in a nursing home with dementia. The third brother will speak on the phone but has made it clear he hates Trump and wishes him d3ad. As a Christian, It's been very hard on the the fourth brother. They all live in separate states so there has never been a chance to resolve the split and now it's impossible. I try to support him online but it's just not the same.
People blame Trump but I don't think that is entirely relevant. I'm sure the three brothers hated Bush as well. And I think the reasons are deep and complicated as they all served in the military. At some point we have to wonder what is most important in our lives, find friends that we value, and move on.
Trump is a lightning rod for the split between right and left that was already in place in America since Nixon, at least. Trump is not the cause, he is the effect.
Don't blame W Oregon's woes on Californians, pal. The PNW headed down the uber‐woke, wannabe anarchist path a long time ago, all on its own. Kids up there were so desperate to be some sort of 'sophisticated cosmopolitan', they had no clue. And sold out any semblance of authenticity to do so.
LOL! Don't take it so personal. If you are anti-Woke and living in CA then maybe you can help change the culture in LA and San Fran. Being a west coast person I have spent a lot of time in both cities. They aren't what they were, especially San Fran where I proposed to my wife on Pier 39 in 1980 and was tour guide for our Fremont HQ'd company for guests in from other cities in the 1990s. There seems to be the beginning of a counter-revolution there. I hope it continues
Lol...just flipping u shit,my man. The REAL West Coast still exists, and will hopefully resurrect itself. The SF of my entire life is still there, but muzzled. Maybe we bring Insp. Harry Callahan back...he'd do a number on the Chesa Boudins/London Breeds of The City. Smack Harris around, too
Tell me about it I’m above Oregon up in BC! I barely recognise the place I’ve called Home for 30 years. It really is a virus and I don’t know what the remedy is except time patience love and kindness and the occasional blowing off my mouth!!
Sasha, in the twentieth century between 100 and 200 million people were murdered by their own governments. You have been shedding light on how that is possible by understanding it yourself and writing about it. Bravo. Stay brave, stay free.
Never mind Ms Keegan and her ilk. She is pandering to an ever dwindling mob and one day soon she’ll realize that her greatest failure in life was lacking the integrity to tell people anything other than what they wanted to hear.
...and an honest one, with integrity. You won't trade your soul for the cult.
A feeling of belonging is fundamental to human thriving; infants will fail to thrive if they're not touched. Solitary confinement is a form of torture, and shunning is the preferred punishment in cults.
So it takes strength of character and faith in yourself to walk away from a cult. The loss of affiliation can be absolutely infuriating. And sure, you always have the option to beg forgiveness, as so many people do when they realize they've crossed an imaginary line and are suddenly all alone.
Cults are disgusting and cruel. They project their sins onto others in order to feel righteous, and they don't even know that's what they're doing. But you, you have a Self, and you don't need them. You've already won.
Move forward. You gave much of your professional career to an industry not worthy of your talents. Move forward. You lost many friends, you have made many more new ones. Bravery and seeing things as they are is their own reward. They'll have to be, the world punishes those who call out the lies. It's good you treasure your family, regardless of the differing viewpoints, Never give up. Sermon over, I'm going to have a piece of pie... which doesn't look nearly as perfect as your daughter's, but still tastes great.
Do you remember the "Blue Meanies" from the Beatles "Yellow Submarine"? That is what these Leftist Hollywood people have become. As usual, they project exactly what they are themselves. When they call someone "Toxic" it is because they live miserable and hateful lives and detest themselves. THEY are the new Blue Meanies
Times never change....they always rhyme. The Beatles were dealing with personal attacks at the time of that movie when their music just became too popular and they were both revered and resented at the same time. The Blue Meanies are an allegorical reference to the tension between East and West. The Blue Meanies are the Totalitarian communists of East Germany from the designers point of view. Apropos: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/red_meanies_blue_meanies_the_cold_war_roots_of_the_beatles_yellow_submarine
Sasha, your words today remind me of my daughter after she was jilted by an awful husband and she laments what she has lost.
As I reminded her repeatedly at the time - he wasn't worth it. He wasn't good enough for you. You can do so much better.
Sasha, Hollywood isn't worth the heartache. It's not good enough for you. You've found so much better.
I hope that doesn't sound trite, but I believe it's true. Sorry you lost your old love, and your livelihood. I hope the new world you're creating now far exceeds the joy you knew before. I trust it will.
"Peering into the dark side of human nature, the ugly side, the unavoidable truth about what we’re all capable of."
I have lived an incredibly easy life. I've never had to fight in a war or had to experience serious hardship that wasn't of my own choosing. So it was easy for me to believe that we had really reached a sort of "End of History" moment. But the past few years have taught me something else. Human nature hasn't changed in any fundamental way and that even in a relatively free and prosperous society like 21st century America, things can get ugly very quickly.
In good times it is easy to convince yourself that you will hold on to your principles if the going gets rough. But in reality most people tend to fold when push comes to shove. You are one of the rare people who have stood up when it would have been easier to go along. This is something of which you can be proud. You are not alone.
Tru dat regarding human nature. I recall reading that two wolves will fight until one submits, but two pigeons will fight until one is dead. the Left is weak and far more vicious than the Right.
I'm thinking basically the same as FreeTheFaces. Once you see/know/speak the truth, you can't undo it. And what I find haunting is those who don't understand are in a bubble that they have no desire to step out of. Still friends/family but I'm no longer able to discuss anything that I consider a deep conversation with them.
Yeah I’m in the same boat. I have a lot of loving/supporting friends and family, yet I can’t discuss the deep topics I’d like to because most of them lack the proper context, or worse they’ll start to ostracize me over political views. It’s quite a lonely place.
What works for me on long drives to visit my kids and grandkids is listening to books on tape via audiobooks. Helps keep you alert and makes the time go by nicely. When you get stuck in traffic you don't care because it is just more reading time.
I did that once…I was so engrossed in the story that I almost didn’t notice the flashing light on my dashboard telling me I was running low on gas! Took me a while to find a gas station, too!
Your angst is also our angst which is why we are here. Being ostracized by family, business and friends was bad enough these last few years. What I find most offensive is that after being exposed for the lies they were telling. They are now even madder we were right. No apologies, no how did you see through this. No self reflection. Just bitterness towards those that saw through them. The masses are just waiting to be led by nose again to the next insanity.
yup. We still get "nothing to see here" or "talk to the hand".... No apologizes or self-reflection about the awful things they've said from those I love the most (adult children) is a most bitter pill.
“The masses are just waiting to be led by nose again to the next insanity.“
Not the masses but certainly many. People like Elon, RFK, Tulsi, Bret Weinstein, Glenn Greenwald and many others like them have brought many to our side and put the momentum on our side. Plus AI will be a game changer for us all. Most are unaware of it but this change is already upon us and advancing at an exponential rate.
I would count myself a woman of great riches if I had one friend as insightful and as honest as you are. Cheers to you and to your journey wherever it leads you. Thank you deeply for sharing it with us.
Sasha, no way I can understand what you have experienced or are going through. I do remember when movies were magical experiences and left a lasting impression on you. Sadly that hasn't been the case for many years; you might find a nugget here and there, but it is rare. I taught, coached, and eventually counseled high school students for 27 years before I had to walk away from what that crazy profession had become. And, I can tell you I was missed just as much as the bucket of water missed the fist when it was removed...so, not at all. But, I know the impact I had, both good and bad. And, remember the opposite of love is not hate; it is apathy. Don't hate the haters, just ignore and move on. You'll be better off in the long run. And, subscribe to satellite radio before your next trip. Something for everyone to listen to on the road. Last, you should write a book or autobiography. Thanks for your posts.
There are people who have gone through a far more severe version of this - innocent parents who have lost everything in their lives due to being betrayed and attacked by a Cluster-B spouse who then takes their children through Parental Alienation.
Losing jobs or friends through WOKE evil is one thing, but losing a marriage, home, finances, friends and most upsettingly -- children; that is another level altogether.
And yet there are several thousand families across the West in this predicament.
Sasha, It's no wonder why [we] can't think of the cancel culture, grifters as "decent" people. They aren't.
And if we aren't respected and appreciated by those we lovingly serve then we're giving it to the wrong people.
We're better off without them.
Sasha, my life experience is obviously different than yours. I grew up in a smaller town in western Oregon when it was still a conservative farming and logging oriented economy and culture. It was the best place on the planet back then. Now it is almost unrecognizable it is so distorted and corrupted by the worst of Californian culture influence. I have had to say goodbye to the place I was born and grew up. My brothers are all still there. My parents are gone. I have little reason to connect to it. Because I am more a libertarian than a conservative, I spent most of my adult life in what was then purple-Minnesota. It is a lot like Oregon, culturally and economically as well as physically. 10 years ago I said goodbye to Minnesota and the liberal friends I had made there as they began turning against anyone conservative. I left a few like-minded libertarian friends behind as well. Here I am in Arizona rebuilding my life a third time and this time I am very selective on who will be my friends. I am not going to waste any time cultivating friendships with people I don't understand and ultimately will not like to be with. If they show me "Woke" colors, I go no further. This causes me no pain because I am committed to live my life in peace and harmony and the "progressive" people suck the life from you. Maybe you can find peace by disinvesting yourself from anyone in your life who diminishes you because of what you believe, the most undemocratic and intolerant thing anyone can do to another.
What you are doing now is an extremely important step in having safe friends around you. You show up for them and they show up for you. It sounds like you are having success in the process. I wish you well.
Once you begin to live an honest life & those so called friends can’t handle that you’re different than them & not hiding it anymore it leaves room for new relationships with kindred spirits. It’s very exciting to be able to be honest in your beliefs & be understood & not canceled.
I am not a glutton for punishment. I hang out with people who are pleasant and can have a good laugh with me. They happen to have a similar life-view. If people of highly liberal persuasion feel better with others like themselves, more power to them. I am a libertarian and believe people should just live their best lives and leave others alone
I did the same forty years ago next August, to begin my career - the nearest town of any size was Owatonna - but six years ago I returned to pay my respects to the father of a friend of mine where I learned a handful of my friends who stayed behind had turned on me because of my unapologetic support for Trump, and later, that friend turned on me, too.
Thankfully, more of the others are as MAGA as am I.
I know Owatonna and have done business there in the past. Nice town. Wow! Hard to believe you are treated that way in small town Minnesota. Wokism is a mind virus
It is, indeed.
No one needs to argue about what Woke is because we all can see it all around us. Woke is the embodiment of DEI and CRT theories. It is anti-America, anti-white, anti-business, anti-Christian/Jew, anti-meritocracy (which is captured in DEI theory) and is FOR whatever takes all of that down. BLM's rise in 2020 is what brought the term of Woke to the public mind because the leaders of BLM used that term in their public speech. It means, basically, to crush conservative, Caucasian America. I am sure there is a lot of nuance around the term for different individuals, but that is the crux of it.
LOL! Well, if you are doing some kind of a thesis on that topic, I will be interested in it. I only care about the manifestation because that is what affects me personally. The basis for Woke is the feeling of oppression, whether real or imagined. It is an effort to overcome that feeling or take down the perceived oppressor. If you can get to the bottom of the human cause of this phenomena and help correct it, you will be famous
That must have very hard for you. I hope that you are dealing with it not with anger but with acceptance and possibly even forgiveness.
I have four cousins, all brothers that I grew up with in New England. Since 2016, they have been split apart because of Trump. One brother is a Republican and supports Trump but three hate Trump. Sadly, one brother refused to speak with him since 2016 and is now in a memory care facility with his wife for dementia. Another brother is dying in a nursing home with dementia. The third brother will speak on the phone but has made it clear he hates Trump and wishes him d3ad. As a Christian, It's been very hard on the the fourth brother. They all live in separate states so there has never been a chance to resolve the split and now it's impossible. I try to support him online but it's just not the same.
People blame Trump but I don't think that is entirely relevant. I'm sure the three brothers hated Bush as well. And I think the reasons are deep and complicated as they all served in the military. At some point we have to wonder what is most important in our lives, find friends that we value, and move on.
Trump is a lightning rod for the split between right and left that was already in place in America since Nixon, at least. Trump is not the cause, he is the effect.
Don't blame W Oregon's woes on Californians, pal. The PNW headed down the uber‐woke, wannabe anarchist path a long time ago, all on its own. Kids up there were so desperate to be some sort of 'sophisticated cosmopolitan', they had no clue. And sold out any semblance of authenticity to do so.
LOL! Don't take it so personal. If you are anti-Woke and living in CA then maybe you can help change the culture in LA and San Fran. Being a west coast person I have spent a lot of time in both cities. They aren't what they were, especially San Fran where I proposed to my wife on Pier 39 in 1980 and was tour guide for our Fremont HQ'd company for guests in from other cities in the 1990s. There seems to be the beginning of a counter-revolution there. I hope it continues
Lol...just flipping u shit,my man. The REAL West Coast still exists, and will hopefully resurrect itself. The SF of my entire life is still there, but muzzled. Maybe we bring Insp. Harry Callahan back...he'd do a number on the Chesa Boudins/London Breeds of The City. Smack Harris around, too
Great reference. I am a huge Clint Eastwood (the Mayor) fan, who played himself in Dirty Harry.
IWW was PNW based
Tell me about it I’m above Oregon up in BC! I barely recognise the place I’ve called Home for 30 years. It really is a virus and I don’t know what the remedy is except time patience love and kindness and the occasional blowing off my mouth!!
Agree!!!!
Well said… I too have to make new friends and perhaps relocate, so you are not alone in this.
Beautifully stated… I am choosing the same yard stick. Life is too short…💕
Sasha, in the twentieth century between 100 and 200 million people were murdered by their own governments. You have been shedding light on how that is possible by understanding it yourself and writing about it. Bravo. Stay brave, stay free.
Never mind Ms Keegan and her ilk. She is pandering to an ever dwindling mob and one day soon she’ll realize that her greatest failure in life was lacking the integrity to tell people anything other than what they wanted to hear.
What a wasted life!
Sasha, you are a good person.
...and an honest one, with integrity. You won't trade your soul for the cult.
A feeling of belonging is fundamental to human thriving; infants will fail to thrive if they're not touched. Solitary confinement is a form of torture, and shunning is the preferred punishment in cults.
So it takes strength of character and faith in yourself to walk away from a cult. The loss of affiliation can be absolutely infuriating. And sure, you always have the option to beg forgiveness, as so many people do when they realize they've crossed an imaginary line and are suddenly all alone.
Cults are disgusting and cruel. They project their sins onto others in order to feel righteous, and they don't even know that's what they're doing. But you, you have a Self, and you don't need them. You've already won.
A deep thinker and an honest person.
Yes she seems that way.
Move forward. You gave much of your professional career to an industry not worthy of your talents. Move forward. You lost many friends, you have made many more new ones. Bravery and seeing things as they are is their own reward. They'll have to be, the world punishes those who call out the lies. It's good you treasure your family, regardless of the differing viewpoints, Never give up. Sermon over, I'm going to have a piece of pie... which doesn't look nearly as perfect as your daughter's, but still tastes great.
Pie, not surprisingly given the titular identity, is like pizza. If it's bad, it cannot possible be either.
Do you remember the "Blue Meanies" from the Beatles "Yellow Submarine"? That is what these Leftist Hollywood people have become. As usual, they project exactly what they are themselves. When they call someone "Toxic" it is because they live miserable and hateful lives and detest themselves. THEY are the new Blue Meanies
I love that, the "Blue Meanies." Perfect.
Times never change....they always rhyme. The Beatles were dealing with personal attacks at the time of that movie when their music just became too popular and they were both revered and resented at the same time. The Blue Meanies are an allegorical reference to the tension between East and West. The Blue Meanies are the Totalitarian communists of East Germany from the designers point of view. Apropos: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/red_meanies_blue_meanies_the_cold_war_roots_of_the_beatles_yellow_submarine
Fuck em. Don't let the bastards get you down.
True freedom is very costly, but always worth the price paid.
Sasha, your words today remind me of my daughter after she was jilted by an awful husband and she laments what she has lost.
As I reminded her repeatedly at the time - he wasn't worth it. He wasn't good enough for you. You can do so much better.
Sasha, Hollywood isn't worth the heartache. It's not good enough for you. You've found so much better.
I hope that doesn't sound trite, but I believe it's true. Sorry you lost your old love, and your livelihood. I hope the new world you're creating now far exceeds the joy you knew before. I trust it will.
"Peering into the dark side of human nature, the ugly side, the unavoidable truth about what we’re all capable of."
I have lived an incredibly easy life. I've never had to fight in a war or had to experience serious hardship that wasn't of my own choosing. So it was easy for me to believe that we had really reached a sort of "End of History" moment. But the past few years have taught me something else. Human nature hasn't changed in any fundamental way and that even in a relatively free and prosperous society like 21st century America, things can get ugly very quickly.
In good times it is easy to convince yourself that you will hold on to your principles if the going gets rough. But in reality most people tend to fold when push comes to shove. You are one of the rare people who have stood up when it would have been easier to go along. This is something of which you can be proud. You are not alone.
Tru dat regarding human nature. I recall reading that two wolves will fight until one submits, but two pigeons will fight until one is dead. the Left is weak and far more vicious than the Right.
I'm thinking basically the same as FreeTheFaces. Once you see/know/speak the truth, you can't undo it. And what I find haunting is those who don't understand are in a bubble that they have no desire to step out of. Still friends/family but I'm no longer able to discuss anything that I consider a deep conversation with them.
Yeah I’m in the same boat. I have a lot of loving/supporting friends and family, yet I can’t discuss the deep topics I’d like to because most of them lack the proper context, or worse they’ll start to ostracize me over political views. It’s quite a lonely place.
What works for me on long drives to visit my kids and grandkids is listening to books on tape via audiobooks. Helps keep you alert and makes the time go by nicely. When you get stuck in traffic you don't care because it is just more reading time.
I did that once…I was so engrossed in the story that I almost didn’t notice the flashing light on my dashboard telling me I was running low on gas! Took me a while to find a gas station, too!
That is want I did when driving back and forth to Texas from PA. I also listened to all my usual podcasts.
"You might wonder why I am wasting your time whining about my own life yet again"
You're not wasting my time.
I find your journey fascinating.
Your angst is also our angst which is why we are here. Being ostracized by family, business and friends was bad enough these last few years. What I find most offensive is that after being exposed for the lies they were telling. They are now even madder we were right. No apologies, no how did you see through this. No self reflection. Just bitterness towards those that saw through them. The masses are just waiting to be led by nose again to the next insanity.
yup. We still get "nothing to see here" or "talk to the hand".... No apologizes or self-reflection about the awful things they've said from those I love the most (adult children) is a most bitter pill.
Agreed racist and homophobe is my rep for supporting Dr King and not accepting penis’s in women’s restrooms. I thought it was common sense. Stupid me!
“The masses are just waiting to be led by nose again to the next insanity.“
Not the masses but certainly many. People like Elon, RFK, Tulsi, Bret Weinstein, Glenn Greenwald and many others like them have brought many to our side and put the momentum on our side. Plus AI will be a game changer for us all. Most are unaware of it but this change is already upon us and advancing at an exponential rate.
Double Ditto that. What an amazing time to be alive.
The worse you are treated by those who try to destroy your spirit means you made the right decision to change sides