Where I'm coming from

I'm guessing you've noticed, but our social systems tend to amplify the most harmful voices, for cheap clicks and short-term profit. There are a lot of very loud online idiots chirping at all times, driving us deeper into authoritarianism.

In case this site ever becomes a real resource for people, it seems important that I have a post laying out my personal motivations with this project. After all, we should all question the integrity of men online with strongly worded political opinions.

I was raised to believe in people, and to look out for the poorest among us. So my politics and worldview revolve around the principle of empathy for people less fortunate than myself.

In my early twenties, I began to lose touch with that foundation. I graduated into a booming tech industry that desensitized me and distracted me from things that actually matter—I became totally focused just on building my future.

Like so many 2016 liberals, I was startled back into some sense of reality alongside the 2016 presidential election. That moment and the years that followed comprised an uncomfortable journey of reconnecting with the foundational principle of empathy—of working to deconstruct a lifetime of religious and neoliberal ideology that had infected me with apathy the moment I started making money after school.

I have plenty of work left to do... but nine years later, I feel immensely lucky to have clarity about what I believe—to have clear ideas about what a better society could look like, and to have the capacity to write this silly little blog in an attempt to nudge things in the right direction.

As a Latino and as a member of the working class, I feel a persistent undercurrent of dread as I watch the United States descend into authoritarianism in 2025. But it's rare that I feel confused. Learning about the systems in which we live provides me with a lot of calm amidst the chaos—things are scary, but not unexpected. Times are hard, but they can get better.

And believe it or not... the more I learn, the more hopeful I am for the future. Even in 2025, there's nothing lost that can't be found again. Pessimism of the intellect... along with optimism of the will.

I hope this site helps you find hope and optimism through greater understanding. That's where I'm coming from with this project. ✌🏼