#and yes i know there's protesting boycotting etc

[sweetfirebird]

Things You Can Do Right Now

aside from protesting and harassing Democrats to do things

Get vaccinated (if you can)

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines should be good if you received two doses as a child, which most in the US still do. However, enough people haven't now that there is a measles outbreak. Measles wrecks your immune system and also it sucks. So check your records and talk to a doctor. Many cannot get vaccinated because of compromised immune systems, so do it for them. (And because RFKjr sucks rotten eggs)

flu shots! covered by many state and county public health programs! the flu season is already insane, and that's just "regular" flu

Tdap (Tetanus, diptheria, acellular pertussis) -this is the tetanus shot you are supposed to get every ten years. Tetanus is horrible but the concern with this one right now is pertussis (whooping cough). You don't want it and you don't want to spread it to children. It's not their fault their parents won't vaccinate them.

Covid. Obviously. In America, this isn't always covered now, unfortunately, but if it is for you or you can afford it, get it while you can, before that idiot possibly eliminates it.

Protecting public health is community building AND it's protesting these jackasses.

Wear a mask - you don't want to wear it all the time, there is a lot of social pressure, I get it. Then wear one when in hospitals, and on planes/trains etc. (I know some states are trying to make this illegal, because the people obsessed with 'freedom' don't give a shit about yours.)

Wash your hands. This seems obvious to us grownups, but a lot of MAGA types now seem to be deliberately not doing this. And, aside from how it's disgusting, uh, hand sanitizer does not kill Norovirus. Hot water! Soap!

Give to food banks if you can, or contribute to Little Free Pantries or local outreach programs. Fed is best and armies march on their stomachs.

Wash your produce thoroughly before you eat it. Cook your meat thoroughly. Follow the AMA youtube channel for updates on bird flu or other outbreaks that the CDC is no longer/can no longer report on. Orange Asshole is deregulating everything, so... here we are. In hell. Protect your health because he sure as shit isn't.

talk to your neighbors, if you have any and they don't have MAGA shit in their yard. I actually do not have any neighbors that aren't businesses, but I do patronize their businesses (except the real estate office. What am I? Rich? Like I can buy a house. lol)

Check your community boards (NextDoor is weird but it is technically a community board) for local events/needs to see if you can contribute. Does your local senior center or school need donated craft supplies? Is there a pet adoption day looking for volunteers? Is a community outreach group doing free or low cost vaccinations open to the public? Sometimes areas will have free pet spaying/neutering drives for anyone with low income! That might not seem like protesting to you, but using local and government programs is your right and is good, and also you paid for that with your taxes. Use them. Programs that don't get used get cut. (Some are about to get cut anyway grrrr so use them while they exist)

Go to the library. Get a library card. Check out physical books or movies. Use online apps like Libby and Libro.fm *through your library* for free! You are supporting an institution that supports your community. Every year, when it's budget time, the library numbers need to look GOOD, and yes, that is also your tax dollars. So use your libraries!

Be vocal. If you are boycotting Target or Walmart or McDonalds or Airbnb or Starbucks--tell them why. This is email, don't worry, no phone calls required. If you are now shopping at Lush or Costco or Albertson's instead--tell them so as well! Mention it to other people.

yeah it's dumb that in America one of only real ways to be heard is through consumerism but these are all just tools at your disposal. What services are being used, what aren't. Where the dollars go, where they don't.

Start looking up which Republicans--and Democrats--are up for special elections in your area or who need to be Primaried the hell out of the race. If you feel up to it, go volunteer to help, or follow them on social media and start getting aggressive with your support.

If a Democrat *has* done something awesome. (Or you have one of the rare R's who is standing up to this bullshit) then talk about it. (and yes also tell them you thought it was awesome) Democrats are... honestly... they need to learn how to hype themselves up. They don't know how to do this for some reason, so I guess we have to do it for them. They are, like everything else here, a tool that we need to use, for the moment.

Quit fast fashion. It's basically slave labor. It will also save you money and you won't be contributing to this economy. It's also INCREDIBLY better for the environment than polyester crap in landfills--and this administration is not about saving the environment at all. So it's again up to us for now to do what we can. Learn to buy quality pieces, rewear and repair. Thrift well. You can even learn to tailor your own clothes, which looks a thousand times better anyway. (or get them tailored. plenty of small businesses like dry cleaners offer small alternation services, like hemming.)

and finally, for now

get a hobby. I'm not kidding. preferably something tangible, that you can hold in your little hands and see as a final, finished piece. Though if not, reading more or video games and the like are always fine. You are going to want and need distraction, yes, but also *creating* when things are low is so, so good for your brain. And an act of creation while they are trying to destroy everything? is a little 'fuck you' to all of them.

[splatoon-countdown]

Today (February 18th) to the 25th, I will not be posting countdowns or countdown art.

Remember January 21st, the beginning of a week-long global strike? We are doing that again. Yes, we. If you do not even try to participate in any way at all, you are complicit in genocide. It is understandable if you cannot skip school or work, but there's nothing stopping you from sharing more posts about Palestine on your blog. "But, Side Order releases in that timeframe! And there's a Splatfest going on!" I know. But something like that shouldn't stop you from trying to support people suffering from a genocide any way you can. You can play the game, obviously- but try to focus on Palestine, and DON'T post about it during the strike. It's just a video game. You can wait. Skip school and work if you can. Don't buy anything, don't stimulate the economy at all. Only buy what is necessary for survival (✅: toilet paper, food, medicine, etc. 🚫: video games, fast food, merch, etc. If you don't need it, don't get it.), and ESPECIALLY don't buy anything being boycotted. https://bdsmovement.net/ is a great resource for seeing what people are boycotting, and I will reblog information posts the whole week. Participate in protests near you. Donate to Palestinians and Palestinian support funds. Make yourself heard. Visibly support Palestine.

[space-specs]

Your Guide To Voting in 2024

Yes, you may feel like everything is horrible and hopeless, and you don't want to vote. I'm here to not do that, and give you tips and info on why. Ultimately, I do not care what you actually vote only that you try to go and fill out something.

Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote

Check your registration status. This site has a drop down to select your state, which will link you to the website to check and see if you're registered.

Not registered? Go here. This site will tell you how to get registered in your state and will link you directly to the online registration if your state offers it.

Make sure you have a government issued photo ID. Driver's license, state ID, passport, etc. Many states require to you to present some form of ID to vote. Find out what counts in your state (and exceptions and provisional ballot rules) here.

Know you'll have difficulty making it to the ballot box? Check the rules for voting by mail/absentee voting in your state and see if you qualify.

Look up your sample ballot ahead of time! Lots of places provide a sample ballot which allows you to see what all the issues are ahead of time. Since this will vary by local elections, the best way to this is to look up "[your county name] sample ballot", possibly with the year tacked on to the end of the search. This may not be available until closer to election day, but it is a great way to get prepared for voting.

Other Voting Tips

This is where I get into the bit where it matters more to me that you vote than who you vote for. This is a personal principle of mine: everyone has the right to vote regardless of if I agree with what you choose to do with that vote.

You do not have to fill out every box on the ballot. You can leave some blank! Don't want to vote on President this year? Fine! Only want to vote on President and don't want to research other issues? Also fine. In fact, you can turn in a completely blank ballot if you want, and that is a political action, too. (Tip: parties note a blank box on issues because it indicates to them you were dissatisfied with your options)

You can bring notes with you! Too many issues to keep track of? Write yourself a note, print out a sample ballot and fill it out in advance to copy over, finding a voting guide and print it. As long as it is ON PAPER, you can bring it with you. (I verified this is universally allowed here)

Don't know where to start on research? The sample ballot is a great place to start just looking up candidates, but I also recommend checking out your local chapter of League of Women Voters. They put out a voters guides for each election that list pros and cons to various issues on the ballot.

The most important and most neglected elections are your local ones. Real grassroots change might be possible in your city, if you pay attention. Too overwhelmed by all this? Pick a few local issues to focus on, like the school board or city council. My city passed a trans-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance in a red state because people rallied around a handful of progressive city council members that swayed the vote. Even if everything feels hopeless, you make things better for yourself and your loved ones by actively engaging in your local politics.

Remember it's voting AND not voting OR. I know a lot of people are extremely dissatisfied with their options for this year's election, especially at the national level. Don't stop doing what you're doing. Don't stop protesting and boycotting and donating and talking about the things that matter to you. Get involved in your community. Find ways to make a difference. But also, go vote. Please.

Thank you for reading this. I hope something in here was helpful for you, and if it was, please consider reblogging this so that others can find it as well. If I've forgotten anything important, I welcome any helpful additions and will do my best to reblog those or add them to the original post as needed!

[mielwriting]

I'm all for the support/boycott of Hoyoverse over the Natlan issue but... When does it end? What's the end goal of all of this? For Hoyo to say "We screwed up" and to make the skin tones of the Natlan playable characters darker? And that brings up the quest of HOW dark should each character be. What's the "correct" skin tone?

(I know this post is about fictional characters but I did talk more about real-life horrors in this post. Be warned).

Yes, the goal IS for Hoyo to make the Natlan’s characters skin tones darker. And also for their clothes and accessories to look more culturally accurate and less like a Spirit Halloween (though I realize whole new character designs are much harder than just making the skin darker. Especially in the 6 week deadline).

That said. My country is facing a very real threat to democracy in 4 months, and millions will die if Trump is elected.

And that’s just MY country. Many countries around the globe have seen a spike in wannabe-autocrats becoming leaders (Italy, India, Philippines, Argentina, etc). Not to mention the worldwide trend of Islamophobia.

Most recently, there’s the student-led protests in Bangladesh that aren’t getting enough attention.

Representation is important. I firmly believe in the power of stories and their ability to carry hope to those who need it. That’s a message I believe Genshin Impact’s story echoes.

Part of why I get so much hope from seeing Genshin Impact’s popularity is that my minority groups are represented in the game more than in other stories I’ve seen (Queer and Neurodivergent). I am speaking from a place of bias.

But in the end, I have bigger issues to focus on and am in dire need of some escapism. Having spaces where you can ignore the real world’s problems and relax is an essential part of your health. Traumatizing ourselves “in solidarity” helps no one.

So I will not be boycotting Hoyo or sending in bad reviews. I would rather devote that energy and passion to writing speeches convincing people to vote for Biden instead of throwing away their voice for a protest vote.

As we learned in 2016, there are plenty of psyops to combat on this website. I plan to do my part to help my country remain a democracy past January 2025.

[stillinapartyhat]

im sorry but i dont really understand your comment about the 'hamas hamas alle joden aan het gas; chant. this has nothing to do with any of the events, nor was it heard to be chanted or even reported. ajax fans would NEVER sing this, so it is incredibly unlikely that this chant was heard in the city of Amsterdam. I do not understand why it is mentioned here?

The information youre giving is extremely colored and incredibily harmful. pro palestinian protests generally do not use this chant, these are a handful of antiemitic rioters that disturb the entire situation, and these are the ones that attacked the maccabi supporters. it has to be mentioned peaceful protests have been going on on dam square and the police cracked down on them in extremely aggressive ways. these were illegal protests, yes but they were PEACEFUL.

the entire point is that amsterdam/the netherlands should have NEVER accepted to host this match, and the extreme hypocrisy of boycotting Russia but then letting Israhelli clubs enter the country without any problems is so blatant and painful.

mayor halsema even admitted to wanting to cancel the football match because the maccabi supporters were causing EXTREME distruption (and are generally known to be aggressive in the past), chanting about letting the IDF kill the arabs, tearing down flags, and as we all know by know, attacking a morrocan taxi driver etc. However, they did not cancel the match because the supporters were already here so they were literally scared tensions would rise from the side of the maccabi supporters..

we all have to admit that the violence against the maccabi supporters was wrong, and it was painful to watch these videos. but saying it was unprecedented and one sided, and painting the situation as completely coming out of nowhere is just plainly wrong.

i understand why you feel the need to mention that ajax is a jewish club but at the same time i do not see what difference it makes. the antimsemitic chants you mention are not related to any of the events that occurred.

Being a Dutch Jew, here is some information about the violence in Amsterdam that is either common knowledge in the Netherlands, or is from some sources in Dutch that might not be commonly available for an international audience.

First of all about hooliganism, Amsterdam's football club Ajax is known as a 'joodenclub', a 'jewclub', because Amsterdam used to have a large jewish minority, many of whom were supporters of the club, and because several Dutch Jews were members of the team at one point. Ajax supporters take pride in this name. Because of this, there is a good relationship between Ajax and Macabbi, and the match was considered at low risk for football related violence and supporters of both teams mixed freely on the train back to the city center. In fact, only a pro-palestine protest was moved away from the stadium, because the police had recieved information that 'harde kern' Ajax hooligans were planning to stop that demonstration.

On that note, I have seen mixed information on what the Macabbi supporters were singing, but regardless, because Ajax is known as a jewclub, a common chant among the fans of opposing Dutch teams is "Hamas, hamas, alle joden aan het gas," or "Hamas, hamas, all the jews to the gas." Yes, a chant heard at pro-palestine protest is originally from Dutch football. Authorities have been cracking down on it in recent years, but a cursory google found people being arrested over it as recently as may 2023. Somehow, jews have never attacked random supporters of opposing teams at matches where this was chanted. Any Dutch person trying to justify things would be well aware of this.

About media coverage, I get my news about Amsterdam from Het Parool, a left-of-center, Amsterdam-based newspaper, that grew out of a WWII resistance paper. This is the current (about 16:30 Dutch time) front page of the newspaper website. In it the violence is described as an 'antisemitische klopjacht' an antisemitic manhunt. Most articles about it are paywalled, but firefox screenreader mode can bypass it.

Finally, I recognised a lot of the terminology in intenational news coverage from yesterday's press conference by Mayor Halsema (the woman in the picture above), which was also shown live by the dutch public bradcaster. In it an AP reporter asks in Dutch about Macabbi provocations, and they partially quote the police chief's answer, but not Mayor Halsma who came in right after, and said that the violence was in no way justifiable. I'm linking the full YouTube video of the press conference below. It is mostly in Dutch, and I have no idea about the quality of the autotranslation, but at about the 30 min. mark an Al Jazeera reporter asks a similar question in English, and the Mayor's answer in English is very clear.

[thehollowwriter]

Okay I think I've been around during enough terrible things (pandemic, Palestine, the election, etc) to say that there's way too many of you "activists" on here who are really desperate to only align yourself with people who are 100% completely morally pure in your book. Every time I see some celebrity or whoever speaking out for Palestine or spreading awareness, there's always a ton of people who are just like "This is terrible they did xyz thing why are giving them attention for this" or "Ya'll you know they don't actually care right" Any time someone from a certain country or area does something bad you're all like "Yeah it's not worth supporting them because they're bad"

I think it really shows the problem of online "activism", where people think they're being helpful by saying all the correct things, reblogging the correct things, or liking/disliking the correct people.

If you want your activism to make an actual impact, you're going to have to work with people you don't like. You're going to have to put up with people who you may even despise. Because at the end of the day you (or at least the people who need that activism) don't have the luxury to choose.

Being able to pick and choose support from who you think is "valid" or "unproblematic" enough is a privilege. Being able to make posts online about an issue and then carry on in the real world unaffected by that issue is privilege. Being able to preach activism and then watch videos making fun of "cringey protesters" and laugh is a privilege. Being able to stop supporting an entire marginalised group cause one of them upset your morals is both really really shitty and a privilege.

Ya'll activism has "act" in it for a reason. Posts can be deleted, "callouts" can be swept away, apps can be banned. If you boycott a company but just post about it and then not do anything else, it's not gonna make any difference because unless the right people just happen to be reading your random post, the company's not gonna make a change because they won't know people are boycotting or why. If you refuse to eat my cake but won't tell me why I'm not gonna know what your problem with my cake is.

It is, unfortunately, much safer and much more comfortable to just make a few posts and "cancel" the right people and then just call it a day. It's easy and even fun to go on anon and send hate to the "problematic" person you don't like. But that's not going to do anything. You need to catch attention, you need to make your voice heard and yes that will be uncomfortable or scary but that's just how it is.

And most importantly, stop demonising and "calling out" people for not posting about the current trending tragedy. No, they are not obligated to talk about it online. No, they are not a "nazi" or a bad person because they're not flaunting their activism. People have lived outside of the internet and there are tons of people who are actual activists and don't post about it. I'd also to try get you people to understand that posting the full details of your protest or whatnot online is especially stupid and can put people and your work in danger. Guys just think please. Internet discourse and making posts is not activism.

[hainethehero]

I’m not mad about Starbucks and Mcdonald’s being boycotted. I’m mad about the fact that y’all are just focusing on these TWO companies. A lot of people think that these two companies are the only ones that should be boycotted while having no idea about the actual main targets because y’all are loud as hell about these two companies only. There was a tweet with thousands of likes that goes “all palestinians asked yall to do was boycott 2 places and yall cant even tho that bc ure caffeine and grease addicted fiends”. Like all along these people think that there are only two companies to boycott because yall are focusing on them way too much when you can just use that time to spread awareness about the Actual main targets. Y’all are pissing me off because this is doing more damage than help. This just causes people to disregard other selected companies that should be boycotted because y’all are just focusing and being loud on these two.

Starbucks reported 12 billion losses and Mcdonald’s is rebranding? Then what? Did that help Palestine in any way? Israel didn’t lose anything by that because they aren’t being funded by these companies in the first place. You know what could actually help? Boycotting companies that actually fund them if that isn’t obvious enough.

Have I posted about it? Multiple times already. Have I donated? Not only donated but also encouraged everyone to do so by sharing donation links from Palestinian organizations. And yes I do participate in boycott and some of the companies in the list don’t even exist in my country. How about you? Did you do any of that? Have you posted about the companies that actually fund israel?

And I don’t know who the fuck Simone is. I’m mad about the fact that you said tgar those two are the main targets completely disregarding the other ones because for you they are less popular. This isn’t some popularity competition. This is about which ones will have more negative impact to Israel when boycotted. The fact that you’re taking this as something like I’m a Starbucks and Mcdonald’s defender says a lot. Anyone who actually cares for Palestine would be pissed off if people are just boycotting these two companies. The few qrts of the tweet i mentioned were mad as fuck about the tweet too. That’s because we actually do care and not just do things for clout. We don’t want israel to be funded by these big ass corporations while your priority is to appear morally righteous, follow the crowd, and bring more clout. If you're not mad that people are boycotting these two companies only, then do you even care about palestine in the first place?

WHERE did I say people were ONLY boycotting these 2 places?

I said they're the most popular to boycott, but people have been boycotting other brands. If YOU don't know that ppl are boycotting other companies other than these 2, then that's YOUR PROBLEM for living under a rock. Because people ARE boycotting more than just Starbucks and McDonald's.

You getting irrationally mad makes absolutely no sense because I've already explained to you that it is a PROCESS.

Some of the BIG , MAJOR CORPORATIONS THAT ARE ALLOCATING MORE FUNDING TO IZRAHEIL THAN STARBUCKS AND MCDONALD'S ARE MEDICAL/PHARMACEUTICAL, SKIN CARE, WELLNESS COMPANIES THAT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DEPEND ON TO SURVIVE!

Of course it's not going to be cut and dry. Of course boycotting is a complex process but the important thing is that IT IS HAPPENING. There have been protests at BlackRock, people have been boycotting Disney and Warner Bros. People have CANCELLED SUBSCRIPTIONS TO NETFLIX, HULU, APPLE TV ETC. They ARE targeting other funders of genocide! Not just Stabucks and McDonald's.

So you getting "mad" over YOUR assumption that "people are only boycotting sb & mcd's" is hella pointless cos we've been boycotting more than that.

Maybe you haven't.

[waitingforeddyneddy]

Hollywood is literally blacklisting people who speak out about Israel being a genocidal state which is why many actors/musicians etc are staying silent.

Boycotting paramount won’t do shit. The only thing that will help Palestinians is pressuring the people who have political power to help save them. Y’all’s slacktivism is really insane and annoying.

As for JB traveling to Israel - people in the west, particularly the US and UK are not taught about Palestinians, Nakba, etc. From an early age they’re all taught that Israel is the one being oppressed. You’ll see many people who have traveled to Israel prior change their stance once they educate themselves.

I will take an actors silence over the over Zionism of other Hollywood stars. Bella Hadid is getting literal death threats for speaking out. And as someone who works in Hollywood, I know for a fact, as I said earlier, people are being blacklisted for even being pro “ceasefire” which is the bare minimum.

People are bringing up simone because you’re a stan of hers, which is fine, but she also hasn’t said shit about Palestine or Israel, as is her right, because people are being fired left and right for standing on the right side of history.

Hate JB all you want, I literally don’t care, I’m not even a huge fan of him at this point but people are calling out your hypocrisy and jumping to conclusions about who is a Zionist and who is not. JB went to Israel years ago, yes (I didn’t even see the pictures tbh that’s how far removed I am from celebrity socials), from all accounts was called out for it. Deleted the pictures and who is to say that he DIDN’T educate himself? He hasn’t posted any pro Israel shit since then and has smartly kept his mouth shut for now because he knows his project was produced by Zionists. I guarantee most of these people are terrified to say anything.

Major kudos to Nicola since she is the ONLY one in the bridgerton cast who has been unabashedly vocal about #freepalestine. Which is funny since most of you freaky kathony Stans HATE her. (And before you start I literally hate Penelope and Colin so don’t even try to paint me with a stan brush)

Your comments are irresponsible trying to paint JB as a Zionist when we have no fucking clue where his position lies. Much like we don’t know where simone’s, charithra’s, Rege’s, Luke’s, Luke’s, etc lies. Instead check out that list of actors who signed no hostage left behind - those are the real people you should take issue with.

Start protesting and calling your politicians. Boycotting paramount won’t do shit to help Palestinians. The US’s President is co-signing genocide right now and he is only gonna give a shit if he thinks he’s in danger of losing the next election. (Not saying you’re from the US - just giving this as an example).

I was about to respond to each of your points but then I saw you wrote “you freaky kanthony stans” and I honestly can’t take you seriously.

I also don’t believe you when you say you’re not a huge JB fan cause you sound pretty angry and out of breath. Your constant saying “boycotting Paramount won’t do shit” is ridiculous cause nobody here is saying it will end the conflict. It’s just a way to get back at them by not providing money for their subscription and going for 🏴‍☠️ if you really are interested in the story and if you just wanna watch your fave’s new project

Also LMAO at you for saying JB wasn’t educated about Israel, fucking stop saying a privileged white man who comes from money doesn’t know. Every fucking western country supports Israel in the media that doesn’t mean we are mindless robots. I live in southern Italy, I’ve been against Israel since the moment I started to develop critical thinking skills despite my humble upbringing and social status 🤡

It’s pathetic, stop with this bullshit

[lesbianbending-moved]

i would just like to say that a lot of younger queer people need to understand what the political environment was at the time lok came out before you go around saying korrasami isn’t queer rep. you need to understand this show had an audience that comprised of a lot of closeted queer kids at a time where the country it was originally released in had more states ban gay marriage than legalize it. this was a time when kids everyday would see debates over gay rights and anti gay marriage protests on the news. it was cool and ‘edgy’ to have homophobic activists be political commentators. this was a time when it was normal to go into your high school government class and listen to your classmates debate whether gay marriage should be legalized for a grade. this was a time when the very small amount of queer rep in media was comprised entirely of skinny white cis boys. so to be fourteen, knowing i was a lesbian, and having this level of homophobia washed over me everyday - seeing this show was a lifesaver. this was not ‘implied’ queer rep, it wasn’t queer baiting, it was explicitly portrayed and stated by the creators that korra and asami are together. this show paved the way for queer rep not only in children’s media, but for all forms of popular media in the coming years. the creators, actors, even nickelodeon were boycotted, received death threats, etc. all for what you believe to be ‘queer-baiting’. it obviously wasn’t perfect, but to step over all the progress the lok team made because it doesn’t rise to your standard of 2020 activism is taking for granted the steps forward the queer community has taken to get where we are today. so yes, if you are 14-17 please think before you go around yelling about how korrasami isn’t ‘good’ queer rep.

[absentkidposts]

Peformative Activism

Hey there! As you may have noticed, this week has been quite a fun time for the Youtube community, this week Shane Dawson (pedophile, racist, liar, abuser) has been boycotted by pretty much everyone, he lost brand deals, his youtube videos got demonitazed, etc. After a lady called Tati (??) exposed him or something,  I don’t know the story properly but nothing feels better than seeing a dickhead getting what he deserves, specially someone who’s musty (he didn’t shower for like a week for a video and his teeth are yellow, gross) and disturbed. Over here in the south, social media, rather than messy, has been, let’s say, comedic, because, yet again, people are participating on some dumb hashtag to pretend they actuallly care for minorities. This week Laura Tobon posted a picture of her “perfect” eurocentric face split at the middle, the other part of the picture was the face (covered with her hands) of a native woman, people praised her, she got a bunch of social media traffic, went trending, gained followers and then 15 minutes later she posted some IGTV about her make up... Do you the problem? Peformative activism. 

What’s that?

The example that I gave with Laura is the perfect example, a beautiful privileged woman that believes she’s a hero for dehumanizing a native woman and using her as a way to gain fame. Peformative Activism means taking cases of rape, police brutality, sexism and racism to gain fame and maintaining your image as a political correct influence, when you’re doing the complete opposite. Many deffend those who are a part saying that they are starting a conversation and being vocal, but, if you post a picture, are you really starting a conversation or just grabbing the chance to gain more attention? 

What’s wrong with it?

Peformative Activism, rather than starting a conversation, buries it by making people feel comfortable with that type of activism, if you try to start a conversation people will be eager to silence you since they think a movement has already started and ended by posting a picture. People think with a hashtag you save lives and make them matter when there’s so much more to do, and that’s just a result of us being used to see minorities as less than us and believing that’s correct (racism pretty much); Look at the #BlackLivesMatter movement, yes, it’s a hashtag, but a hashtag that inspires action, it inspires marches, protests and even riots when needed in deffense of legal violence (like the ESMAD). If you participate in this, you’re silencing those who are truly in need to be heard, actual activists that deserve to be heard, you think you’re starting a conversation by making natives objects, images, pictures, rather than people, you continue to feed the standard that native culture means illiteracy and dated believes, rather than it being a whole other culture WE are MEANT to respect since our ascendants invaded their land. 

Then how can you help?

I just wanted to make clear that if you don’t have a big platform yet you still want to be part of a movement and just post a pic, then there’s no problem, since it’s your own social media and you don’t have any influence on the masses, it’s your own small platform and you have the right; but famous people, without real struggles, have a responsability, wether they like it or not, specially white people, like Laura and many others who seem to have beans for brains. 

If you want to help, post a letter that exposes your believes and states facts, make your platform a way to educate and make native voices be heard and respected, apply some real social pressure to the government, share content and post speeches of natives (specially native women, the biggest victims of colonization and segregation) to make them be heard, beacuse guess what, at the end of the day, we don’t care abou you as a famous individual, we care about the public, the followers, the masses one can move by just posting some actual piece of activism, we don’t care about your dumb little fake tears. Another incredible way of helping is donating, because in a capitalist and consummist world, money matters a lot, and since the government keeps on stealing, handing a small percentage of your wealth wouldn’t affect the rich, but help the poor and the vulnerable. Open your wallets, not your mouth ;)

But don’t get too political!

Why not? Why souldn’t we get political? Why should we just ignore this abuse? and why should we feel comfortable when those with power make the bare minimum? We get that celebrities have no real political impact, but they can move people, they can reach out to a larger audience WE DON’T CARE IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, literally the only way you should skip this conversation is beacuse you’re a victim of it and can’t psychologically combat it, but if you’re sitting at home, doing nothing, why can’t you start a conversation, educate yourself, learn and be an active help for those in need. Colombia is a country that’s been built on violence and crime and we believe that’s alright, we believe that’s how thing should be, but can we at least try to change it? Kids, Mothers, Brothers and many more are being killed, abused, raped and robbed because of what? and why are we ok with it? why do we dehuminize minorities so much? CUT THE CAMERAS AND TURN THE VOLUME UP, silenece is compliance so SPEAK UP 

[pigeonmark6-blog]

Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

A sour cream, cream cheese and Ranch based dip, filled with spicy Fire 'n Ice pickles. Serve with kettle or ridged potato chips, pretzel chips or veggie sticks, made from celery and carrots.

Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

The sound of football has returned to my house. Doesn't matter that it's only preseason to my husband because by now, he is totally jonesing for a game of any kind. Course, the Saints opener could certainly have been better... but it is what it is, and they won.

And yes, I know... a lot of folks are pretty upset about protesting and kneeling players during the National Anthem, and have essentially boycotted all NFL games. There are two very opposite points of view on this situation and since this is a post about pickle dip, I'd rather not get in the middle of that conversation, except to say this. My husband, a Navy veteran, loves his country, but he loves his football too, most especially he loves his Saints.

If you've been around the blog for very long, y'all probably already know by now how much I love pickles. I mean how many people have one of these in their fridge for no reason except they eat a pickle just about every day?

Giant pickle jar - Deep South Dish on Instagram

What can I say. We do love a bargain round here.

Do you remember pickle pinwheels?

Seems like in the 70s and 80s you saw them at just about every party. Like other pinwheel or roll-up appetizers, they start with a flour tortilla and involve a cream cheese layer, then a layer of deli meat, usually ham, topped with a whole pickle, the whole thing is rolled up, refrigerated to set and then sliced for an appetizer tray. They are quite delicious really!

This dip kinda reminds me of a deconstructed version of those. I've seen this pickle dip around the net for awhile and I thought to myself, "self, you  know you'd love this dip, but wouldn't you really love it with some of those Fire 'n Ice Pickles? Oh yes, indeed!

It's really just a classic sour cream and cream cheese dip made with the addition of pickles, some spicy style of pickles that you've made up yourself or some you've picked up from the store. I used Fat Mama's Fire and Ice Pickles from Fat Mama's Tamales up in Natchez, MS, because I remembered seeing them on the shelf when I had my book signing at Poppy's Gifts in downtown Ocean Spring, MS a while back, so I knew she carried them. If you're ever in town in the Biloxi/Ocean Springs area, you just have to stop by Poppy's. She has an amazing collection of beautiful and unique merchandise, perfect for gift giving. You'll find her shop just over the tracks at 922 Washington Avenue.

Memories! One of my book signings, when Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes, a book you asked for, finally got published!

By the way, several of you have asked about signed copies of my cookbook, Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes, so be sure to check in the back where she keeps local cookbooks and hopefully she'll still have some hanging around!  Of course, you can also find my cookbook unsigned on Amazon, where you can also buy some spicy pickles.

Serve with veggies or a sturdy potato chip.

Anyway, if you like the fire of a spicy pickle, do look for a good spicy pickle for this dip - something like Wickles Pickles will work well too - whatever your favorite is. Of course, if you prefer to keep this a bit more on the mild side than the wild side, you can use plain pickles. Serve this dip with veggie strips or a good, sturdy, kettle style chip. I chose Zapp's Salt and Vinegar which were a great match for the pickle dip, and some Cape Cod Waffle Cut Sea Salt chips. Scoops are also good with this dip.

I made a half recipe in the photos here, only because I'll be the only one eating it. The Cajun isn't real big on pickles or dip. I don't know what's wrong with him! That's okay though, because this dip is delicious and I'm gonna enjoy every single bite.

Let's make some Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip y'all!

For more of my favorite dips recipes, check out my collection on Pinterest!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

We need your help! There's no paywall on Deep South Dish - recipes, step by step photos and printables are available at no cost to our readers, however, advertising featured on the blog helps to pay for the groceries. If you enjoy the blog but you're using an ad blocker, please consider whitelisting Deep South Dish so I can keep the blog going!

Yum

Recipe: Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish Prep time: 10 min Inactive time: 2 hours Total time: 2 hours 10 min Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 (1 ounce) packet of dry ranch dressing mix

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1-1/2 cups chopped homemade Fire 'n Ice or other similar spicy pickle (such as Wickles) or pickle relish

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno

1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

2-4 tablespoons pickle juice, or as needed for desired consistency

Instructions

Whip cream cheese, add sour cream and blend. Add ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce and fresh dill, and mix until well blended. Fold in pickles, jalapenos and onions; add pickle juice 1/2 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes then stir before serving; serve with kettle or ridged potato chips, pretzel chips or veggie sticks (celery, carrots).

Variation: Add in 1 cup of minced baked ham or coarsely chopped cooked shrimp.

Pickle Roll Dip Variation: Reduce chopped pickle or pickle relish to 1/2 cup and add in 1/3 cup chopped deli ham, bacon or chopped dried beef.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Check These Recipes Out Too Y’all!

Hissy Fit Dip Classic 70s 7-Layer Mexican Dip Hot Corn Dip

Posted by Mary on August 13, 2018

Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

150630

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Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2018/08/fire-n-ice-pickle-dip.html

[badgerkick0-blog]

Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

A sour cream, cream cheese and Ranch based dip, filled with spicy Fire 'n Ice pickles. Serve with kettle or ridged potato chips, pretzel chips or veggie sticks, made from celery and carrots.

Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

The sound of football has returned to my house. Doesn't matter that it's only preseason to my husband because by now, he is totally jonesing for a game of any kind. Course, the Saints opener could certainly have been better... but it is what it is, and they won.

And yes, I know... a lot of folks are pretty upset about protesting and kneeling players during the National Anthem, and have essentially boycotted all NFL games. There are two very opposite points of view on this situation and since this is a post about pickle dip, I'd rather not get in the middle of that conversation, except to say this. My husband, a Navy veteran, loves his country, but he loves his football too, most especially he loves his Saints.

If you've been around the blog for very long, y'all probably already know by now how much I love pickles. I mean how many people have one of these in their fridge for no reason except they eat a pickle just about every day?

Giant pickle jar - Deep South Dish on Instagram

What can I say. We do love a bargain round here.

Do you remember pickle pinwheels?

Seems like in the 70s and 80s you saw them at just about every party. Like other pinwheel or roll-up appetizers, they start with a flour tortilla and involve a cream cheese layer, then a layer of deli meat, usually ham, topped with a whole pickle, the whole thing is rolled up, refrigerated to set and then sliced for an appetizer tray. They are quite delicious really!

This dip kinda reminds me of a deconstructed version of those. I've seen this pickle dip around the net for awhile and I thought to myself, "self, you  know you'd love this dip, but wouldn't you really love it with some of those Fire 'n Ice Pickles? Oh yes, indeed!

It's really just a classic sour cream and cream cheese dip made with the addition of pickles, some spicy style of pickles that you've made up yourself or some you've picked up from the store. I used Fat Mama's Fire and Ice Pickles from Fat Mama's Tamales up in Natchez, MS, because I remembered seeing them on the shelf when I had my book signing at Poppy's Gifts in downtown Ocean Spring, MS a while back, so I knew she carried them. If you're ever in town in the Biloxi/Ocean Springs area, you just have to stop by Poppy's. She has an amazing collection of beautiful and unique merchandise, perfect for gift giving. You'll find her shop just over the tracks at 922 Washington Avenue.

Memories! One of my book signings, when Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes, a book you asked for, finally got published!

By the way, several of you have asked about signed copies of my cookbook, Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes, so be sure to check in the back where she keeps local cookbooks and hopefully she'll still have some hanging around!  Of course, you can also find my cookbook unsigned on Amazon, where you can also buy some spicy pickles.

Serve with veggies or a sturdy potato chip.

Anyway, if you like the fire of a spicy pickle, do look for a good spicy pickle for this dip - something like Wickles Pickles will work well too - whatever your favorite is. Of course, if you prefer to keep this a bit more on the mild side than the wild side, you can use plain pickles. Serve this dip with veggie strips or a good, sturdy, kettle style chip. I chose Zapp's Salt and Vinegar which were a great match for the pickle dip, and some Cape Cod Waffle Cut Sea Salt chips. Scoops are also good with this dip.

I made a half recipe in the photos here, only because I'll be the only one eating it. The Cajun isn't real big on pickles or dip. I don't know what's wrong with him! That's okay though, because this dip is delicious and I'm gonna enjoy every single bite.

Let's make some Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip y'all!

For more of my favorite dips recipes, check out my collection on Pinterest!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

We need your help! There's no paywall on Deep South Dish - recipes, step by step photos and printables are available at no cost to our readers, however, advertising featured on the blog helps to pay for the groceries. If you enjoy the blog but you're using an ad blocker, please consider whitelisting Deep South Dish so I can keep the blog going!

Yum

Recipe: Fire 'n Ice Pickle Dip

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish Prep time: 10 min Inactive time: 2 hours Total time: 2 hours 10 min Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 (1 ounce) packet of dry ranch dressing mix

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1-1/2 cups chopped homemade Fire 'n Ice or other similar spicy pickle (such as Wickles) or pickle relish

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno

1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

2-4 tablespoons pickle juice, or as needed for desired consistency

Instructions

Whip cream cheese, add sour cream and blend. Add ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce and fresh dill, and mix until well blended. Fold in pickles, jalapenos and onions; add pickle juice 1/2 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes then stir before serving; serve with kettle or ridged potato chips, pretzel chips or veggie sticks (celery, carrots).

Variation: Add in 1 cup of minced baked ham or coarsely chopped cooked shrimp.

Pickle Roll Dip Variation: Reduce chopped pickle or pickle relish to 1/2 cup and add in 1/3 cup chopped deli ham, bacon or chopped dried beef.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

PRINT THIS

Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!

©Deep South Dish

☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.

Check These Recipes Out Too Y’all!

Hissy Fit Dip Classic 70s 7-Layer Mexican Dip Hot Corn Dip

Posted by Mary on August 13, 2018

Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

150630

..

Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2018/08/fire-n-ice-pickle-dip.html

[indiealt]

Unpopular Opinion: Exclusion in A Day Without a Woman

On March 8th, International Women’s Day, women across the globe were told to resign from a day of work in an effort to show the world what it would look like if women were suddenly not around. Along with this request, there were two “easier” options to show support for those who could not afford, quite literally, to take the day off. The options included wearing red and simply not shopping or only shopping at local, women-owned shops. And the affirmation for the day? “A day without a woman reaffirms our commitment to the principles of unity which were collaboratively outlined for the women’s march”.—Women’s March on Washington

There are two parts to this request that can be seen as problematic. The first being that while this was a day to show unity amongst women, it excluded a large number of them. I consider myself to have a decent job, with somewhat decent benefits regarding paid days for vacation or sick time. I work at a liberal university, in a liberal office, with very liberal colleagues. The majority of my office participated in the Women’s March. Several of us regularly wear “pro-feminist” hats, pins, and t-shirts to work without a second-thought as to what others would think. We share news articles with anti-trump, pro-abortion, and general “wtf is happening” messages. If any office were to be expected not to show up on March 8, it would have been us.

And yet, everyone showed up. In fact, there wasn’t even a discussion about whether or not any of us would take the day off. Two of us wore red, and that was that. And quite truthfully, I can’t explain why i didn’t skip. I just didn’t. I could have, but i didn’t. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I decided I wanted to save those vacation days for travelling, not walking around Minnesota in the middle of winter, or sitting at home “protesting”.

Now, given the fact that I come from such an office who held the silent understanding that we wouldn’t be participating, I was sure that this day would be less than successful as far as turnout goes. My Facebook feed was full of women posting about their inspirational mothers, people had changed their profile pic to adorn a pro-lady message, etc., etc.. But, I didn’t see a single post, from women who I actually knew (not just a link to an article of some random woman), that had actively skipped work that day. I saw images on Facebook of women who I didn’t know in NYC and Washington D.C. carrying signs and marching and the first thing that popped into my head was — I wonder what they do for work. Did they work a job in which they just happened to have the day off? A job in which they could have easily called their boss and let them know they’d be participating? Are they themselves bosses or women with positions “in power” that meant they could make their own rules for the day? Really, what all these questions are getting to is just one thing — did they risk their job by attending? And if yes, is this job vital to their well-being?

There are jobs, in the past, that I’ve held throughout high school or college that I know would have frowned upon me calling in to support this cause. I don’t think I would have been fired from such jobs, but it definitely would have been a bigger possibility than at the job I currently have, and i know for a fact that there are jobs out there that women hold who would have been fired on the spot had they told their bosses they weren’t showing up on the 8th. I also know that some of these jobs would be considered “vital” or in other words, if they had been fired, it would have meant going without food until finding their next job, or not being able to pay rent, or not going to the doctor when they need to, etc.. And I would assume that many of these women, who faced such a decision, weighed their options and felt excluded based on the decision they had to come to. The ultimatum that they had to make was whether or not they wanted to stand with their fellow female force and demand rights, or whether they wanted to go to work and secure their paycheck.

It begs the question of whether or not women who come up with these ideas and decide for us what we are doing, really realize how many women they alienate in the process. And to make that wound a little deeper for the women who are not able to participate, they offer up the secondary choice of wearing red. Really? When we are constantly being told to be active and not passive in this political climate, it’s hard to understand why the message would be to either take this big stance and skip work or simply “wear red”. And I don’t mean to slam anyone who wore red. I wore red. I wanted to wear red. I wanted to see a sea of red when I walked out of my front door and was disappointed when that wasn’t the case. Not even close… And yet, I felt stupid for thinking that wearing red really meant something. That wearing red was an “active” sign of protest and that it would make some sort of difference. Because I really don’t think that it will. I think that taking to the streets, calling up politicians, boycotting, voting, and so much more is what will make a difference. But it will only make a difference if we stop alienating.

This isn’t an easy task. In some way or another we tend to exclude. We don’t think about those who live different lives than ours. Or we consider it the “minority” and therefore push it to the side. We make way for primarily white, wealthy, feminism. We forget about how many we exclude when we use this angle, an angle that is true for a lot of us, but not for the majority of us. We believe that this will be enough. That this will be the change. We need to realize and actively change the way we see feminism. Feminism needs to be inclusive. It needs to include people of color. It needs to include LGBTQ. It needs to include handicap. And, it also needs to include those who don’t hold the same political views. This was, after all, a day to support women, not just liberal women. There is even an argument out there that says it also needs to include pro-lifers. I’m not ready to be that inclusive…

Nonetheless, A Day Without A Woman cannot be an achievement for feminism if we choose to leave our fellow women behind.

[firedupreadytogousa-blog]

Day 14 (2/1): Trump Said There Would Be A Shake-up in Washington… He Wasn’t Expecting It to Come From #TheResistance

Featuring: - The Resistance Report- Avoid Resistance Burnout Be Strategic- Upcoming Meetings/Actions-

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the inauguration and most of us have been protesting, calling, writing, emailing, and shaming our elected (and, in the case of #PresidentBannon, unelected) officials in the government like our lives depend on it… and they certainly do. Yet it seems like every time we turn on the TV, more and more demoralizing shit goes down which leaves us wondering… is this even working? In the long term will this have any affect? And the answer so far is YES and YES!

This Report Is Dedicated to my Brothers and Sisters of the Resistance Movement. Their Amazing Resolve and Selflessness Inspires Me To Keep Fighting Every Day. 

- RESISTANCE REPORT- WE’RE STARTING TO SHAKE UP WASHINGTON

 The large scale protests are working and we are something #PresidentBannon and co didn’t plan for! And there are some pretty tangible FACTS of how #TheResistance movement is having an impact:

- Trump’s visit to Harley Davidson was canceled because they were afraid we would show up. They were probably wise to do so because we would have been there!

- We’ve woken up the Democratic party, to an extent, and given them the confidence on the Federal and State level to show some gumption and take on Tyranny!

State Democrats are pledging to fight Trump’s Immigration #MuslimBan EO. And Republicans Joined in as well! That’s right, Republicans! If you have a minute this week give them a call, tell them you are a democrat and you support them opposing the ban! We will need them to win.

The Senate Dems boycotted 2 votes of Trump’s Cabinet yesterday and Today they boycotted Scott Pruitt’s EPA confirmation hearing. The Republicans may have so shadily changed the rules to vote them on anyway, but the Dems digging their heels in is a good sign for the #resistance.

However, it’s not all peachy on the Dem side. These senators are still voting through Trump’s Cabinet picks. If these are your senators it’s time to pay them a visit at their offices, jam the phone lines and fax machines, and tell them to get with the program. NYC seems to have gotten Schumer on the right track by holding “What The F$#k Chuck” rallies and protests outside his house and office weekly. Let’s get these others into the fold!

- New York City Yemeni-run grocery stores will shut down from 12pm-8pm tomorrow in protest of the immigration #MuslimBan.

- Federal hiring freeze is reversed for VA (Veteran Affairs).

- Courts order Partial stay of the immigration ban for those with valid visas.

- Green card holders can get back in country… for now. Bannon still wants this in the ban.

- Uber pledges $3M and immigration lawyers for its drivers after #DeleteUber trends on Twitter.

- Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) enrollment ads are still aired despite order to cancel.

- The ACLU raised $24M over the weekend (normally 3-4Mil/year). So we can consider spreading the love now.

- HHS, EPA, USDA gag order is still in place, but EPA contracts and grants were released

- EPA climate data is no longer scrubbed from the whitehouse.gov website.

- More people of different career/religious/economic/race backgrounds are considering running for political office than ever before.

- MOST importantly, since we live in a participatory democracy, the people are engaged.

 THIS IS WORKING! These Mass Protests are amazing, and the show of force that we’ve been able to display nationwide is insanely important when combatting #alternativefacts about: public approval, amplifying our voices, and passing this presidency off as polotics as usual! Continue to fight for what is right out of LOVE for our fellow citizens, LOVE for our neighbors, LOVE for humanity, and LOVE for our country.

 -AVOID RESISTANCE BURNOUT: BE STRATEGIC & GO DEEPER ON KEY ISSUES!

For many of us, this is the first time we have EVER participated in activism at this level. Which is great, but, how do we make sure our efforts are actually going to bring about change? This is the million-dollar question groups all over the country are working on. Luckily we don’t have to re-invent the wheel because there are minority activists, LGBTQ activists, environmental activists, etc. who have been doing this for DECADES, and luckily they are on our side.

One thing I’m quickly discovering is that participating solely in events at the Macro level can A) start to fatigue you very quickly and B) bring about some small wins that give us instant gratification, but still fail to address the root cause of the problem (i.e. ACLU was granted a stay for the immigration ban, but it only prevented people with Green Cards from being deported. There will be a larger and longer fight that is needed to get the full ban amended). Local Level/ Grassroots Activist Groups affect policy change long term and allow for you to keep up the energy to fight over the next 4 years.

So how can you prevent Burnout?

1) Prioritize

I know FOMO is real, but you cannot go to every protest, every rally, every meeting, etc. (OMG I sound like my mother). So it’s important to pick and choose what you can make it to, while still maintaining your personal responsibilities and obligations. There are literally Resistance related activities planned every day for the month of February in NYC (full list at end of post). If you couldn’t drop everything and go to JFK or Battery Park, that’s ok! You can make another one that will be equally important.

 2) Join A Local Activist Group

These activist groups are full of experts who know exactly how to mobilize, organize, and connect with surrounding working groups to make a lasting impact. Some groups are set up where they are tackling multiple issues, and some are more strategic focusing on a singular issue (like healthcare, immigration, etc.). Up to you to choose which one suits you best.

Groups can also help keep you apprised of other actions that are going on that you can participate in as well as connect you to other resisters who are taking part so that you don’t have to go at it alone. They also have resources to tap into if you want to take a particular action and need some help. Most importantly, this is a great way to help stay grounded and focused on the mission, and find support from people who are as outraged as you are that want to do something about it.

So how do you find a group? Go to Move-on.org and sign up for notifications or TheIndivisibleGuide.org. I used the indivisible guide to find the group I’m in called Rise & Resist NYC.

 3) Choose 1 Issue to Go Deeper On

Just like with your protest itch, you fight the urge to try and fight every single issue the Trump administration is rapid firing our way! It is impossible. That being said, it is important to focus your energy on the topics you feel most compassionate about while being confident in knowing others are doing the same for the other important issues. Remember we’re all a team and we can divide and conquer.

My Rise & Resist NYC group contains several different working groups designed to tackle specific issues. I joined the “2018 Midterm Elections” action group focusing on New York State Congress! Our goal is to make sure we flip every red district possible in New York, and turn all the “light” blue districts dark blue. If this is something you are passionate about, consider joining Rise & Resist NYC. OR, if you’d rather work on the Federal Level with the national midterm elections, consider joining United Thru Action, as they are working on this right now

 4) Work at Wearing Down Your Representatives

One of the big reasons we’re seeing a shift in the democratic party is because we make it a point to hound our Senators every week. We go to their offices, their homes, and public events they attend to remind them of what we (their constituents) think is best for us, that they work for us, and that we will not go away. From a strategy standpoint this is key! This is how the tea party singlehandedly help win the republicans the House and then the Senate this last year.

So consider joining a rally at your Republican or Democratic Senator’s office. Moveon.org organizes one every Tuesday for #ResistTrumpTuesdays, find out when the next one is by signing up for alerts here. In person visits are the most powerful, but calls are also effective. And if they turn off the phones, you can try writing a letter or faxing them, yes you heard that right, fax them. Find your Senator’s Contact INFO HERE and FAX numbers HERE. When you write or call, state your name and zip code and then question them on their voting records, which you can find here, and let them know if you are disappointed and how it affects you personally.

Also consider rallying at one of your Federal or State Congressman/woman’s next town hall meeting to speak up and discuss issues. This is an angel’s living database of all upcoming Town hall meetings for all Congressmen/women. People with Republican Reps or Senators, it is crucial that you join groups doing this so you can remind the Republicans this is NOT Politics as usual, so stop acting like it. Attend when you can. I guarantee you will not be alone.

 5) Every Little Bit Counts: Donations Will Continue to be BIGLY. This is a 4 Year Fight:

The same logic applies to donations! Again, you cannot donate all your money to every cause, that would be extremely unwise, especially with this administration because you would be poor and they would just kick you to the curb. So consider funding local grassroots movements who are fighting tactically at the local level on your behalf. Some NYC Groups to Consider:

- DRUM (Desis Rising Up & Moving)

- CAIR (Counsel on American-Islamic Relations)

- IRC (International Rescue Committee)

 -ACTIONS- AS A CONSTIUENT YOU HOLD ALL THE POWER!

ACTIONS FOR TODAY & TOMORROW AM (INSANELY IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON THIS WEEK)! CALL, FAX, GO TO SENATOR’S OFFICES! Find you Senator’s Contact INFO HERE. Find a local protest event HERE. Find FAX numbers HERE.

 CRUCIAL UPCOMING CABINET VOTES

1) Jeff ‘too racist to be an Alabama Fed Judge’ Sessions committee vote is TUESDAY 1/31 at 10AM! ANYONE Dem or Republican who votes yes for this guy deserves to be on your SHIT LIST FOR LIFE. Never forget who thought this was ok. ASK FOR A DELAY! HE wrote some of the language in the Muslim Ban!

2) Betsy ‘Guns should be in Schools to fight Grizzlies’ Devos- Department of Education. WE ONLY NEED 1 MORE REPUBLICAN TO FLIP TO GUARANTEE SHE DOESN’T GO THROUGH. She is unfit to serve.

3) Andrew Puzder- Department of Labor: Hates the Department of Labor, yet wants to run it… to DESTROY IT.

4) Rick Perry- Department of Energy: Vowed he wanted to get rid of it, was nominated for it, had no idea what it did, acknowledges he’ll have a learning curve, but still wants it… hmmmm this position involved looking after our Nukes… hmmm. *Palm to face*

 UPCOMING DEMONSTRATIONS & TRAININGS- Join Events in Links

NYC- Cick Here for a Full LIST of NYC events and Trainings. There is literally something every day because NYC is awesome!

Washington DC

1/29 (SUN) 10am: Oppose Betsy DeVos! Columbus Circle, Washington DC

4/15 (SAT): Tax Day Rally to demand Trump turn over his Taxes. Everywhere. Link will show you where your local march is

4/29 (SUN): People’s Climate March

5/6 (SAT) 10am-5pm: The Immigrant’s March on Washington

6/11 (SUN) 10am-6pm: National Pride March

 Podcasts To Follow: (Actively Stay Informed)

POD Save America (Formerly Keeping it 1600)

POD Save the World

Robert Reich Resistance Report Facebook Videos (He posts everyday on his Facebook page so follow it!)

Dan Rather’s new Media Page “News And Guts”

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense"--Winston Churchill.