Why off/center?
We believe that this current situation, in the US and most Liberal Democracies, is the result of a long-standing, long-established lack of purpose, honesty and ambition in tackling the fundamentals that hold back genuine progress on rights, the environment, freedom and equality.
The playing field has been surrendered to the plentiful energy and anti-liberal mantras of so-called populist movements which attract support and attention in a vacuum.
We want to publish new thinking, new ideas and, above all, new solutions acknowledging what is deeply wrong in our society and just as much, what is deeply wrong with our systems. By addressing specific topics from fresh angles and always demanding we will ask these questions in every issue:
Where did this situation arise from?
What is the problem now in its current form? and;
How do we begin to solve it.
off/center will be informed, intelligent, in depth and always hopeful, reflecting and publishing a wide range of diverse voices. We will reclaim the idea that populism isn’t always a bunch of shallow right-leaning slogans. It will seek to answer why so much orthodoxy has become lazily followed, how we have allowed such hollow political movements to rush through open doors and how genuine freedom for all comes from liberty of thought for all.
The headlines of the day breed outrage, protest and despair but we believe there can be a more considered way. By establishing a vehicle which allows room to breathe, stories that haven’t been read before from voices that haven’t been widely heard before. Stories that you need to read, rather than you can guess the content of by reading the headline. Ideas that are new and old but which are currently being missed, marginalized or overlooked. We want to bring together all the talents and thoughts from a wider spectrum to put stakes in the ground for a new framework a “Project 2028” for all of us based on thoughtful writing, comment and discussion.
We’re calling it off/center because we believe that’s what’s needed, a fresh challenge to perceived ideas that have run their course and deserve to find their place in the ash can of history. We will find new voices to build a new coherent set of ideas and stories that inspire, engage and empower all of us. In our pages our authors will focus on what we can we do to feel less powerless in the face of bureaucracies promoting failed ideologies.
We believe by putting these ideas out there we can begin to effect change from the center out and in the process inspire people to challenge everything and take firm positions in the best traditions of liberal thought.
We don’t see this elsewhere at this time and we would like your help to come on board and make this happen. Please get in touch. james@fromoffcenter.com/roger@fromoffcenter.com