Social Activism in the Age of Trump: What To Do and What We Are Doing

kingfish on fire this afternoon, great points expressed very well.

i'm in deep blue western washington so ymmv but the organizing around the bernie campaign has morphed into an ongoing progressive network here that just took over the chairmanships of our local legislative district, and are also coordinating protests to keep a public restroom open 24hrs for the houseless here to use. lots of ordinary folks of all ages and plenty of small business owners are involved, it's a great thing to be a part of and is going a long way towards keeping me sane

I'll clarify what I'm talking about here, cuz I'm sure you all would love to hear it. What I'm just pointing out is the language here used is coming from a self-focused angle. "restoring my sanity" "therapeutic" "stress-relieving", it's always focused on the self, "how am I...". But that's never cut it with trying to help other people in the past. The last progressive movement made some gains after a lot of people stood up for each other and were willing to take bullets to the gut and get their skulls cracked open for themselves, their families, their neighbors, and for future generations. Either that or you appeal to the selfishness of the decision makers, and that also takes a lot of guts and strategy.

I doubt they were doing it for stress relief. "This organizational meeting was the perfect thing for my mental health, I feel so relieved." It's like, you're all about to get into a giant knife fight with people way more powerful and way more vicious than you, and I just think it's funny to consider it in these very pampered, very self-focused terms, when you're staring down some heavy shit with some very brutal and cunning people behind it who like their power, would like to keep it, and won't give it up unless you got something good to give them. You got millions of bucks over here?

The left has lost 100% completely and utterly. Totally decimated. Complete failure. Flushed down the toilet. Pack up the tents, it's over, folks. So that doesn't inspire some soul searching? Of course not, because that would go against the therapeutic value of all this, too stressful, too uncomfortable. Whatever, I'm sitting this shit out, I've seen how the sausage is made, and I'm good.

Yes, please do that, thanks. We'll let you know how your strawmen fare with their stress relief.

Those strawmen were direct quotes from people in this thread. I just don't think a lot of contemporary Americans even know the concept of how to sacrifice and make personal risks to help others for no gain of their own. It's like a foreign concept in this country. Netflix and the comfy chair, activism as a mental health day. I'd love it if people kept proving me wrong.

how are you helping

flag posting larry appleton is therapeutic

I grew up helping people. I've stood up to groups of bullies harassing kids, like one girl whose father had just died and they were tormenting her about it. I stood up to that shit at risk of getting the shit beaten out of me, and yes, I've gotten the crap kicked out of me for standing up for people.

I've sacrificed jobs and the strength of my career disobeying orders from supervisors to help people who were going to be sent to utter hell for no damn good reason, or standing up for people who were getting unfairly assaulted.

Story of my life is doing things like this. I've helped real people and I've gotten punched, beaten, fired, demoted, etc., for it. But it was worth it because I know how much life can suck, and I know what it's like when cowardly, soft-handed, pampered little shits are more concerned with their comfort than doing what needs to be done to help others.

So that's where some of my cynicism comes from, and I get those vibes when I hear these things talked about in such terms like "oh it was such a comfort for me to ..." blah blah blah. I know what that shit is, and I know it's no good.

Flag away, flag away. Whatever.

Eh, whatever, this the last time I'm going to post in this thread.

― larry appleton, Monday, December 19, 2016 4:06 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, sorry for derailing the circle jerk here. Definitely doesn't prove my point.

i get the sense you dont really like people, though

words are wind

I grew up helping people. I've stood up to groups of bullies harassing kids, like one girl whose father had just died and they were tormenting her about it. I stood up to that shit at risk of getting the shit beaten out of me, and yes, I've gotten the crap kicked out of me for standing up for people.

I've sacrificed jobs and the strength of my career disobeying orders from supervisors to help people who were going to be sent to utter hell for no damn good reason, or standing up for people who were getting unfairly assaulted.

Story of my life is doing things like this. I've helped real people and I've gotten punched, beaten, fired, demoted, etc., for it. But it was worth it because I know how much life can suck, and I know what it's like when cowardly, soft-handed, pampered little shits are more concerned with their comfort than doing what needs to be done to help others.

So that's where some of my cynicism comes from, and I get those vibes when I hear these things talked about in such terms like "oh it was such a comfort for me to ..." blah blah blah. I know what that shit is, and I know it's no good.

― larry appleton, Monday, December 19, 2016 9:35 PM (twenty-one minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

what is the point of this patronizing bullshit

like you're the only person who has ever sacrificed for someone else

this election is really bringing the worst out of everyone

yeah

Nah, it's bringing plenty of good out in plenty of people, as evidenced throughout this thread and in so much of the stuff I see people doing to counter the worst. But, while I'm not mad at larry for feeling what he's feeling or saying what he's saying, that is why I'm mad at him for constantly dragging those things into a space where we're huddled around a minute flicker of hope.

It's bringing out the douchemax in about 3 or 4 people as far as I can tell. Everyone else is getting a lot more interested in the universe beyond voting and that should be terrifying to status quo guardians; which probably explains mr. appleton's position more than any allegations of nihilism

I don't have to make another explainer post about what I meant, right? I mean, most of you got what I was aiming at?

"Sacrificing for someone else"...where I come from, people are working-class, they're not privileged white college kids from expensive universities. They are sacrificing FOR THEMSELVES. That's what puts me off this "altruism" bullshit. A lot of us are trying to save our own asses, trying to save our communities from neglect and deterioration that will certainly get worse under Trump. I don't have the time or resources to be "altruistic", I stopped going to church for a reason, don't need another controlling ideology in my life. There is plenty of shit where I live that needs doing and I get involved in it because my quality of life will improve.

The left has lost 100% completely and utterly. Totally decimated. Complete failure. Flushed down the toilet. Pack up the tents, it's over, folks. So that doesn't inspire some soul searching? Of course not, because that would go against the therapeutic value of all this, too stressful, too uncomfortable. Whatever, I'm sitting this shit out, I've seen how the sausage is made, and I'm good.

― larry appleton

larry, you're doing a pretty terrible job at "get the hell out of the way". this is the way, and you're standing there.

because christ on a crutch, performative defeatism is even more obnoxious than being performatively woke.

where I come from, people are working-class, they're not privileged white college kids from expensive universities. They are sacrificing FOR THEMSELVES.

^this otmfm

There is plenty of shit where I live that needs doing and I get involved in it because my quality of life will improve.

THE ABSOLUTE BASIC BUILDING BLOCK OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, RIGHT HERE. When people say "What will I get out of this?" the answer for frontline communities is "The quality or circumstances of my daily life will improve."

Eh, whatever, this the last time I'm going to post in this thread.

― larry appleton, Monday, December 19, 2016 4:06 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

larry lied, social activism threads died

TIL about the Truman Project.

https://truman.runforoffice.org/

http://trumanproject.org/home/

wait appleton isnt losted

hiya! I haven't been following this thread in detail but I know there are some good organisers and activists here - some British leftist journalist friends of mine are going to the US in January and looking to find out about and talk to people. If you are or you know anything important going on in NYC, Washington DC, Raleigh or Baltimore hit me up?

hmm pretty sure something's happening in DC in January but I just can't remember what it is

that is, presumably, why they're going

That seems kind of broad. What kinds of things? Protests? Meetings? I mean the resurgence of interest in DSA seems like maybe an interesting story.

as someone who started following/gave to DSA recently i've also started digging around various lefty forums and my god i'd sorta forgotten just how easily splintered we are over ideological purity

Has this been posted?

https://medium.com/@kaarenhaldeman/ten-pro-tips-on-how-to-survive-the-next-presidency-from-the-people-of-north-carolina-f6bb51c70624#.ydnniwrzd

just how easily splintered we are over ideological purity

Yeah, there are a lot of bad habits still around and evolving past them will be painful and stupid

That seems kind of broad. What kinds of things? Protests? Meetings? I mean the resurgence of interest in DSA seems like maybe an interesting story.

― the last famous person you were surprised to discover was actually (man alive), Thursday, December 22, 2016 5:07 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

grassroots organisations, movements, activist campaigns, seeds of protest. that sort of thing

"Purity" is a trigger word for me *ha-ha* It seems to me it's often employed when there are real, substantive differences at issue.

An acquaintance of mine wanted to find a resistance group to work with. They had trouble not over some idealized notion of radical purity but indeed real, substantive differences. Like: I believe Israel has serious moral problems and needs to fix itself; they believe Israel is a pariah, as oppressive as South Africa, and an artificial construct and that shouldn't even be on the map anyway. Later, Someone brought in a American flag that had QUEER written across it in glitter. Reportedly some were upset by the use of the flag because it stands for racism, slavery, and colonialism. There were some people who believed it was okay to reappropriate the symbol, take it back, and apply it to good purposes; others felt too oppressed by the flag's bloody history. I'm paraphrasing here for privacy but that's the gist of it.

All I can say is that I hope there are equally vociferous differences dividing the right.

There were some people who believed it was okay to reappropriate the symbol, take it back, and apply it to good purposes; others felt too oppressed by the flag's bloody history

it's not often the flag really does stand so neatly for the country

https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/12/21/draintheswamp-and-the-structure-of-power/

Chicago Review of Books says it will not cover any Simon & Schuster books in 2017 as a result of the Yiannopolous book deal:

https://twitter.com/bookschicago/status/814544045825474561

really? of all the shits who have gotten published? drama queens.

I have been hearing radio ads on a Baltimore rap/r'n'b station for this upcoming Al Sharpton sponsored Jan. 14th march in DC, but little to no mention elsewhere (especially compared to the attention the women's march the following weekend). Here's one article about it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2016/12/15/rev-al-sharpton-to-host-rally-ahead-of-inauguration-there-must-be-an-organized-resistance-movement/?utm_term=.1af659e91d7b

Rev. Al Sharpton will bring together prominent black activist groups for a rally ahead of Inauguration Day, setting the stage for what he says will be a full-force resistance from him and other black leaders during the presidency of Donald J. Trump.

The “We Shall Not be Moved” rally on Jan. 14 in Washington will focus on voting rights, criminal justice, healthcare and economic justice. Sharpton’s group, National Action Network, along with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Urban League and Black Women’s Roundtable are hosting the event on the National Mall.

Bizarre that anybody still trusts/listens to sharpton but sure u go bro

whatever you do, keep it outside the caca Democratic Party

yes, teaming up with the KKK and the FSB is a much better option for real change. That's what you're doing, right Doctor?

The real resistance: sniping from the sidelines at people who give a shit, while constantly claiming that you actually care about stuff

oh i give a shit

it's too bad it doesnt matter

teaming up with the KKK

you're really an asshole, as ppl who barely know you are fully aware

Pot kettle! I have been able to string a coherent paragraph together from time to time, something that's consistently beyond your abilities

hey i know my limits

I like this bit on the problems with consensus decision-making on anything larger than a small group:

http://berkeleyjournal.org/2015/05/the-theology-of-consensus/

Which I think is going to be increasingly relevant as you get more and more people getting active whose last experience with any of this was Occupy, and so still have the unhelpful habits in place.