Thread by @dsmart

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Over the decades I have amassed a following of fans (and a few loons) of my works & unabashed rhetoric. So when Trump became POTUS, me being the rebellious type, joining the resistance (for a good cause this time - honest!) was a no-brainer.

Thing is, it is so easy to fall into the trap of being "too political" when you engage in discourse that not only interests you, but which also move you to publicly express an opinion (regardless of merit, veracity or anything meaningful) that's likely to wind up people.

Those who have known me either personally or professionally over the years, know one simple thing about me that remains consistent. I am brutally honest, pay zero attention to what people think (of me), and if there is no road ahead, I'm the guy who wants to start building one.

Sometimes our opinions tend to alienate even our closest allies and friends. So when you end up in a situation where there is no way to reconcile opposing opinions, most people succumb to rage, anger, and resentment because they lack the personal skills required to rise above.

This is why over the years, besides incessantly trolling those who get uncontrollably mad over politics, religion, a woman's right to choose, the price of rice in China, and all the things that we argue, fuss and fight over, I always try to find the humor in it all.

So it comes as no surprise that since Trump became POTUS, something that most of us of sound mind & body knew was destined to be a complete and utter disaster, I have been rather active in various discussions because, trolling aside, it's a very serious matter.

As a result, from time to time I get an email, DM or message complaining that my social media has become too "political". Which is rather curious because, well, people tend to keep clamoring about things that are important to them, regardless of how you feel about it.

I am a gamer and game dev who was baptized in the flames of Usenet (if you know what that is, congrats - you're old). So I have been conditioned to have an opinion about everything; from the mundane to the down right ridiculous. We mastered the art of trolling at 1200 bps

Back in the day you went online for lolz. You read print newspapers for the obits, rentals, and job pages. Nobody had time to be writing up tomes online about serious things, when you could just be gaming or trolling the living piss out of that one guy.

Now we have what we call "social media" (you know we had that back on Usenet, right?) which gives an incredible amount of power to the voice of one, or the cacophony of the many.

So it stands to reason that when a bunch of people helped elect the likes of Trump, this pretty much summed up my reaction:

https://twitter.com/dsmart/status/825544324989468673

Who knew that almost 17 months ago when I wrote it, that we would bear witness to the fact that a seemingly trollish comment would eventually become our reality?

As absurd as it may have been, that we are dealing with this reality, is why we should NEVER give up this fight.

It's more about the future of our generation, than it is about being political. The damage that Trump and his minions have inflicted in 17 months will take decades to undo and recover from. And it's not a switch you just get to flip and everything is ok again.

So that's why most of us who weren't "political" before, and now chiming repeatedly about this, are collectively raising the roof.

For some complacent people, Trump wasn't their problem. Then he was.

The most disappointing thing is that the GOP wielded tremendous power to reel him in; but because he's the ultimate fall guy, they just used him to push forward their agenda - at the detriment of an entire nation.

So this is why some of us suddenly became "political".

That pretty much sums up my explanation as to why my social media feed appears to be "political".

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