Rocky Balboa

Everyone knows Rocky, right?

You know, Rocky. Boxer. Running up the steps to this awesome piece of music here. Fought Mr T and Dolph Lundgren. The Italian Stallion. Gets the stuffing knocked out of him but wins anyway.

...except...

You probably know what I am going to say if you've actually WATCHED the first Rocky film. A lot of people haven't. They're all the same, right? Except the first one isn't. At all. The first one has a degree of quality that you simply wouldn't expect.

He loses.

In the first film, he trains his guts out. This failed boxer, this southpaw down on his luck, works his ass off to have a shot at even threatening Apollo Creed. He beats shit out of more animal carcasses than a Leave voter. HE RUNS UP THOSE STEPS. He takes on a coach that pushes him harder and further than ever before.

He gets in the ring, and while Apollo Creed demonstrates greater skill, Rocky just...doesn't go down.

It comes down to a split decision, and in that decision, Rocky loses. Apollo Creed is the victor. The win isn't the point. The point is that Rocky survived. His admirable traits aren't skill or brilliance. Rocky Balboa is a study in tenacity, stamina, bull-headed survival urge.

I value those traits.

This country is in a sorry state of affairs right now. A series of sociopathic - some might claim psychopathic - decisions and moves made by the party in power are ruthlessly putting money in their pockets, and the pockets of their friends. It's not JUST greed, I know - there's some ideological ignorance going on, pushing their particular agenda regardless of...well, anything at all.

We have to fight back, obviously. At every level. From simply repeating information that is relevant, to educating one's self and others, to voting, to activism of all kinds. Fight on multiple fronts.

But what we have to do on top of this, is survive - and I believe we can do that.

This country will emerge from under Theresa May's bootheel still in one piece. It will be hurting, a lot. Pain specifically designed to make us turn on each other, to blame our peers and fellows for the punishment being doled onto us by those on high. It's my hope that we can be Rocky; that we can survive, regardless of how badly beat up we are getting.

All I can hope is that, after the death by a thousand cuts, we come back capable of rebuilding; and that the cruelty forced upon us doesn't infect us.