Try and think of a three letter word to start a sentence. Run was another one that sprang to mind, but running is something I generally don’t make a habit of, so I didn’t think that one would go anywhere. Who, why, how – the question words – were other possibilities. Too many other people had gone for those though. Far too easy to copy someone else’s idea. The point is to come up with something original.
Ok, I can’t keep that up. So here’s my stream of consciousness about trying. God, (oh look, there’s another one) it feels like I’ve been doing that all evening. Trying to stay calm, trying to get my point across, feeling like I’m banging my head against a brick wall. When you disagree with someone politically, it’s easy for debate to become a little bit… heated. More than ever these days. Last night I went on the first demonstration I’ve ever been on in my entire life, to protest Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. The friends who I accompanied were kind of surprised I’d never been on a protest before. “But you’ve got Doc Martens and everything” one of them said. There’s been plenty of things I’ve felt were worth protesting, but up until now nothing’s ever tipped me out of my armchair activism and onto the streets. But 45 as some of my American friends refer to him… he’s shifted us all into a different dimension, somehow. The unthinkable is now happening. If taking children from their parents and putting them in cages doesn’t get you protesting on the streets… well, I’m sorry if your politics are different to mine, but I don’t want to live in that kind of world. It’s time to say something.
Problem is, it’s all very well saying it on a good-natured stroll through the city centre with some like-minded woolly liberal lefties on a summer’s evening. It’s harder when you’re confronted with an utterly different world view in someone you’re close to. When someone tells you that Europe is our enemy, that Trump is the UK’s ally and is taking reasonable precautions against the ‘threat’ of immigration… I’ve been trying and failing to get my point across tonight, trying and failing to stay calm. I know, no matter how hard I try, nothing I say will ever counter the wave of far-right propaganda which has been so cleverly spun to sound like mainstream common sense. I despair right now. I really do.
Written for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G. Hill. This week’s prompt was begin with a three letter word. If you’d like to take part the rules, borrowed from Linda’s site, are as follows:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
8. Have fun!
#SoCS #StreamofConsciousness
kirstwrites 
Good try. Great try.
I too was surprised that this was your first demo. I rather expected that you were a veteran – but of course you aren’t that old!
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I’m more of a Facebook social justice warrior!
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