I'm just SO TIRED

[Novara]

39. Sing it, sister!

I wasn't very politically aware in 1980 although I was just starting to be (typical self-absorbed teenager), and the reason I always say Reagan Ruined Everything is because up until then, I saw rights expanded, the Women's Movement was beginning to pay off Remember (the movie 9 to 5?), and I grew up in an era where fighting for justice usually paid off. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” We lived it! I was proud to be a budding young feminist - things were happening! Positive things!

Then Reagan. And his version of nasty, revenge-fueled "conservatism." That's when things started going backward in a big way. And I remember being a young adult scratching my head wondering how in hell can you force a people backwards after so much progress? People won't go backwards willingly once they've tasted freedom and rights and validation for who they are. And ever since then, they've been trying with all their might to drag us all back to the stone age. And from what I can see now, the motherfuckers are succeeding.

Remember Iran in the late 70s - early 80s? How a once thriving, modern country forced its people to go backwards, based on bullshit theology? Women lost rights they enjoyed for years. Many people left rather than lose what they fought for. And I can completely understand why.

I don't have the stomach to pick up and move to another country. And I don't want to throw in the towel and give up. But GODDAMN, AM I DISCOURAGED.