How the election of Donald Trump changed online communities

Posted on by Llewen Leave a comment

Every online community, active since 2016, has an orthodoxy, a specific set of beliefs and practices. If you don’t adhere to that orthodoxy, you are rejected. The political left and right are the same in this regard. And now this principle seems to apply to every online community that I am aware of. This is how the election of Donald Trump changed online communities, all over the world wide web.

The election of Donald Trump, and the events that followed, shocked every online community that I am aware of into a very specific orthodoxy. Anyone that does not adhere to that orthodoxy is no longer welcome. Trump’s election was the trumpet blast that destroyed tolerance.

For those who were inclined to be intolerant, the election of Donald Trump made that intolerance socially acceptable. For those who were inclined to be tolerant, the election of Donald Trump drove them from tolerance, to intolerance.

Trump’s election didn’t signal a change in beliefs, but it very clearly changed the way we all deal with beliefs that differ from our own, especially in our online communities.

January 6, 2021

talking to travellers

Posted on by Llewen Leave a comment

one year older,
on that side of the curve
where this seems to be a good thing.
i will now do more,
or will i?

one year older,
on that side of the curve,
descending to a greater adventure,
gathering momentum
for a great leap,

that breathless leap,
constricted by fear,
tormented by a list
of works left undone

it’s ok.
we’ll be all right.
he is waiting for you
and he’ll be so much healthier
than your last memories of him.

it’s ok,
we love you,
we’ll miss and remember you
and i can’t wait to talk to you again
and hear the stories of your great adventure

go with love
brave explorer.
find the stars in their torment of creation,
find the angels in their endless watching,

you will be sure that
so much that you thought was so terribly important
wasn’t,
so much that you thought was empty and meaningless
was as precious as cold pure water

this is your cup.
it is full to the brim.
it is time to pass this cup
from one hand to another.

How to say Goodbye to a Loved One