Week.ly 1 (01.27.17)

Greetings Earthlings,

A month into a year-long hiatus and from Facebook and alcohol, I am tip toeing back into the shallow end of social media (read: human nature). No diss to those who make a living or a “meaning” on cyber space, but I needed a timeout. But alas, I’m still a smart ass and have lots of things to say about our current state of “politics” (if you can still call it that). And without my steady diet of one bottle of cheap wine and 7 – 10 status updates a day … I was in need of a different (read: abstract) and less addictive way to express myself. So, I’ve taken to meming … not to be confused with miming, which would please my detractors who wish nothing more than for me to shut up. But this visual-verbal hybrid form of satire and social commentary allows me to interpret the world around me out “loud” in short bursts of free speech. I fancy myself a political cartoonist, of sorts. One who can’t draw a lick, but I sure do know how to quickly source images on the Interwebs. It allows me to maintain my promise to myself, to win back some of my time (read: life) typically spent staring into the abyss of my Facebook screen…and use it to learn a language, an instrument or a new form of @#$% talking in cyberspace. The residual benefit is that I am no longer on the 25 hour (fake) news cycle, I pretty much get befuddled by news blurbs on the muted televisions at my Planet Fitness once a day, and then I practice the lost art of reading and looking up the facts behind the headlines. That typically, leads to some epiphany or flippant remark that becomes a meme…or as I like to call them, “provocations of democratic discourse.” Every healthy democracy needs a good dose of that!

“Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my myriad of employer(s) on any given day…” (#LifeOfAContractor) I mean really, in the age of Donald J. Trump…do we like ever have to use this disclaimer (with a straight face) again? I digress, which is why memes are effective … there’s no enough time or space to digress. So, each week, what you will get at Community Publishing is a recap of my favorite self-generated memes, as well as one brand new one in each Friday’s post. Then, all the folks who disagreed with me on Facebook can find their way here to … and we can rekindle our flame. I’ve missed you so this past month, no really. (blink, blink)

Speaking of Donnie J, here’s a brand new meme in light of his suggested 20% tariff on Mexican goods in order to reimburse taxpayers for the wall he promised Mexico would pay for; with some subtext of Mexico President Peña Nieto’s cancelled visit with the Commander-in-Cheet(o); with a little bit of Alec Baldwin, SNL and Trump’s compulsive disdain for China thrown in. See? That would have been at least three shared articles and a handful of Facebook posts … I consolidated. Just for you (and me).

And a few of my other faves from last week (there were a handful of bad ones, I will spare you those).

And one from the week before that…

Hope you enjoy! – hb

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Hakim Bellamy

Hakim Bellamy is Albuquerque’s Inaugural Poet Laureate. He is also a scholar, educator, musician, and poet. Community Publishing has published Hakim Bellamy’s Samuel’s Story, a multimedia children’s story featuring the music of DJ Flo Fader and the illustrations of Melvin Mayes available in Print and Digital editions.

Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as Multimedia Books while promoting literacy in our communities. We are proud to be a community partner and digital marketer at the Rail Yards Market and the Monte Vista Fire Station. Need help with your web presence and social media marketing? Click here to find out how we can help you!

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