#class of 2011

In honor of the Class of 2020.

How were you awesome this month?

I'm not sure that I have been, but that's okay.

What's on your mind?

The suffocating weight of just how much I don't want to do what I've been doing for the past several years.

This month has been

Frustrating

because...

Like everyone else, I'm navigating a lot of very heavy, very negative emotions. The world is falling apart, the bad guys are winning, and I feel deep, creeping existential despair. It's been the final straw in my constant waffling about what I want "to do with my life." I hate what I'm doing, it's just so boring and such drudgery even though arguably it's "important" work.

I wish people knew that

...it's bullshit to expect people to lock themselves into their life path at 18-22 years old.

After graduating from Wellesley, I thought I would be

...on a really clear, relatively direct trajectory toward tenured professorship, with just a minor detour into a master's degree before my doctorate because my undergraduate grades just were not very good.

but instead I am

...coming to terms with how much time I've wasted pursuing a career that I only half-heartedly desired in the first place. Academia is a crumbling industry, but even if it were doing great it's not what I've always wanted to do. I've always wanted to do something creative but I've been denying that part of myself since high school. I applied to liberal arts institutions instead of art schools. I let myself drift into grad school related to my undergrad studies instead of aggressively pursuing a creative path despite rejection.   At this point I'm still set on finishing my PhD, but after that I'm resolved to let myself off the hook about finding a career in "my field." I'll always have my education. It's pointless to dwell on whether or not it's been "a waste." I'm going to pursue work that actually interests me and makes me feel good. I've started to get back into visual art, and I've been writing fiction despite a lot of doubt about my talent or potential. I've also been proactive about spending more time with friends. I met someone new who told me that I'm "really easy to talk to," which was a fabulous compliment. People who only know me from Community might roll their eyes at that and it kind of made me laugh, but it is something I've been working on and the work has started to pay off. 

A few days ago one of my best friends asked if I have moments where I get unbearably sad about Hillary Clinton.

Yes. Of course I do.

Sometimes it's a clip I see on Twitter. Sometimes it's a song that plays in a grocery store. Sometimes it's at home or at work after reading a particularly depressing piece of news. Sometimes it's listening to a podcast on the subway. The circumstances change but the feelings are always the same. I feel a deep sadness, a mourning of what could have been. It feels like there's a chunk of me that's been missing since election night that often expands into a pervasive sense of loss. I'm heartbroken by the ways that we failed her and in turn, failed ourselves.

BJU Class of 2011 Adam Morgan, President of Majesty Music, is running for the US House of Representatives against incumbent William Timmons.

February 24, 2024 -- 02/24/2024 -- is the date of the primary, and I'm already seeing signage around town.

He learned his political lessons well at BJU, it seems:

South Carolina state representative Adam Morgan — chairman of the ultra-conservative S.C. Freedom Caucus (SCFC) — has officially announced his bid for the U.S. congress against embattled third-term incumbent William Timmons.  The proverbial Seven Trumpets of Revelation were sounded upon Morgan’s campaign announcement at the Historic Greer Depot on Thursday (November 16, 2023) – signaling a potentially Biblical beatdown in one of the most conservative congressional districts within the state.  But who is the staunch social conservative whose candidacy could rain down “hail and fire mixed with blood” (Revelations 8:7) on the head an incumbent already steeped in scandal and waning popularity?

BJU Class of 2011 and current president of Majesty Music, Adam Morgan, is the new president of South Carolina Freedom Caucus.

Now Adam is married to Megan Hamilton Morgan, a.k.a. Princess Pirate of Patch the Pirate fame. Just so you can follow along with the fundy royalty here.

US News and World Report covered this new group recently:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — More than a dozen South Carolina Republican House members are creating a Freedom Caucus, a state organization modeled on the group of conservatives in the U.S. Congress.

The South Carolina version promises to attack what it says is excessive state spending and push for socially conservative proposals.

And they promise to not only take on Democrats, but Republicans that they think don't go far enough to support those ideals since they took control of the South Carolina House nearly three decades ago, said Rep. Adam Morgan, the leader of the new group.

“It’s been a crawl toward some kind of conservative Republican future. And it’s time for us to stand up and fundamentally change things,” the Republican from Taylors said.

Freedom Caucus groups are being founded in a number of states. ”There’s a swamp in every state, and our job is to take on the establishment in both parties," said Andy Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network.

The South Carolina Freedom Caucus wants to see bills passed allowing people to openly carry guns without a permit, eliminate the state income tax and expand school choice among other proposals, members said.

The initial members of the state caucus don't include anyone in House leadership or in charge of House committees. But Morgan said that doesn't prevent them from influencing the direction of the General Assembly as a cohesive, voting group and an influence to pull more people into the caucus.

“You don’t have to be the chair of a committee in order to get legislation passed,” Morgan said. “That’s something that a lot of people around here seem to struggle to understand. Every member can have say an influence, especially when you get to the to the floor."

Let me translate that for you: they want to destroy South Carolina's social safety net and public education for good.