Five Members Only Stories From May I Just Opened Up to All of Medium

Brian Brewington

Jun 10, 2018·5 min read

While I was disappointed with the performance of my members only stories for May, as they only earned a total of less than $70, I know there’s plenty of value in them my readers — both old and new — will enjoy.

I’ve come to realize, though a locked story may suddenly make me a few extra bucks months after it’s published, they typically stop earning money (for the most pat) a week or two after being published. With that being said, I figured why not unlock the majority of my stories from last month, in hopes they get more exposure than they have and so non paying readers of Medium can access them as well. This is the second one of these I’ve compiled and I’m considering unlocking all my stories for the previous 30 days and then publishing one of these monthly. It will cost me a few bucks in the end I suppose but it’s a small price to pay to open my stories up to thousands of more readers. Well, enjoy!

Your Idols Are Just Flawed Human Beings

Just some thoughts on how we tend to put people on a pedestal and how it only ends up causing us pain and disappointment. Rich or poor, teacher or student, we’re all just people trying to figure out this thing called life. Nobody’s perfect but we too often expect perfection out of others — based off a false image we created for them in our heads. Because of this false perception we have of them, we expect them to meet a standard in which no human could live up to. This post is just a reminder, we’re all only human.

The Vendetta Between Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos is Turning Once Respectable American Institutions Into Political Pawns

I was really disappointed with the response (or lack thereof) I got on this one, because I worked really hard on it. I had to do like, actual research. I thought it was original as well as something that wasn’t being talked about enough.

This one is a longer read about how founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, who is also the current richest man in the world and President Donald Trump are using institutions such as The United States Postal Service and a major American newspaper to try and undermine the other or cost them money — and how its costing everyday Americans.

Tupac Shakur Was Deeply Paranoid and Had a Flare for Being Dramatic

I grew up a huge 2PAC fan and was inspired to write this after watching the mini series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. on USA Network. Enough has been written about who killed 2PAC and Biggie, this is not that. This post is instead a look at what caused 2PAC to believe Biggie tried to have him killed, when he was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio. Was it paranoia, his tendency to dramatically overreact (especially when cameras were involved) or a way of manipulating the media, assuring him and biggie were the subject of every headline from New York to California — manufacturing the most historic beef hip hop has ever seen. One that unfortunately ended, in the murder of both rappers before it could ever be squashed. Whether either rappers murder had anything to do with the other, the world may never know

The Great Asian Gentrification of The Neighborhood I was Raised in

I considered changing the name of this one before I unlocked it and posted this because I really struggled to understand why this one got as few readers as it did. I thought perhaps some people found the title to be racially insensitive — it just had a ring to it and flowed — I, nor this article are anyway racist. The simple fact is over the last two years, Asian investors and newly formed Asian owned and operated realty companies have begun purchasing up the real estate in the neighborhood I grew up and still live in at an astounding rate. They now own a large majority of both the commercial and residential properties. My father is being forced to moved from the same apartment hes lived in for 35 years. The one I spent two decades in and then some with him, as his landlord of 35 years decided to sell to an Asian investor.

How Active Drug Addiction is Like Living in Your Own Personal Never Land

A more personal piece on how addiction and alcoholism essentially stunt your mental, personal, financial and spiritual growth. Those stuck within its horrors never truly grow up — thus the never land analogy. As someone who has dealt with addiction personally, my experience gives me a unique perspective on the subject. Its a piece I really enjoyed writing and I hope now that I’m opening it up to all of Medium, at least one person who could benefit from its message gets a chance to read it.