Paul who?

Paul Sonderman 2008

Paul Sonderman is a free-lance writer/producer/director based in Columbus, Ohio.

Born smack in the middle of a middle-class, middle-American family of 9,  Paul survived childhood and Catholic schools to become a typical `60’s teen: rebellious, curious and politically active. Starting in 8th grade, he sang in garage/cover bands, thinking it would lead to a career in Rock and Roll.  He liked radio.  While in High School, Paul and a technically gifted neighbor kid ran a pirate AM radio station until the FCC got wise and persuaded them to cease.

Paul naively thought his generation different from those prior; in some ways, better.  Time reversed that belief as cultural icons of the period proved to be mere mortals.  As Madison Avenue embraced the counterculture and profit replaced passion, adult life beckoned.  Unprepared, Paul turned to college.  Social work looked good until he found its science requirements burdensome.

He dropped out, kept singing, worked in factories, performed in bars, scrubbed toilets, waxed floors, moved furniture, washed dishes, cooked, waited /bused tables, stacked firebrick, ran a press, drove a parts truck, got arrested, eluded police, painted houses, left town, changed schools, moved to Iowa, switched to Communications, stacked boxes of salad dressing, loaded feed trucks, worked in college and Public Radio, dropped out again to join a touring band, performed in many more bars and eventually returned to earn a degree in Communications:Radio/TV.

To his family’s amazement, Paul wound up in corporate America, wore suits to work, got married to a lovely woman and had kids. Like a good American, he dutifully bought much more stuff than needed. Seduced by decades of steady pay, good benefits and the distractions of family life, Paul was lulled into political lethargy.   Surrounded by conservatives in the corporate world, Paul bit his tongue and focused on his career, working late and traveling a lot.  His kids were growing and Paul was missing it.  Paul longed to spend more time with them.

He left his corporate nest, ultimately starting a video production/communications consulting firm in Westerville, Ohio.  He made less money but spent much more time with his family.

Having survived Nixon, Reagan and George Bush senior,  Paul was finally  confronted by grim reality in 2000 when George W.  Bush stole his first term as POTUS.   He suddenly realized that he no longer needed to bite his tongue–and that events of the day, too long ignored, demanded action.

Since then, Paul has actively commented on mostly conservative blogs, searching the net for facts to debunk GOP talking points, along with links that reported what was missing in the mainstream media…the total dismemberment of our democracy by the neocons.   It was like pissing into the wind, but he stubbornly persisted.   He declined an offer to guest blog in a rightie cesspool as its token liberal.

Paul likes to compare opposition sites with officially posted,  government-released data to rebut arguments using sources less likely to be considered partisan.  It’s easy to do and cuter than a basket of kittens.  He  practiced with a growing list of friends and acquaintances, who encouraged him to start his own blog, now known as “New World Odor”.

Paul is a life-long liberal, a practicing Catholic and a believer in social justice. In his free time, he looks for a steady gig, sings in a church choir, writes and tries to “pay it forward”. He loves music, photography, art, good food, dogs and kids.  Manufactured popular culture, chain restaurants, Fox News and right-wing pundits make his skin crawl.