All posts by Jorge Dumas

Parents

When it comes to the weight that an adults words carry with children, every situation is different. Not everybody has to watch themselves, but that comes with a certain amount of self accountability in the relationship. Some parents or elders want to frank and matter of fact about the disappointments of life, but then dislike that when they’re often the prime example of those disappointments that it quickly makes the younger person less likely to respect their seniority. A big problem adults have is that, consciously or not, they tend to have a different set of standards for holding themselves accountable with kids as opposed to adults. They fail to realize that they’re not treating those kids in a way that will help them be functioning adults one day, either because they’ll lack a sense of responsibility, or they won’t trust others will have it either. Sadly, often times it could be both. At the end of the day, kids don’t need their every whim catered to, but some adults take that too far and don’t allow their words or actions to be questioned because they’ve grown comfortable with a certain order of things that they can continue to enforce unless they themselves choose to self reflect.

Writing as Activism

  The way people are exposed to information and ideas has changed a lot over the years, especially with the rise of smartphones, social media, and just the Internet as a whole. However, this doesn't eliminate the viability of writing as a means of activism. Writing will always be useful, especially for marginalized groups for the simple fact that it costs virtually nothing. Video content viewers and creators can easily get too distracted by production value, or lack thereof. Sometimes the people who have the most to share can have little resources to put it out there, so writing is sometimes the only critical content that they consistently put out. Furthermore,there will always be like minded or just curious people who are interested enough to read up on a topic with a compelling or bold take. Sometimes these are the people who feel inspired enough to go out and make social media posts, or the ones involved in organizing marches. Writings role in activism may have changed but it still exists, and it's an important one. 

Where I’m From

I am from
Pelles and North Faces
I am from a high altitude but I was raised in the Boogie Down
I am from the sidewalks, cracked by roots from trees
the squirrels live in
I am from consistently good potato salad on thanksgiving
and family that I don’t always see eye to eye but still coexist with.
From Sylvia
and Carlos
I am from the tendency to overthink
and end up doing nothing
From being told to sit still
and to keep going still
I am from Catholic school and mass
But I’m also from a place where loving your neighbor is hard sometimes
I’m from Ecuador,
From ceviche and empanadas
From the hard work of an orphan who left a lot to show for it,
from the patience
and care his daughter has raised me with
I am from long flights with mom and grandma,
That got me where I’m from to where I’m from