LovelyAcorns
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 26, 2009
- Messages
- 119
- Reaction score
- 20
Well, being out of high school for a few months now (only one year late! And my teachers told me I'd never graduate. Bah.) I'm still trying to decide what to do. Looking at both my calendar and the lethargic rut I've been in lately, I need to start making decisions before inertia takes hold and I wake up 40 years old, still living at home, sitting on the internet claiming capitalism was invented by space aliens.
So, I've narrowed it down to four options:
1. Fuck college, start squatting.
The option I'm leaning toward. I could start this early August, mid-August at the latest. Though I could get involved in radical projects while in school, this would allow me to have tons of more time to do so, big plus. It also gets me back out of my parent's house, which isnt exactly the funnest place to be (My sister is openly white supremacist, and a week ago her and her friends woke me up at 3 a.m. by deciding they wanted to see who knew the most bible hymns and who could say them the loudest). The problems being, I have the whole "radicalize your own community" mentality, so I can't comfortably move to a more established place, meaning I'd be going it alone. I'm also at a point where I have to start trying to convert demographics other than the supposedly more radical, as I've burnt bridges with all my old punk friends, or rather, I lit the bridges on fire and sung "Burn, Baby, Burn!" as I began to realize how authoritarian these kids were. This doesn't bother me, as I actually feel the least comfortable talking to straight white youth. But, being a white youth, I do have to try to overcome the fact I'm expected by other demographics to engage in token rebellion, making them more resistant to joining me. In a few days I'll be meeting of group of anarchists south of me, which from what I can gather, isn't completely youth. If it turns out to be a legit group, it should make it easier as I only need to convince them come along to an established group, rather then trying to get them right off the back to start something from scratch.
2. Become a paramedic.
Would provide me with useful skills in a radical community. It'd also provide me with an income, allowing me to support radicals less willing to compromise with the system, in a way where I don't have to completely feel like an asshole. It'd give me one last chance to see if this generation's youth can be radicalized. Also, thanks to the nearby college's funky numbering system, I'd actually be able to get credits for taking an anti-terrorism class. That'd be the first time I'd ever take notes in class.
The downsides, other than the obvious having to work, having to go to school, and the accumulation of even more debt (insurance lies resulted in me getting thousands of dollars in debt within a month of turning 18. Another point for choice one), is that the area around campus ain't really the best for squatting, so I'd have to get a job and an apartment, staying at home in the meantime. Plus, if I must get a job, I'm getting a wobbly card. Paramedics would be harder to radically unionize, as wildcat strikes are pretty much off limits. So I'd have to convince people of more creative, probably less legal means of resistance which would require massive amounts of solidarity to pull off. That, and I'd have to compromise on my refusal to drive and sign up for the Selective Service.
3. Go for sociology.
Only a mild interest. It'd be nice to become a conflict theorist and push the thought spectrum in a more antiauthoritarian direction. I'd probably also learn how to write things in a more logical fashion (For those of you who haven't given up reading yet, you can see why that would help me). I wouldnt need to compromise on driving, though I'd still probably have to sign up with the Selective Service to be eligible for federal aid. This would be a real teeth-grinding course, as I can assume half the things they will try and teach me are utter bullshit designed to benefit the drug companies and the other half made up to defend the status quo. As I'm assuming being an anarcho-sociologist doesn't pay well, I'd be accruing debt without gaining the ability to get rid of it. I guess thats a big deal as long as I make sure never to own anything of value.
4. Take a couple computer classes.
This is really just a modified 1. I'd really like to help out the open source community and programming is fun. But I run into too many roadblocks and am shit at learning things over the internet. Unless I find another nerd when I meet the anarchist group, taking classes is my only choice. Given that I dont give a fuck about a degree, I only would get myself in debt a few hundred dollars, making federal aid unneeded. So my plan would be to continue living at home, take some fall quarter classes, hitchhike down south for the winter, and come back and squat in spring.
Help?
So, I've narrowed it down to four options:
1. Fuck college, start squatting.
The option I'm leaning toward. I could start this early August, mid-August at the latest. Though I could get involved in radical projects while in school, this would allow me to have tons of more time to do so, big plus. It also gets me back out of my parent's house, which isnt exactly the funnest place to be (My sister is openly white supremacist, and a week ago her and her friends woke me up at 3 a.m. by deciding they wanted to see who knew the most bible hymns and who could say them the loudest). The problems being, I have the whole "radicalize your own community" mentality, so I can't comfortably move to a more established place, meaning I'd be going it alone. I'm also at a point where I have to start trying to convert demographics other than the supposedly more radical, as I've burnt bridges with all my old punk friends, or rather, I lit the bridges on fire and sung "Burn, Baby, Burn!" as I began to realize how authoritarian these kids were. This doesn't bother me, as I actually feel the least comfortable talking to straight white youth. But, being a white youth, I do have to try to overcome the fact I'm expected by other demographics to engage in token rebellion, making them more resistant to joining me. In a few days I'll be meeting of group of anarchists south of me, which from what I can gather, isn't completely youth. If it turns out to be a legit group, it should make it easier as I only need to convince them come along to an established group, rather then trying to get them right off the back to start something from scratch.
2. Become a paramedic.
Would provide me with useful skills in a radical community. It'd also provide me with an income, allowing me to support radicals less willing to compromise with the system, in a way where I don't have to completely feel like an asshole. It'd give me one last chance to see if this generation's youth can be radicalized. Also, thanks to the nearby college's funky numbering system, I'd actually be able to get credits for taking an anti-terrorism class. That'd be the first time I'd ever take notes in class.
The downsides, other than the obvious having to work, having to go to school, and the accumulation of even more debt (insurance lies resulted in me getting thousands of dollars in debt within a month of turning 18. Another point for choice one), is that the area around campus ain't really the best for squatting, so I'd have to get a job and an apartment, staying at home in the meantime. Plus, if I must get a job, I'm getting a wobbly card. Paramedics would be harder to radically unionize, as wildcat strikes are pretty much off limits. So I'd have to convince people of more creative, probably less legal means of resistance which would require massive amounts of solidarity to pull off. That, and I'd have to compromise on my refusal to drive and sign up for the Selective Service.
3. Go for sociology.
Only a mild interest. It'd be nice to become a conflict theorist and push the thought spectrum in a more antiauthoritarian direction. I'd probably also learn how to write things in a more logical fashion (For those of you who haven't given up reading yet, you can see why that would help me). I wouldnt need to compromise on driving, though I'd still probably have to sign up with the Selective Service to be eligible for federal aid. This would be a real teeth-grinding course, as I can assume half the things they will try and teach me are utter bullshit designed to benefit the drug companies and the other half made up to defend the status quo. As I'm assuming being an anarcho-sociologist doesn't pay well, I'd be accruing debt without gaining the ability to get rid of it. I guess thats a big deal as long as I make sure never to own anything of value.
4. Take a couple computer classes.
This is really just a modified 1. I'd really like to help out the open source community and programming is fun. But I run into too many roadblocks and am shit at learning things over the internet. Unless I find another nerd when I meet the anarchist group, taking classes is my only choice. Given that I dont give a fuck about a degree, I only would get myself in debt a few hundred dollars, making federal aid unneeded. So my plan would be to continue living at home, take some fall quarter classes, hitchhike down south for the winter, and come back and squat in spring.
Help?