I don't belong here: Musings of a Man Trying to Maintain His Soul in the Swamp
- Jon Street
- Jul 27, 2018
- 2 min read
No, I am not suicidal. I am merely talking about my sense of belonging - perhaps a better word is assimilation - to the Washington, D.C. culture. Yes, I moved to the capital region more than six years ago. I know how D.C. works. I know multiple journalists, politicians, bureaucrats, and lawyers who all the play the game to enrich themselves while often screwing over everyday, hard-working Americans in the rest of the country.
I grew up in middle America - "flyover country," if you will. I know the very real challenges and frustrations of blue-collar workers who see D.C. insiders getting richer while they work to barely make ends meet. My beginnings were humble, and I will never apologize or be ashamed of that. I will forever point to this as evidence of my determination and grit. I am a small-town boy from Missouri who, despite bullying throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school, kept my head down, studied hard, earned multiple college scholarships, became a first-generation college graduate and, just days after graduating from college, boarded a one-way flight from St. Louis to Washington, D.C. with nothing more than two suitcases and a lease for an apartment I had never actually seen in person. Thus began my journey.
For several years, I spent every waking hour doing everything I could to play the game, to work my way up the elite ladder. The journey was as much surreal as it was exhilarating. Here I was, a small-town Midwestern boy now living on the East Coast interviewing some of the most powerful people in our country. I was proud of my accomplishments - with the help of my mentors. However, I recently realized that even back then - deep down, I was as ashamed as I was proud...
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