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laura's avatar

Damn.... you sound fun, I am so bored lately, no friends anymore in Berkeley, can't talk with most of my family, Democrats.

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A.'s avatar

How do you survive as a non-WOKE in Berkeley? It was once the centre of the Neo-Marxist universe.

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laura's avatar

Still is. Meanness is a cultural norm here. As a local organizer in public safety and youth issues, I became the hero/villian against CSJ 20+ years ago. Thus, I accepted the dehumanization that comes with leadership some time ago, I believed in the mission. Now a tired out 70 year old, I realize the experiences I had were more distressing and damaging then I imagined.

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A.'s avatar

I hear you, Laura. There have always been some of us over the decades who saw what was actually going on, and said NO. The tales I have to tell.... I imagine you have such tales too.

I have never been a feminist, for instance. Can you believe it? Is this possible? I am well-educated in stalwart universities, and I am not a religious extremist. However, I do connect the dots of life awfully well. And I dare not ignore what the dot-connects tell me.

I wish you well in unfriendly Berkeley. Steels the soul.....you have to believe something good comes out of a Herculean task!

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laura's avatar

thanks, we are looking for where to move, husband retires this week. my kid we're still close with lives in Portland now, can't decide if I can tolerate Portland to enjoy my grandchild coming in Oct. Haven't been able to leave California, love the nature so much.

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A.'s avatar

Life throws difficult choices our way sometimes. If it makes you feel any better, the whole continent is ablaze with creeping totalitarianism just now....so choose on a meaningful basis for yourselves. Maybe wait to see how the November election goes.

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laura's avatar

I think the creeping totalitarianism is global.

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Donald Kosloff's avatar

I grew up in beautiful Northern California and left to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. Employment opportunities and marriage has left me in Ohio. As much as I loved my small California hometown, our 5 grandchildren outweigh everything else.

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laura's avatar

Glad you express this. I know this and want to believe it, gunshy since our #1 son caved to wife's pressure to leave his family . We have a 5 year old grandchild we don't know. I am just starting to feel hope and happiness again. Estrangement is destroying families at alarming rates. We never thought this possible.

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Dena's avatar

Truly, grandchildren are the icing on the cake. They’re why we fight.

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