Heading West Blog Post 1
I imagine that all blogs start out
with “Hello, and welcome to my blog!” but that could very well be because I
don’t follow any real blogs or really go on the internet anymore for anything
other than email checking and the occasional fact-check (and Magic: The
Gathering related content when I’m feeling self-indulgent, but that is neither
here nor there). Really, I’m not even comfortable with calling this a ‘blog’ as
I don’t really know what the hell I’m supposed to do. And, if I were to introduce you to my ‘blog’,
that would be rather mean. I would be that asshole at the beginning of every
haunted house that says “Welcome!” when any decent person would be screaming
“RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH CHAINSAWS IN THERE,” or
something of that ilk. So, instead of welcoming you, I’m going to warn you.
What you are about to experience by following this perpetual leftist word-vomit
could very well be a terribly painful experience. I am not a particularly good
writer, nor do I think of myself as all that profound. In fact, I’m not all
that good at anything, so what you’ll most likely experience is me bumbling
around in the writings of Karl Marx trying to figure out what the hell it all
means.
Now
that introductions are out of the way, I suppose I should outline my goals with
this project/experiment/slow-motion intellectual disaster. It should be noted
that the following goals are not set in stone, and will likely (definitely)
change in the coming months, and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. So,
in no particular order… [drumroll please]
1) I want to have a comprehensive understanding of Karl Marx.
1) I want to have a comprehensive understanding of Karl Marx.
2) I want to be able to understand where Marx fits into
leftist and progressive ideologies today.
3) I want to have a general understanding of other leftist
and progressive writers, particularly those that Marx was responding to, and
those that were directly influenced by him.
4) I want a better understanding of modern leftist and
progressive ideologies, and a better understanding of where I fit in said
leftist and progressive ideologies (without marrying myself to any, of course).
5) I want to be able to engage in conversation on subjects
of a progressive nature in a well-informed and educational manner and be able
to hold my own in debates on such matters if need be.
6) I want to be able to use what I learn to help me figure
out how to make the world a better place to live.
7) I want to become a better writer, thinker, and person.
There are definitely other things that I want to add to this
list that I am either not remembering or simply unaware of right now. When I
decide that my goals are different enough from the above list I will update it
for the internet to experience in all its glory, but for now it will certainly
do.
I’m not
sure how to end a blog post, but I imagine it’s a lot like the end of a shitty
sitcom. So, tune in next time to see Rob talk about how silly Marx is and
update you with what he’s reading! Yay!
~Rob
