Forsaken

Mike vents his disillusionment with modern society and personal frustrations, particularly "smart" technology, the polarization of American politics, the struggles of operating a nascent nonprofit, and his spiritual frustrations with the manipulative tendencies of traditional Christian dogma. Throughout the episode, he seeks a form of digital escapism and catharsis, processing his feelings of exhaustion and disappointment through the course of this chaotic rant.

Good evening, this is Mike George coming at you live… after dark.

I’m trying to set the mood here, but even shutting off the lights has turned into one of the most frustrating ordeals ever because of these "smart lights." Honestly, "smart lights" is a total oxymoron; only in the year 2020+ could we take a simple light bulb and make it cumbersome as hell to operate. I miss the simple days of a mechanical switch where I didn't have to hunt for my phone and an app for ten minutes just to find the right setting.

I’m in a bit of a state tonight, y'all. It feels like the Portland saga all over again, just maybe a little less of a shitshow. I’m just tired of feeling like this—like I woke up in some goddamn forsaken version of the universe. I know I’m being melodramatic and "vague as fuck," but people are just so basic. I really thought I knew what basic was, but 2022 is proving me wrong every day.

It breaks my heart to look around. I look at Portland and see a city taken over by meth, hopelessness, and a collective dejection where everyone has just given up. I’m 36 years old, and it’s painful to realize that this is the world my generation is supposed to be "in charge" of. We’ve allowed this complete delusion to take root. I miss being proud of my country and the queer community, but right now, I’m just pissed because we can’t even agree on basic reality—like the fact that Joe Biden actually won an election.

And don't even get me started on the "man-made" version of God. It’s such an insult to assume God is a man; no wonder "He" is so pissed. We’ve created this "white man’s Jesus" to be a straw man for our sins, using the concept of being "born with sin" as a form of theological gaslighting. If you’re going to believe in a Creator, at least put some imagination into it instead of just arbitrarily picking Bible verses out of your ass.

On a more cheerful note, I did get my cologne back this week, which is a win. And God—the real God, not the "basic" one—is still working miracles. I mean, it’s 2022 and I can still get 3 mangoes for $1 at the grocery store! I thought for sure Wheat Thins would be $20 bucks by now!

I’m just exhausted, honestly. I’ve been slaving away at this Crimson Rouge nonprofit, trying to keep Queer people out of homelessness and get them into the sciences, but it’s a struggle to get people engaged. I’m competing with everyone’s schedules and a lot of apathy.

I’m fading fast, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to cut myself with this knife while I’m slicing this mango. Shoutout to Todd for being the one person on this planet who hasn't utterly disappointed me tonight. I’m going to head to bed and hope I wake up in a different kind of shitshow tomorrow.

Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.