Similar vibe-check that metastasized over time for me. Having an outright socialist friend who could argue plainly and calmly with conviction, set that mental brushfire that others can and do think radically differently, and they have a different lived experience that defined them and their path.

In seeking to understand a lot of theory of thought and politics, I found the political language and framework for the discontent and disillusionment I knew but couldn’t comprehend.

It also helped that I lived in an unabashed surveillance state, that the public at large actually wanted and defended from criticism or legal change…