I'm abandoning my alias tonight. Yep, this is the last entry for FoxWizard, and it is bittersweet. That alias has been mine, in one place or another, for about 15 years, and it does actually say something about me, my self image, and my sense of my place in the world.
My reasons below the fold.
You see, the pressure of corporate CW and conformity is getting worse. Companies all over, including my own (which is a very good employer, btw) are eyeballing what their employees do and say in their off hours. Advocacy of liberal democracy and liberal political thought are heavily frowned upon, and it's not unknown for employees to be pushed out the door because their personal political thought or action outside of work conflicts with the boss.
Further, with the concerted action in several states against unions; and the power grabs by governors wanting to declare emergencies and suspend constitutional governance (ie., Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Mississippi) tells me the forces of fascism are feeling mighty confident. Added to this, of the last two institutional defenses against the ravages of class warfare, one -- the democratic party -- has been fully neutered on the national stage and is lifeless here in Georgia. The other, unions, have been bled nearly dry and will have to scramble to mount a last ditch defense of the middle class values that built this country. Again, especially here in Georgia, the union movement is nearly non-existent.
At the same time, I am at a critical point of my life where I must work and save as much as possible. That's because I'm not really confident that full Social Security benefits will be there for me when I arrive at the window in 10 years. There are just too many people, including democrats, chipping away at that vital support that my 401's were built around.
I know I'm being a coward here, but some people I work with (and have worked with) know the face behind my old alias. I seek safety for my family and myself. Many will say I'm weaseling, and by golly I know I am. I just don't know what else to do. I will lay down my life when I need to, for the cause. But meanwhile I have a family that I am responsible for.
Further, the art I have practiced most of my life is flowering. My camera accompanies me everywhere; I am spending more hours in the studio. I am, dare I say, prolific. And my work is not always acceptable to "Respectable" (ie., tightly wound christo fascists pounding their so-called family values into every crevice.) It is artistic; but fascists, the ones who may end up signing my paycheck soon, would call it porn, decadent and vulgar. Too bad; they're missing some great, evocative art.
I'm producing much more, starting to exhibit it and sell it, and making it more overtly political. I'll be published in the next several month. So I need a name to put on that business card. Especially since my artwork will keep me going after I don't get my full SS benefit. And I want it to be the same name as my political voice, so there can be no mistake about the ideas I am expressing.
Yes, I need to continue to speak out, to be active, to support the cause of the real America and the real constitution. I need to be free to both write and march and scream. To depict the insanity of our times. To show the pornography, the beauty and the sublime grace that lives with us in this society.
I really do believe we have been travelling in a darkening America these past thirty years, and despite the good efforts of many people, the fascists are winning. Oh, they will lose eventually -- they always overreach and invite destruction. But meanwhile, the resistance has to go further underground, strike more strategically, and be patient, cunning and relentless.
So, I'm adopting a new alias, one that's much more regular name like. I will appear under that guise here in a few days, and in more places as well.
Maybe what I'm trying to do will fail, and I will become known again. I mean, it really makes little sense to crawl further underground and at the same time strike out more vigorously. But it seems to be what is needed in this hour, from me; for me.
Adios, Foxwizard, my old friendly moniker. I'll see everybody soon on the flip, under a new label.