Who Is He?

I read somewhere that a very large percentage of blogs don’t have a page that gives a visitor any information about the owner of the blog.  That might be because so many people find it difficult to write about themselves.

I had heard about web logs for several years before I actually started reading them.  I never thought that I would ever start a blog myself, because it seemed so difficult.  I had no idea how to start, but as I read other blogs and investigated, I learned how it was done.  There is an easy way (Blogger, WordPress.com) and a hard way which involves registering a domain name, selecting a hosting company, and installing and customizing the software.  Since I work in the communications industry as a technician, I naturally (!) elected to go the hard way.  But it has turned out very well – I picked a small hosting company in Texas (DrakNet) and I’ve been very pleased with them.  I looked at the big boys (Network Solutions, BigDaddy, BlueHost and the others) but I am a firm believer in “Small is Beautiful”, so I consider myself fortunate to have found DrakNet.

I initially tried to set up a webpage, but that proved to be too difficult a task for me, so I fell back on my second choice, blogging, and it has actually turned out to be much more suited to me.  I have a lot of interests and blogging allows me to post whatever intrigues me.  I’m approaching retirement age, so the title, “Turning Points” seems appropriate.  I have my own turning points as does this country and the world.

When I was younger, I was pretty far out there on the left side of the political spectrum.  I voted for McGovern in my first election and have been disappointed over the years to see my country lurch ever-further in the direction of social and economic inequality, intolerance, and materialism.  The selection of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate was the tipping point for me that led to the establishment of this blog.  I’ve had enough of the religious right (note that I do not label them as the Christian right) and part of the reason for the existence of this blog is to document my journey to a better understanding of the danger that the religious right poses to the future of this country.   Labels are always tricky things, and I still don’t like them, but I would describe myself as fiscally conservative, socially tolerant, and personally responsible.  I’m socially tolerant in the sense that I don’t believe in subjecting others to my views, an agenda that I saw in the supporters of Sarah Palin.  Unlike those followers, I see many shades of gray in the world and I don’t presume to impose my beliefs on others.  I grew up poor, so I have a lot of empathy for social justice movements and those who struggle in life.  I also grew up in an environment that encouraged reading and an appreciation for the arts, so I read a lot and remain keenly interested in the arts.  I do not own a TV and have no use at all for “talking heads” who style themselves experts on the subjects they speak on.  I much prefer to read and discover for myself.  I have a B.A. in cultural anthropology and am interested in myth, world-view, storytelling, and the power of language to influence thought.

So where do I stand on the political spectrum now? I am very impressed with the philosophies of Distributism, Agrarianism, and Mututalism – these philosophies encompass a great deal of my world view.  Some contemporary writers who espouse Distributist/Agrarian thought include Joel Salatin, Wendell Berry, Aldo Leopold, E.F. Schumacher, Kirkpatrick Sale and Chet Bowers, who all see the importance of a community grounded in tradition and ecologically sustainable methods of sustenance.  I particularly like Chet Bowers’ essays in which he identifies Liberals as “social justice liberals” and Conservatives as “market liberals” and shows how both schools of thought support the ecologically destructive corporate model rooted in the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. In his essays, he shows how Wendell Berry’s ideas apply to the world beyond Port William, Kentucky. I firmly reject bigotry, racism, classism, sexism and authoritarianism, of whatever stripe.

I look forward to sharing with you, my readers, my thoughts on any number of topics.  I also hope to grow and learn through my interactions with all of you.