2017 > 2016 - The Pledge

[Kaz Hayashi]

Inspired by the 2016 thread, I thought I'd start this. Feel free to skip this bit/rant to the question in the middle..

 

Rant bit..

Is anyone actually dreading next year? I don't mean like "yeah it will be shit", I mean like some real genuine fear?

I'm in my Early'ish 30's and I can't help but think the last 12 months have arguably been the worst on the world stage.

Poor fuckers in Syria been bombed, shot, raped and tortured, us lot saying "Awww, but you can't come here".

The continual retort attacks on countries like France, I mean France.. out of the counties to attack in the west, France is like Todd Flanders.

Baron Greenback is president elect, he's become pals with Drago and they are pretty much doing/saying whatever the fuck they want, as the rest of the world shake their heads in disdain, whilst conveniently being distracted by another celebrity death.

Several times this year I felt a surge of anger and throat sick.

I've managed to suppress it and laugh at the concept like you do when Stewart Lee of Frankie Boyle discuss the context... but now that enforced humour has deserted me over the last couple of days, completely fucked me off, high and dry, to the point I'm even put off watching screen wipe.

I think there's a guilt that I've selfishly just brought a little girl in to the world. I don't know how to explain to myself what has happened over the last 12 months, let alone how I'll be able to explain to her.

 

 

**** QUESTION ****

 

 

What the fuck we gonna to do about it?

I've got a couple of things in mind to make 2017 a bit better.

I might just miss out on Bono level world peace status, but I feel the need to do a bit more. If I can somehow help others and find things to brighten up my scowl, then it will automatically be a better year in my book and I'd prefer to be in a positive frame of mind when interacting with my kid.

Fuck New Years resolutions, I'm going to be a fanny and make a pledge to do or at least attempt to do the following (in brackets states likelihood):

 

- Set up bank account with Charity Bank for my kid. The few quid she's been lucky enough to receive from well wishers can then be used ethically and put towards charitable projects (easily doable, have requested application form already).

 

- Donate money from January pay to the white helmets. If you don't know what they do, have a look. A pal of mine who works for the foreign office and another who works for Citizens Advice have both said if you want to help the people of Syria, this is the charity to support. Real doctors, engineers, fire fighters, teachers etc, give up their free time to go over and try to help put the pieces back together through their trades. Donations can help pay for simple things like travel expenses/tools/equipment. It's thought to be one of the better charities for money getting straight to the source. There's apparently a Netflix doc out now/soon too. (Have set up payment to start in Jan).

 

- Help at the peoples kitchen. 1 single hour of my time at any point of the week to either cook/serve food or clean up after. Not really hard is it. A friend of my wife's volunteers twice a week, no excuse for me not to do it, it's a 10 min walk from my house. (Aim to start doing this in shifts with my wife).

 

Personal stuff:

 

- I started painting for the first time in years (popped pic of painting in the Art thread), and after becoming inspired by the entrepreneurs in the 'started company' thread.. I'm going to get my head around a computer design program this next year. I've researched cheaper alternatives to Photoshop, if you lovelies have suggestions, hit me up. I'll probably set up a redbubble store and fuck the market up for the likes of Monkee with my shit art.

 

- Finish our 3rd album. We have 1 album and 1 EP complete, but unmastered. We are working on finishing 24 tracks (to split in to a double album) at present and we're about 60% there. Hope to have one of the two finished by spring.

Following this, I'll be getting some new distribution sorted out and will be getting on iTunes, Spotify and the like by this time next year.

 

- It's so, so cliche, but it's time to coast at work and enjoy time with my family. I never really gave credit to people who said that before me and assumed they were pretty generic middle of the road type folk. Amazing what family life can do to slap reality and perspective in to you.

I'm not interested in progression at work anymore. I'm at a point/level that works for me. No more above and beyond, project development stuff in my own time, no way. All gets knocked on the head this year. I'll do what I'm paid to do and that's it.

 

- Build more shit out of wood. I dabbled this year, I liked it.

- Drink less beer I can't afford. Hardest thing on the list.

 

Over to you.

[Linus]

Something we can all do to make a little bit of difference...

 

* Challenge people on their ignorance and inaccuracy: I'm not talking picking up spelling mistakes or that they got the wrong fella from that film that time, point out when they're wrong on the big things - economics, immigration, industrial action, religion, race, gender, all that stuff.

 

* Build a community: this year's saving grace has been the big friendship group I've formed in real life & on Twitter, almost entirely around the graps but it doesn't have to be that. A group can do more good than one man and no man is a failure who has friends.

 

And if you think the Tories/Republicans/whatever are fine, you can ignore this bit (and jump off a bridge?)...

 

* Campaign & doorstep: find the party in your area with the best chance of beating the Tories - whether it be Labour, Lib Dems, Green, SNP, Plaid, whatever - and help them by spreading their message, and getting the message across that this right-wing hell we're descending into isn't normal. You'll be supplied with training and information, and we might just make a little bit of difference together.

[Lenin]

Something we can all do to make a little bit of difference...

 

* Challenge people on their ignorance and inaccuracy: I'm not talking picking up spelling mistakes or that they got the wrong fella from that film that time, point out when they're wrong on the big things - economics, immigration, industrial action, religion, race, gender, all that stuff.

 

* Build a community: this year's saving grace has been the big friendship group I've formed in real life & on Twitter, almost entirely around the graps but it doesn't have to be that. A group can do more good than one man and no man is a failure who has friends.

 

And if you think the Tories/Republicans/whatever are fine, you can ignore this bit (and jump off a bridge?)...

 

* Campaign & doorstep: find the party in your area with the best chance of beating the Tories - whether it be Labour, Lib Dems, Green, SNP, Plaid, whatever - and help them by spreading their message, and getting the message across that this right-wing hell we're descending into isn't normal. You'll be supplied with training and information, and we might just make a little bit of difference together.

Great post. Particularly the first bit. Society is going to hell because not enough people here the words "no" and "you're wrong" so I'm up for that.

[Merzbow]

Seeing as I'm in a place where my physical health is a lot better (mental is ehhh but fuck it) than the past few years I'm going to start putting boots to tarmac a lot more with activism, I'm taking a much more hardline stance these days anyway as I'm getting just as angry with the polite liberal bullshit and horseshoe theories etc as I am with the right. 0161 Festival will be a good place to meet people and learn from more than just books by dead old white guys as I've done for too long.

 

I'd love to start working towards putting on shows myself, not to that level but good small benefit gigs. There's already a bunch more alternative bands playing here than before and those gigs are doing pretty well so I'll see if I can tap in to that crowd.

[Briefcase]

If there is one thing I've learned this year then its not to mix work life with personal life so I will continue to keep both as far away from each other as possible. That may sound negative but this gives me more freedom to do my own thing without everyone knowing my business whilst building my work team to be close knit within the working environment, I also think the bitter side of me will not be as judgemental as in previous jobs if 'Joe' (to use an example) from work had Tories & Trump plastered on his Facebook then there would be a risk that I would dislike this Joe. 

 

I will also aim to eat less junk food, I know its not as easy as just stopping but if I can measure it to treats once a week compared to say two then thats a positive start.

 

Lastly, I think from a financial viewpoint I should be in a good place, loans/debt will be paid off by Spring and I am looking to progress and be promoted by next Autumn, both are on track so would be good to actually have a bit of freedom, its been too much borrowing/short term fixes for far too long now. 

[stumobir]

I had a wee bit of an incident recently that got me thinking about this, and how normalised peoples' aggressively ignorant opinions were getting to be.

I was in the casino with some mates watching the Anthony Joshua fight and after I lost an uncomfortable amount of money on the Blackjack tables I decided it was time to head for a taxi. Walked outside and there was a couple of guys bargaining with a taxi right at the front door, luckily there was another just about to pass so I stuck my hand up and they pulled in so I jumped in the back (it was Black Hack, you can't sit in front, I ain't no rude boy). Before we even exchanged pleasantries or told her where I was going she pulled up beside the other taxi and lowered her passenger side window, bit rude but maybe it's her mate and she needs to talk to them I thought. No. Couldn't have been more wrong. She started hurling abuse at this Asian driver "YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT INSURANCE, I'M REPORTING YOU, I'M FUCKING SICK OF THE LOT OF YOU" then she starts shouting at the guys he was talking to "DON'T GET IN HIS CAR HE'S A DODGEY BASTARD, THEY'RE AW THE SAME". This is the point I wished I asked to get out but I was too late as she sped away, still ranting and raving.

After I finally gave her my address I thought she'd maybe calmed down a bit and we could get in to the usual small talk about town being dead, the shite weather and how it didn't feel Christmassy. Wishful thinking. She carried on explaining the fascinating subject of taxi insurance and how private hire was different from being able to pick people up on the street, really was riveting stuff. I was nodding along, not wanting to set her off again but then she dropped a phrase that I couldn't ignore, especially since I was on the drunk side of tipsy, "Aye, it's no the same driving taxis anymore since their people started taking all the work" 

Couldn't ignore that one so I asked what she meant by "their people" and her reply couldn't have been anymore ridiculous if she had time to think. Their People = "broon people". Can't tell you the exact conversation we had after this but it was essentially me telling her that's mentally racist and she was barking up the wrong tree if she thought I was going to join in or even tolerate it, she obviously took offence to be calling a racist. No way was she having any of that because despite her fury and vitriol of the last five minutes she couldn't possibly be racist as she "used to go out with a black man". At this point I thought she must be on the wind up so I called her a nutjob and told her I didn't want to talk to her anymore, only being this ballsy because their was a pane of glass between us obviously. She carried on about how I wouldn't saying this if I was in an accident in a taxi and I wasn't covered bla bla, we were only about a minute from my flat by this point so I gave her the silent treatment and I could see/hear this was winding her up even more.

Got to my flat and told her I had to lift money from the bank machine that's 2 doors from me to pay her, she refused to let me out the taxi till I gave her some collateral so I gave her my phone and went to lift the money to pay her. Went back to the passenger side window gave her a tenner and took my phone back, pretty sure I even said thanks but she was not interested on leaving on a good note. "A HOPE YOU DIE IN A CAR CRASH" she screamed at me as the mad cow wheelspinned off in to the night to pick up some other poor unsuspecting victim. God help them if they're a shade darker than Greek, unless they're a "black man" of course. I think I was rooted to the spot for about 5 seconds with my jaw in full swing, who the fuck says that to someone?

 

She might have a point about the guy not having proper insurance but it's frightening that she thinks that's a normal way to speak and especially to someone who's supposed to be a customer. I'm normally pretty passive with things like this because I hate confrontation but that's obviously getting us nowhere, people like her need to be challenged. I'm making it my New Year's resolution (I know, I know) to be less passive about this sort of thing and get more involved in grassroot campaigning, especially if there's another IndyRef, which is quite likely.  Obviously, an independent Scotland isn't going to be the liberal/socialist mecca the SNP would have you believe but I don't see there being a stop to this lurch to the right under the Tories, some of the proposed policies we've heard recently are so draconian they'd make Trump blush hard.

#peoplemakeglasgow as they say.

[Brock Goldberg]

I've not worked for a good while due to depression and a spinal cord injury.However, I'm in a better place at the moment and determined to get back into work starting in voluntary roles.

 

I've already agreed to working with a local free advice charity (think Citizen Advice). I'm really interested in this role, helping people in my local community going through a tricky time sounds rewarding and a good way of learning new skills/putting free time to good use.

 

I'd also like to get more involved with Mind and Time to Change, helping myself and others struggling with mental illness.I'm also looking into potential work with my local Mind centre and the Samaritans.

 

Getting more involved in my local community in terms of local politics and improving the area also appeals.

[Guest]

I've learned to expect the worst out of politics that I was almost numb to the Brexit and Trump results though I suppose it helps I've not had to interact with a huge amount of it. What I have found hard to accept is the "alt-right" and the rise of the weird fucking mental internet side of politics, it really is grim.

Personally though I've been home on ESA for depression for the whole year and 2016's not really done anything to alleviate that despite some good personal progress.

Knowing that the overwhelming majority and narrative of it will be out of my hands, 2017's only real goals are: do more social stuff with the few decent folk I force to hang out with me, go see live rasslin' (random assed Kota Ibushi Colchester appearance in March booked, but could use something in Feb), some music too, continue to illegally fund my transition, and generally focus on anything positive as I've a feeling I'll need to

[W35ty]

I'm going to troll more and use dank meme's.