Hello world!

I’m so new at this, I’m keeping the default title given to me by WordPress. I kind of like it. Hello world.

I tried to start a blog years ago. I find myself with so much to say and no outlet to say it. Even if no one reads this, it will enable me to channel my thoughts and organize my feelings. That’s a bonus. I’ve gone all in on My Mixedness. Like, I’m paying for a domain on a website. Hopefully that will motivate me to keep this going. Clearly my failed attempt years ago didn’t stifle the desire to speak. I will, in this post, explain my thesis for starting My Mixedness but I will then, immediately, pivot about the future of this blog.

What do I mean by My Mixedness? Merriam-Webster (shout out to their twitter, it’s the best) defines mixedness as: the quality or state of being mixed. That’s what I find myself thinking about a lot lately (2020. Enough said). My Mixedness. I recently joined an online community for mixed race persons and my mixed race wasn’t even in the drop down box of options. That’s disheartening. You can read about me here.

So, my thesis is this: [mixed race persons are in a position to foster discussion and understanding between the races]. It’s in square brackets because that’s the universal signal for lawyers that the content is under review; it’s subject to change and refinement. It’s a start.

To be clear, there are some mixed race persons who clearly identify with one race over the other, I have no desire to define any persons experiences. I also have no desire to tell a person how they have to contribute to this discussion. So, I suspect this list will grow as this evolves, but:

• If you’re mixed race and you identify as one race only, cool with me.
• If you’re mixed race and you don’t buy into this thesis, cool with me. Actually, if you’re any race and you don’t buy into my thesis, cool with me.
• If you’re not mixed race and you think you can help in a similar way, cool with me. I think there are likely similar experiences and lessons to be learned with mixed race families that include an individual who is a different race from their parents, but this category is not limited to that example.

I’m here to write about My Mixedness only. I’m not here to be a saviour, nor are mixed people in general. I know they’ve been seen as such in history, and I’m not here to support that position. I am here to learn, listen and open a dialogue for collective growth and to contribute in some way to the conversation. My only rule is don’t be an asshole.

I’ve lived my whole live with a foot in each world but never with a unified identity, i.e. both feet. As a result, I’ve never felt truly included anywhere, which sucks. But I do feel like I understand the behaviour in both worlds, except for the assholes. I will try my utmost not to be an asshole. My intentions are always pure but sometimes we can be blindsided by our own ignorance. I will endeavour to learn, as I go, how not to be an asshole and to allow my own definition of what is an asshole to evolve.

I ask myself, in the year that is 2020, what can I do? First, I can shut up and listen, which we should all be doing. But, what else can I DO? I yearn to be a meaningful part of a solution. What if I speak openly and without fear about my views, my experiences and how My Mixedness has defined and formed the foundation of all of it. What if I put both feet in that world? Maybe, just maybe, I can be a contributing member of a conversation that is sorely overdue. Hopefully the worst case scenario is that no one reads this and the act of doing it helps me to grow.

I’m doing this passively, so you can ignore me if you choose. I’ll just hit publish and see what happens.

Now, the pivot, this is me. I reserve the right to write about other shit and, maybe, for this blog to pivot entirely to other shit. I still think that My Mixedness has defined and formed the foundation of all of it so I’m feeling ok about the domain purchase.