Dex Interviews Feenix
A peek into the life and inner workings of a political Hubber
Feenix, thanks for taking the time to allow me to interview you. I would like to begin by having you share a little about your background.
I am a 66-year-old senior citizen but physically, I feel like I am about 40 or even 35.
I was born in Los Angeles, California, and I grew up in the section of that city that is presently called South-Central L.A.
I had a wonderful childhood and in 1965, I was drafted into the U.S. Army. I went on to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia, and earned a commission as an infantry second lieutenant. Following that, I served one tour of duty in Germany and two in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader, company commander and staff officer for the Commanding General of the 9th Infantry Division. I fought in some of the biggest and worst battles of the Vietnam War and advanced to the rank of captain.
Upon being honorably discharged from the Army in 1970, I went to work for a large Los Angeles-based life insurance company and ended up working in the insurance industry for nearly 40 years -- and I retired from that industry in 2006.
Also, in 1979, I relocated from Los Angeles to my present place of residency, New York City. And ever since 2007, I have been a very happy and satisfied resident of the region of the city that is called Spanish Harlem.
How did you find HubPages? What made you join and want to stay?
I was searching for some place to write, and shortly after I stumbled upon HubPages, I realized that the site was a perfect fit for me. And two of the primary reasons why I decided to stick around is I have met some of the nicest people I have ever made contact with on the internet, and the HubPages staff has been very good to me.
“Feenix” is a very unique username. Why did you decide to use it?
I adopted the handle “feenix” when I was writing on one of the largest blogging sites on the internet. I decided to give myself that nickname because my life has consisted of a whole lot more downs than ups. I have been knocked out for the count on numerous occasions, but I always got back on my feet, dusted myself off and started all over again. In other words, similar to what happened to the Phoenix Bird, I fell down into a deep fiery hole -- on numerous occasions in my case -- and rose up from out of that hole fully intact and much stronger than I was before.
You served in the US Army. Please share an experience that may have challenged your thinking during your time in Vietnam.
This will probably sound odd to many, but my serving in Vietnam as a combat infantry soldier was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Frequently being shot at and facing death on a constant basis provided me with a number of profound insights into life, survival, self-preservation and death that have served me quite well throughout my adult life. In addition, I received a great deal of satisfaction from helping others to deal with adversity and to avoid getting maimed or killed.
What inspires you to write?
Actually, I cannot put my finger on any one thing that inspires me to write. As a matter of fact, when you come right down to it, what motivates me to write changes from day to day. As examples, on some days I am prompted to write because I have a strong opinion about something or the other; on others I am prompted to write because I feel that I have some important information to share, and on various occasions I am driven by a desire to have a little fun or to be entertaining.
Many of your Hubs are political in nature. What are your political “leanings” and what may have shaped them?
Yes, many, if not most, of my Hubs certainly are political in nature. And so far as my political leanings, I am a card-carrying member of the Republican Party and I am also what is often described as a black conservative. Additionally, the leading reason why I am a conservative is my mother and maternal grandparents raised me to be that way. They instilled a strong sense of conservatism into me because when it came to their views on social, economic and political issues, those three people were way out in right field.
How do you handle some of the criticism that comes with writing Hubs that may be deemed controversial?
Quite frankly, I often deal very poorly with the criticism that is hurled at me after I have published one of my “controversial Hubs.” I lose my cool and go into full-battle mode. However, during the past several months, I have been working very hard to stop taking myself and my opponents so seriously, and I am already seeing some very positive results. Now that I am “chilling” a lot more, and essentially ignoring all the criticism that is sent my way, my participation on HubPages has become a much more pleasant experience and far more satisfying -- not to mention that my blood pressure has returned to normal.
On your profile, it says, “…I am always driven to make positive contributions to U.S. society….” Aside from your military service, what positive contributions have you made?
It would take an entire book for me to list all the contributions I have made towards the well-being of U.S. society over the years, so I will just point out the things I am doing today.
Presently, I devote much of my time to doing volunteer work in three different facilities: (1) A shelter for homeless men. (2) One of the New York City jails. (3) The psyche ward of a Veterans Administration hospital.
And my main focus is on helping the individuals housed in those places to get back on their feet and to rid themselves of dependency on alcohol and other narcotic substances.
What can we expect next in terms of your writing on HubPages?
More than likely, I am going to keep right on writing and publishing “controversial Hubs” about social, economic, political and racial issues.
What advice would you give to a new person that joins HubPages?
In my opinion, a new person who joins HubPages should go with his/her strengths, when it comes to publishing articles on the site. In other words, one should write about those topics that he/she is very interested in, has broad knowledge of, enjoys sharing with others, or has a strong desire to “educate” others about.
And before they publish a piece, new members should make it a habit to proofread and edit such a work over-and-over again. They must keep in mind that each of the articles they write, regardless of how “perfect” it is, can always be improved.
In fact, I often go back and proofread and edit my old Hubs that were published a long time ago, and that is very constructive because I almost always find such things as typos, and sentences and paragraphs that need to be revised.
Thanks again for spending this time with me during the interview. Is there anything else you would like to share with the HubPages community?
I have been writing on the internet ever since the mid-1990s, and my contributing to HubPages is the most enjoyable and satisfying experience I have had -- by far. This is a terrific place to write and to meet really nice people from all over the U.S. and Canada and the remainder of the world.
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