with everything going on, i feel a bit weird just going about my life, doing things that make me happy, while the country is turning into an authoritarian state. i’m planning on going to a protest this weekend. logically, i know doomscrolling isn’t helping anyone, but what can i do to help? and how much of my life should it consume? should i prioritize it over other things i have going on?
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with everything going on, i feel a bit weird just going about my life, doing things that make me happy, while the country is turning into an authoritarian state. i’m planning on going to a protest this weekend. logically, i know doomscrolling isn’t helping anyone, but what can i do to help? and how much of my life should it consume? should i prioritize it over other things i have going on?
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The single most important thing we can do is use our institutional power to resist these initiatives.
For example, I have institutional power as a member of multiple boards, owner of a business, as a citizen of my community, as an employee at my job and as an instructor of higher education. In all of these there have been decisions to be made about if/when/how we comply with state and federal laws.
We have to have the courage not to comply. We have to have the courage to keep doing DEIA, keep engaging in fair hiring practices, not report employees’ personal information, not alter our bylaws and our internal policies for hate.
And I would recommend everyone and every organization meet with lawyers and learn your rights. If you can’t afford a lawyer, there are free and affordable seminars and material put out publicly to help people navigate this climate.
>but what can i do to help?
Go out and be active in local and state politics. Go out and join local and state interest groups that support what you support. Donate to said groups so they have more funds to expand operations. It’s not enough to just vote in a Democracy; you have to participate at every level of government, constantly.
>and how much of my life should it consume?
However much time you feel like dedicating.
>should i prioritize it over other things i have going on?
Your personal stability is the most important thing to focus on. We need well informed, well rounded, sane individuals, in politics. The last thing we need is more mentally distressed individuals who are the perfect fruit for extremist groups to pick.
Contacting your officials, engaging in whatever elections you can (including making sure you’re registered), encouraging your friends and family to engage, and attent the various protests that have been popping up semi-regularly.
Besdies simply conveying a message, protests are a good place to connect with people about issues you support and organize together to take future group actions. This is something I think many who poo-poo these protests as ineffective simply dont understand as well.
Really depends on where you live. But putting pressure on officials from the bottom up. If you already live in a big city that tends to represent your views, spread the messages online. A lot of this is an information war. When you read an article or watch a video, share it with your social network.
This is a big fight.
Things you can be doing.
Use the 5calls app to make sure you are calling and speaking to or leaving messages for representatives. This clearly does create pressure on them, as so many are complaining about it and demanding people stop.
Attend events, protests, and meetings when possible, both positive ones and confrontational ones. But don’t skip the positive ones that let you meet and talk with like-minded people. If you’re going to a protest, try to make connections and talk with the organizers or speakers to ask them what else is needed in your community.
Organize events! If nothing is happening near you, put out a call on social media to get worried people together at a coffee shop or something. This is really important, because people need to feel they have support before they are willing to speak up. It’s also community building which is just very rewarding. I’d recomment it.
Learn about the things that are worrying you, so you can explain them when they come up. Why should we care if foreigners lose their rights to due process? Why should we care if Trump is threatening to deport Americans considered ‘serious criminals (Like criticizing him)
It should take as much time as you want to commit. Some of us, this is what we do and it’s mentally exhausting, but for me its the only option at the moment. That can’t be everyone. So don’t feel bad if you have to limit news, or keep your head down for a bit. But definitely try to do something, because action is better than just worrying without an outlet.
Mutual aid programs. Look for ways to help groups organizing food, legal support, housing, other things needed to make sure people are being helped that need it. Also a great way to meet awesome people in the community.
Listen to conservative or independent media and sources and try to understand why yall lost the election.
Your party leaders aren’t doing anyone any favors not admitting that the party needs some self reflection. You NEED the independent vote to win, so listening to the ones protesting loudly with megaphones isn’t helping anyone do that, and this downward spiral will continue.
I highly recommend listening to Harold Ford Jr, and other moderates.
I say all this because I believe single party monopoly is bad for the country, and if AOC/Bernie force yall to split into moderate and progressives, republicans will go “unchecked” for at least 8 years, and I don’t believe that’s in the best interest of our county.
what might you have expected the wo/man on the street to have done in late 1930s Germany? what shoulds? what coulds?
Dude, just live your life. Do what makes you happy. Life is too short to focus on a lot of things that are out of your control
I have been feeling the exact same way! I’ve actually debated making a post like this myself, but I didn’t want to receive condescending replies for simply asking about something I don’t know. I do feel like there’s something I should be doing, but I’ve never been a social activist. I’m new to this. I don’t know what people mean when they say “call your representatives.” Who am I calling? What am I saying? I don’t live in an area where there are protests or rallies, and I don’t think I would know how to find out about them even if I did. I didn’t see or hear anything about the April 5th protests until the day of. I don’t know what it means to “organize.” What specifically can I do?
I don’t know if you were around when the right-wingers were telling Americans that terrorists “hate us for our freedom”.
As usual, they were projecting.
Never stop resisting the right but also remember to keep living your life.