Are you a Communist?

No, I'm not, and welcome to my blog!

I'm starting with that question because I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where we've recently elected a mayor and his sidekicks who are basically opposed to everything I stand for. In the newspaper today I saw that Giorgio Mammoliti has banned "Communists" from his facebook page about "saving the city". I take it to mean "communists" are anyone who disagrees with him. So, look, language changes, and people are free to use words to mean anything they like, but don't be surprised if people look at you like you're a lunatic, Giorgio. I don't think that word means what you think it means.

So, right now, I am a mid-30s gay male, city-dweller, agnostic-bordering-seriously-on-hardcore-atheist, with a strong interest in social justice and equality politics. I'm a feminist. I want to be a better rationalist. I work in customer service and I have no qualifications whatsoever to hold any opinion whatsoever, let alone to shove it in anyone's face, but that's what I intend to do here anyway. There's a billion (or so) blogs like this one out there, and there are millions (probably) that do a better job at what I'm hoping to do, but, well, here I am.

I really like zombies. (Zombunist...see? It's all coming together!)

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a long time. I've had blogs before, but those have been personal things. Sure, I'd sometimes rant about the issues of the day but mostly I'd whine about my daily life. With this blog I want to do something more thoughtful. That means that I will have to do a bit more research than usual. I may even edit my writing instead of just posting it off-the-cuff (this post is off-the-cuff). I hope to be held accountable for what I have to say.

I want to be a voice speaking for good. I want to help make a change. I want to encourage discussion. I want to learn and grow, and I want others to learn and grow with me. I want a world where people are equal, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and where we consider each other, where we help each other. I think, ultimately, that that's the only way we're going to come out of this century alive, is by helping each of us to achieve their potential.

I have a temper. I get angry about things, and I've been known to have knee-jerk responses. Sometimes I will post things that are deeply personal in nature. I'm not always consistent. And, I really like zombies. You should expect all of these things.

I'm not sure exactly what shape this endeavour will take, but I hope it's good, and I hope I learn something from it. I hope, whenever this blog gets retired, that I'm a better writer, a better thinker, and a better person. We'll see.