No Good Deed

Having reach his wit's end, Mike vents some of his burnout and profound frustration, brooding in the cruel irony of facing imminent eviction, following his unsuccessful efforts to help house and support others through his nonprofit Crimson Rouge Studios. He defends his altruistic initiatives, reflecting candidly on the emotional and financial toll of trying to spark something in the face of community indifference, seeing it as a symptom of a systemic ill of pettiness and lack of gratitude nationally.

I’m live from Crimson House, and to be honest with you, I’m pissed. I’m just at my wit's end. We had a great discussion in my last episode about humility — or the total lack of it in this country — and I stand by that. But today is different - today it’s personal.

First, I have to say I’m so grateful to President Biden and his team for getting Brittney Griner home. It’s a win for the country, but the way people are reacting—the immediate pivot to racist comparisons and petty criticism—it’s just inappropriate. Can we not just be proud and grateful for one minute?

And for the record, I’m 100% stone-cold sober today. I haven’t even touched weed all week. So for anyone thinking about calling the "wellness police" on me because they don’t like my opinions… go ahead. I’ll keep this stream rolling right while they’re at the door. I truly believe Biden is the best US President of my lifetime; he brought us back to normal while other parts of the world are still struggling to move past the pandemic.

But while I’m fighting for these big ideas, my own world is crashing down. I started Crimson Rouge Studios and this Louisiana chapter of Crimson House, because I don’t want anyone in the queer community to go through the hell of homelessness like I did in Portland. I had offered people a roof, food, and a chance to get on their feet for free, and you know what I get? I get flaked on. I get ungratefulness.

The irony is sickening. I have stretched my resources so thin trying to house other people that now I’m the one facing imminent eviction. I’ve sacrificed everything for this, and I’m at the point where I might be homeless again, because I tried to stop it from happening to others.

I’m exhausted. I’m likely going to have to make another video soon just to ask for financial help, which is the last thing I wanted to do. I’ve had so little faith shown to me by the people around me, and I’m just... I'm done. Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other — if any of you actually will. Peace.