J Ham Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Greetings from the liberal haven of San Francisco/Berkeley CA. My name is Jay. Just wanted to introduce myself to the community and give a brief background. My parents split up when I was 3 years old. They have pretty much hated each other since. My father is a devout muslim. When I was about 8 years old, he began to forcibly send me to an Islamic weekend school to learn the holy text, prayer, and communicate with 'like-minded' individuals. Even at a young age the rituals and stories seemed ridiculous. Losing my weekends was hard enough. I could have been down by the creek, studying the natural world, but instead I was locked in a stuffy room, threatened with hell and condemned for deviation. I proceeded to lock myself in the school bathroom, with a pen and paper, drawing fantasies to escape fantasies. Somewhere in the teenage years, I discovered punk rock, heavy metal, outsider art, and libertarianism. Of course parental bullying ensued, along with accusations of homosexuality and blasphemy. At this point, I was pretty much disowned. My mother attempted to raise me on her own, but much to her dismay, the divorce had already done its damage on my psyche. She worked day and night to support us and simply couldn't be around. I spent the majority of my time in public school or in the on-campus day care fascilities. By junior high, the typical school bullies discovered my friends and I. We were the artsy 'faggots.' Bullies had no problem using violence against us to re affirm their statuses and to deal with their own previous abuses against themselves. It's a vicious cycle. I rememeber those years, as a time where I simply wanted to be left alone. Discovering libertarianism was an investment in a future for all children like me, for all the kids who just wanted to be left alone to discover for themselves; No threats, no coercion. Discovering Freedomain radio enlightened me to the vital connections that we all have with our childhoods. After listening to Stef's work, I now understand that it' s the most important factor in the whole discussion. So, all in all, glad to finally be here. Thanks for reading.
nathanm Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Hi Jay and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your situation, I can relate to many if not all of the parts. One way of looking at the bullying stuff is that assholes are pushing you away from their asshole group, so it's kind of a good thing. Not that getting beaten up is good, but at least there is clarity about what sorts of people are worthwhile and which aren't. It's much worse to get the same from your family, though. The upside is, as is self-evident, you found like-minded people. Loners don't have to be alone. Got any art online by chance?
J Ham Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 Thank you for the encouragement. Since then, I have moved away from my hometown and started a new. Of course, we can't escape the ubiquity of the state but it's nice to move away from all that agression back home. &I recently started putting some old work up on the web. http://jayshomemade.tumblr.com/
Heath Long Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Love the art work. I am glad I took a minute to look. Roses has a very sad tone. Just my feeling.
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