A Red Letter Day

 A Special Day

December 18 was a very special day in my life. The previous day Mr. Elon Musk had suspended accounts of journalists doxxing his real-time location or covering him in mainstream newspapers. And today was a point to discuss that. Since journalism and communication have been close to my heart I was curious to know what was the discussion going to be all about. I woke up at around 4 am (IST) to listen-in.

Initially the title of the discussion on #Spaces was 'Suspended Liberal and Conservatives journalists Debate DOX Suspensions' which was constantly being changed and was 'Liberal & Conservative Journalists Debate- Elon's Twitter & Free Speech'. Later it was changed to 'Elon Stepping Down? A New Twitter CEO? - Roundtable'.

Whatever the title, it was worth a listen-in. Led by some of the discussions with @mysteriouskat (Katherine Brodsky), @PKurzin (Pyotr Kurzin), @ScamEconomy (Matt Binder), @tracybeanz (Tracy Beanz), @ChristieSmythe (Christie Smythe), @aasheim (Erik Aasheim), it was great listening to why and journalists were attacked. For a journalist an attack on free speech is often like an attack on their 'physical life'.

It wasn't just this discussion which I felt detoured me from what I was there for (I was definitely NOT THERE to listen to stories about Elon) but the discussion set me on a roll as I have grown to be fond of #Spaces. It was great to tune into so many journalists on a single platform (Left-Wing journalists). 

In India, I have often faced brickbats for LOTS OF THINGS, so #Spaces just kind of makes me feel I am into this #Space which is mine where I can express and share everything I like and want people to know about me and my life. It is important to have #Spaces because lots of times people assume a lot of things about me and my family members- so for example, it is important to clarify my father is NOT A HITLER, it is important to clarify my mother is NOT SOMEONE I hate, it is important to clarify MY BROTHER and I have not been competed against or discriminated against. It is important to clarify I had a wonderful childhood and I had super-cool #marriages and my ex-husbands were great. It is important to clarify so many things because PEOPLE JUST ASSUME. They assume so much its amazing.

So I was super-excited about doing #Spaces with my father. After a heated discussion with journalists, it was time to get ready for my own #Spaces for which I had been preparing for the longest time. I had given questions to my father a day in advance to gloss over and prepare his answers. Finally he asked me to make him coffee (he always wants it a certain style and will have it no other way) and we began the discussion. While the entire discussion went well I don't know how it ended 20 minutes before. I don't know how it stopped recording in the middle. 

It was the most frank chat with my father I ever had, which he later sent to his students to listen to. We spoke from politics, to society, to his life-plans as a child and how he worked towards what he had always decided to do. This is in contrast to my life where I have not planned it and hasn't moved in the direction I wanted but has actually been a very 'unplanned life' (careers, ambitions, etc.). I guess the discussion got him thinking about a lot of things because long after the discussion was over he kept talking to me about a lot of other things from his childhood which he remembered.

The entire day went in thinking about his life (it was like the #hangover of Spaces). Later that evening he requested me to watch the FIFA World Cup Final. So even though I had no plans and he knows I sleep early at 8 p.m. (IST) while he sleeps at 10 p.m., I just decided to stay up and give him company. There, too, I had placed myself in my duvet so that I sleep off if I am unable to stay up to watch the World Cup. I did begin the match by sleeping but suddenly Messi made a goal and I had to stay up and get out. And then the second goal by Argentina and I again woke up. Since I was cheering for France from the beginning I was saddened to find out that France was not able to put it together as a team and were rather slow in dribbling and other things.

However, the second half was superb where I really liked the way the goalkeeper of the French team (Lloris) managed to stop 4-5 goal attempts by Argentina, and the rest is all story.

I finally made some more coffee for the both of us as we finished the match and I slept off before viewing how Messi got the cup and I think Mbappe got 'The Golden Boot' award.

#Messi #Mbappe #FIFAWorldCup2022 #Journalism #LeftWing #Communication #Chat #Papa #Spaces