Learning that my mother was punched in the stomach by a police officer when pregnant with my brother was probably the first I remember. My family were anarchist though so it was pretty ingrained in me from an early age.
Mostly normal we didn’t live on a commune or anything. I went to school, watched pokemon, played video games all that jazz. We’d go to road protests (they were a big thing in the UK in early 90s, train gang since birth) and other demonstrations regularly but would always leave before the police came charging in on horseback. Mostly it was just great to have the world around me explained accurately from the begining. I’ve always seen politics for the sham it is. I’ve always know the wealth of the western world is built on exploitation. I’ve always known capitalist exploit their workers. I’ve always know kindness and compassion is how you try and approach other people at first not just seeing them for what they can offer you. Basically I’m the only one on this site who isn’t a lib.
It did not make school easy though. I had a huge anti-authoritarian streak and it caused me to get into trouble. I was the weird kid who would say God didn’t exists and that gay people aren’t sickos. Caused me to be bullied a lot and gave me terrible anxiety. But at the end of the day it means my parents can be my heroes. My mother was at Greenham common in the 80s protesting american imperialism how fucking cool is that. My dad was a genius historian and marxists who I was in constant awe of . The breadth and depth of knowledge but also compassion and kindness was staggering. They are both dead now but I try to live up to them every day by living and emodying their ideals.
