I hope we Americans can let go of our desire to be the individual Chosen One who leads the rebellion and punches every Nazi. Organizing is hard, it takes experience and resources and time. Stop fantasizing about being a superhero. Start joining existing groups and be part of collective action. - ThreadSky

lizwfab.bsky.social • 110 days ago

I hope we Americans can let go of our desire to be the individual Chosen One who leads the rebellion and punches every Nazi. Organizing is hard, it takes experience and resources and time. Stop fantasizing about being a superhero. Start joining existing groups and be part of collective action.

Comments

eddieakiba.bsky.social•109 days ago

I'm a leftist and live in the middle of nowhere USA Trump country where collective activism is nigh impossible. It's hard not to feel isolated, alone, and powerless. As a Buddhist, my small act of resistance is to exist, be a good person, and let others like me know they are not alone and are loved

pbreader.bsky.social•109 days ago

Are there literally no humans where you are? Who is feeding people who need help ? Are there people providing access to books or clothes? Where do the LGBTQ+ youth need support? This isn't a criticism. Simply thoughts about how to get involved or start it yourself with any like minded people.

eddieakiba.bsky.social•109 days ago

My wife and I do our best to support our local LGBTQ+ community. We're friends with the person who runs a local youth shelter, volunteered to help hand out flyers last Pride, etc. But it's been hard because until last week, I worked the graveyard shift for almost a decade. We can do more though

pbreader.bsky.social•109 days ago

Do what you can. It matters ❤️

ouchdathoyt.bsky.social•109 days ago

Zuck, Bezos, and Elmo had the means to be Batman, and they chose to be b list bond villains.

weirdlilctydweller.bsky.social•109 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/persian-slipper.bsky.social/post/3lahb5ock5t2j

catebridget.bsky.social•110 days ago

from a year ago: https://theonion.com/oppressed-exploited-masses-await-right-hot-guy-to-lead-1851015923/

jaishrijuice.bsky.social•109 days ago

😂😂😂

rivertalesien.bsky.social•108 days ago

Agree with all of the above, but there's so many of us. Collective action can go so ways wrong without a fixed point. I don't see a depressed, exhausted population pulling itself up without a voice, even symbolic, to center on.

ms-maya-b.bsky.social•109 days ago

@michelleobama said
#DoSomething!! so, dammit!

covingtonedu.bsky.social•109 days ago

As this UNESCO report documents, the purpose of education systems toward human flourishing has also been subverted around the world in favor of human capital, credntialism, individualism, & meritocracy.

https://bsky.app/profile/covingtonedu.bsky.social/post/3lahdyofuwd2f

teamquimby.bsky.social•110 days ago

Hey fellow dudes if you have a different opinion about this than the doc, you can do what I do and just shut the fuck up. It’s totally free. It’s awesome. They are a great resource if you want to organize or talk but if you want to be a lone-Wolf puncher that’s okey-doke. You don’t need to be HERE⬇️

mateuscf.comunidade.dev.br•109 days ago

🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝

thelepper.bsky.social•109 days ago

There's a quote attributed to Dorothy Day, "Everybody wants a revolution, but nobody wants to do the dishes." It's easy to get caught up in the big ideas, but we need dish washers and waffle makers to support the big ideas. I will gladly wash dishes and make waffles in the revolution.

herglorang.bsky.social•109 days ago

The head of a local organization had that lament: "Most people who volunteer for us want to Do Important Things. What we need is people to set up, do childcare during meetings/workshops, organize the food, clean up, etc."

xanadian.bsky.social•108 days ago

I recently realized that this makes it *more* likely for me to get involved. It's intimidating to think about doing Great Deeds, but I can stack some chairs or run a photocopier, you know? I think we should talk more about the entry-level shit. :-)

humblenovice.bsky.social•107 days ago

Yes, it's the little things that end up counting the most.

xanadian.bsky.social•107 days ago

And it's all, like, it's all continuous with the rest of life, is the thing. Politics isn't some separate thing that happens in a different universe. Everyone needs coffee or a ride or whatever. So that makes it more approachable too.

herglorang.bsky.social•107 days ago

I believe that every small gesture, every small kindness, affirmation, act of assistance, etc. builds our connections, our relationships, our strength, our communities. When I could do nothing else, I boosted local organization/agencies' posts of info/events/services on SM.

katbridges.bsky.social•109 days ago

"First, scrub the toilets" - Dorothy Day

rigor-motorist.bsky.social•109 days ago

But I wanna be played by Chris Evans in the movie they make about me punching Nazis

equitea.bsky.social•109 days ago

heavy on “joining existing groups”. heavy!!

woollahra.bsky.social•109 days ago

The real antifa has always been this: the man quietly spiking the drinks so the Nazis miss a critical scheduled time or end up somewhere with people more capable of causing violence.

woollahra.bsky.social•109 days ago

The real antifa has always been this: the person who, confronted in his face with an order, starts asking lots of awkward questions, safe in the question that as a civilian he should have more protections than anyone in government or military roles to decline to comply.

woollahra.bsky.social•109 days ago

The real antifa has always been this: the assembly line worker who quietly compromises his work when he knows it will be abused to oppress others. Could be a simple failure to wire weapons to work. Could be a simple trojan to make it bark like a dog and bounce when it should be killing civilians.

radianthostility.bsky.social•109 days ago

Speaking of https://www.gutenberg.org/files/26184/26184-h/26184-h.htm

woollahra.bsky.social•109 days ago

Not everyone is capable of carrying out violence or ending lives on the quiet. But everyone is capable of refusing to be part of the machine, if only they thought and cared about who it hurts.

suedeer.bsky.social•109 days ago

📌

kurovadlucky.bsky.social•109 days ago

I don't wanna be a chosen one!!!
I want us ALL to start choosing.

Cuz there ARE NO CHOSEN ONES.
Only the people who decide to make a choice!!!
3D2Y

synicism.bsky.social•109 days ago

Why? We've lost. Congress can literally unmake this country and there is nothing anyone outside of the military can do to stop it.

renewableclam.bsky.social•109 days ago

This would be easier if i did not live in the middle of nowhere.

mcwyrm.bsky.social•109 days ago

Not sure what you mean. In 1994 I lived in Souix County, NE - our nearest neighbors were 2 miles away as the crow flies.

That's the middle of nowhere and, sure, social functions of all kinds were difficult.

Today I live in a tiny town (<10k) in rural IN. There are multiple groups organizing.

mcwyrm.bsky.social•109 days ago

If there literally aren't people around, your prospects for organizing will be slim. It's true.

But otherwise ... where do queer or trans kids go for support in your community? Where do homeless people go for help? Look there.

pbreader.bsky.social•109 days ago

There's probably groups feeding people or helping people get access to books.

astro-cowboy.bsky.social•109 days ago

I get that being a superhero is unlikely. But if it helps motivate individuals to start to act I'm not sure what the harm is.

But sure, joining existing groups is the correct start.

josemarichal.bsky.social•108 days ago

👏👏👏

amdiamanti.bsky.social•109 days ago

This, and be prepared the exciting history book moments with rally the troops speeches are rare (if ever). The work is often a tedious daily grind. If a task like updating a resource list doesn’t satisfy your need fore adrenaline, maybe take up an extreme sport on the side.

kawaiicryptids.bsky.social•109 days ago

We're not gonna be the main character of an rpg irl, but we can still create change in our communities. Doesn't matter if it's small or large change. The point is that it helps

njsmith.bsky.social•109 days ago

Yep. You’re not the vanguard. Be sand in the gears instead. Feed kids. Protect Black women.

missinglink4.bsky.social•109 days ago

I'm having trouble finding local groups here in Southern Oregon. It looks like my local DSA chapter was dissolved in 2020. Do you have any resources that could help me find local progressive groups?

lilfern.bsky.social•109 days ago

Just jumping in here because I happen to know this one. There's lots of climate organizing down there because of the fires. Search southern oregon climate action.

missinglink4.bsky.social•109 days ago

Thank you!

eukaryotex.bsky.social•109 days ago

One of the frustrating things about nonprofits is that many of them want to do good, but duplicating the administrative burden amongst tons of small groups is extremely inefficient and prevents the big changes each group wants from being made.

reddog2.bsky.social•109 days ago

True. However, as organizations combine and grow, often the admin develops goals aligned with their own interests. It is a balance. Charity navigator provides good info on this.

eukaryotex.bsky.social•109 days ago

Yeah, my blanket statement lacked nuance, but it’s one of the issues that comes up when you have too many people trying to be the superhero themselves. There’s also a tendency to be a bad boss because they have certainty of their righteousness.

eukaryotex.bsky.social•109 days ago

I used to do regulation of charities, and the absolute worst vibes were with animal rights groups (think shelters, not necessarily PETA) and churches.

imaginarychicago.bsky.social•109 days ago

In what way?

lizwfab.bsky.social•109 days ago

Cool, so, where would you recommend people start of they want to help out in their communities?

eukaryotex.bsky.social•109 days ago

Find a local group that you agree with and volunteer for them.

Never ever give money to a solicitor on the phone. They’re a for-profit company and take 80-90% of the donation.

When volunteering, don’t question whether someone deserves it if they’re taking advantage of the system.

reddog2.bsky.social•109 days ago

For long term, I followed my interest in nature and help protect open space. For immediate needs, I support the local food bank. With the current politics, I will expand my sphere.

davehollis.bsky.social•109 days ago

Socialism is the answer to Fascism. It always was.

tessafisher.bsky.social•109 days ago

I really wish I lived in a city that had more options in terms for existing groups, but, tragically, I live in Phoenix, a city seemingly designed to make building solidarity and community as difficult as possible.

The closest we have is a chapter of the PSL, but they're way too cultish for me.

redwoodgirl.bsky.social•109 days ago

@themckenziest.gay and @acab4cutie.top: do you know of any good groups to organize with in Phoenix?

acab4cutie.top•109 days ago

first of all: @tessafisher.bsky.social i didn’t realize you were a fellow phoenician!! 👋🌵

second, i’m familiar with some harm reduction orgs but that’s my main scope of expertise. also i’ve worked w/ a local food not bombs chapter & w/ abortion clinic escort orgs—depends on what you’re looking for

tessafisher.bsky.social•108 days ago

Duly noted! I'll ask around and see.

elcinaz.bsky.social•109 days ago

Hi! 👋Mesa here. If you hear of anything, I'd love to know.

kateschapira.bsky.social•108 days ago

Have you already checked out https://www.tqpueblo.org/en/que-hacemos?

tessafisher.bsky.social•108 days ago

Yeah, I'm familiar with them, unfortunately I don't have any of the skillsets they're in need of, alas.

kateschapira.bsky.social•108 days ago

Ugh I hate that. That's true for a lot of the stuff in my town too

mcwyrm.bsky.social•109 days ago

I live in a tiny town in deep-red rural Indiana. In 2016 we also thought there weren't any exist8ng groups and we'd have to start our own.

It was **not** the case.

I assure you it's not the case in Phoenix either.

mcwyrm.bsky.social•109 days ago

There's a Food Not Bombs chapter in Phoenix. They have day-old posts on their Instagram. That'd be a good place to contact folk.

https://www.instagram.com/PHXFNB/

raallen86.bsky.social•109 days ago

Good organization. Hard pressed to find a better one to start with in your area.

kingyulian.bsky.social•109 days ago

Check out the Working Families Party, I think they do have a chapter in Phoenix. They do a lot of ground level grassroots activism.

tessafisher.bsky.social•109 days ago

Oh sweet, I've heard nothing but good things about WFP, but thought they were just in New York. I'll take a look!

kingyulian.bsky.social•109 days ago

They've chapters in several cities now. I'm not sure if they're in Arizona, but it's a good place to start

ninjamonkky.bsky.social•109 days ago

Absolutely this. The election was lost to Citizens United and Billionaires, not discounting other stuff, but money, bought the government. Local, real life, Community is the best weapon for change and defense now.

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

Also most of us will not make a national impact. But we might be able to work together to create an enormous impact in our neighborhoods or towns.

glennmuir.bsky.social•109 days ago

" . . . for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."

George Eliot, Middlemarch

teraphilia.bsky.social•110 days ago

I think a great starting place for everyone is to find the most vulnerable and do something productive to include them. Do your orgs mask at outreaches w vulnerable ppl? Do you have wheelchair ramps in ur organizing spaces? Can disabled participate or do you only see them as receivers?

seankosednar.bsky.social•109 days ago

Individuals’ hyper focus on the national level is one of the things that got us here. If people would have worked as hard electing city councils and school boards as they did presidents I don’t think we would be here.

debpete.bsky.social•109 days ago

💯

jyypdx.bsky.social•109 days ago

We’re doing this in Portland, OR with Portland for All. We helped elect progressive people to our county commission, and city council, and stopped a right-wing “democrat” from being elected mayor. It’s a bright spot on an awful week. https://Portlandforall.org

mightybattlecat.bsky.social•110 days ago

Yeah, there’s a very angry part of me that wants to punch Nazis a lot but practically speaking I think my place is gardener and scholar and occasionally being a newsie delivering papes.

(When Helene pummeled my town I typed up the local NPR news broadcasts for my neighborhood.)

christigarrett.bsky.social•110 days ago

I’ve been thinking about media a lot. Because it sure doesn’t seem like traditional media knows how to handle it.

mightybattlecat.bsky.social•110 days ago

It’s a twisty systemic problem for sure.

rahirah.bsky.social•109 days ago

One thing I've been doing is subscribing to all the independent media -- The Guardian, Bolts, 404, a couple others -- that I can afford right now. They're going to need the resources, because the big mainstream papers have already rolled over.

christigarrett.bsky.social•109 days ago

I’ve been trying to figure out who to support. That’s helpful. Thank you.

annaleehq.bsky.social•109 days ago

ProPublica too

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

It’s telling how many men are coming into this space to respond. Please, men, especially white cishets, sit with your feelings quietly and listen to the needs of people around you before you do or say anything.

kbenjaminstone.bsky.social•108 days ago

Wow, telling certain demos to shut the fuck up worked so well this time. Good luck with that.

sistersisyphus.bsky.social•109 days ago

But they get so lonely when they aren’t allowed to…

randytayler.bsky.social•109 days ago

lewis-medeiros.bsky.social•108 days ago

Everyone wants to be the "main character" of their personal life story. It's a little exhausting to witness. Ain't nothing wrong with being the Sam Gamgee instead of the Frodo Baggins or Aragorn, y'know?

gabriellehecht.bsky.social•109 days ago

On the plus side, found some dudes to block

ronickel.bsky.social•109 days ago

or just say nothing at all.

ajeffri.bsky.social•109 days ago

I guess we all wanna be Indiana Jones. smh

doctorwaffle.substack.com•109 days ago

Just had a convo with my BFF (with whom I've been doing organizing work for 20+ years) about how every single meeting, event, action we show up for is 99% women. And 95% middle-aged women. It's not glamorous; it's care work; it's painstaking; it's communitarian. The bros are not interested.

bluejacksky.bsky.social•109 days ago

If you are interested in joining a local group this is a good place to look...
https://weareworthfightingfor.org/

ronickel.bsky.social•109 days ago

and doing that makes a national impact. everyone just needs to do their bit, then when put together it covers the country if not the world. one slice at a time sometimes less and you can create a universe.

lynnf.bsky.social•110 days ago

https://weareworthfightingfor.org/

planetcarnival.bsky.social•109 days ago

📌

chrissprecher.bsky.social•110 days ago

But if we see one we can still punch a Nazi, right?

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

Haha, you’re very funny and smart and individual and need not listen at all.

eubanksengineeringresearch.com•110 days ago

In all seriousness there is a place for trying to enforce standards of decent behavior in public, particularly in blue communities where the MAGA is the minority.

This ideally should be a group effort.

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

Please define “standards of decent behavior.”

eubanksengineeringresearch.com•110 days ago

A MAGA harassing a woman at the bus station, people shouldn’t just be walking past.

He should be given a prompt invitation to the world, and ideally this would be done as a group action by the DOZEN OR SO bystanders so there’s no real danger of serious conflict.

btwnthesepages.bsky.social•110 days ago

Right? I can't do much on a national scale but I can volunteer for and help fund groups that protect the immigrants in my area. I can call my state reps and push for state assistance and protections. And it will make a difference to people here.

joekatz45.bsky.social•110 days ago

I wanna be a superhero. But it would be an honor to be shield carrier #14 as long as I feel like I'm not doing nothing

alexzoubine.bsky.social•109 days ago

I think there is room for both, no?

raisinlor.bsky.social•109 days ago

Where does one look to join existing groups because I def want in. Organizing is literally the most important thing we can do rn, but I have no idea where to find them

barbedelman.bsky.social•108 days ago

yep. resistance is a slog.

fwordleproblems.bsky.social•109 days ago

Stop fantasizing that a superhero is REQUIRED! They are not. We are better without them.

ironirma103.bsky.social•109 days ago

Even Superman has the Justice League

stayangry.bsky.social•109 days ago

Yes! I’m hearing from campaign leaders in California that the most effective campaigns this time around we’re knocking on doors and talking to people. Nothing else seem to work. It takes a lot of resources to knock on doors, and more everyone needs to get real comfortable with it.

jlbrown867.bsky.social•109 days ago

I saw some of this in 2016/early 2017 too. Folks I knew who wanted to *start* new orgs to do the things instead of looking for and joining established groups that were already doing it. Reinventing the wheel is wasting energy.

constantcait.bsky.social•109 days ago

The allergy to joining existing groups with infrastructure and resources is something I'll never understand about people my age and younger.

vfxpapa.bsky.social•109 days ago

It’s because they fantasize about leading it, more than they fantasize about the end result of change.

ouchdathoyt.bsky.social•109 days ago

Main character syndrome.

constantcait.bsky.social•109 days ago

I bet you're right. All I'll say is most of these orgs are desperate for younger leadership, so those folks should feel free to go find out what I found out, which is that leadership roles are often taxing, thankless and frustrating, and that there's lots of value in being a worker bee.

vfxpapa.bsky.social•109 days ago

Oh 💯

When I was younger, I had big aspirations of being in leadership roles. I worked really hard for years, and once I got there, it took very little time for those roles to absolutely grind me to dust.

Give me tasks, plz. Line items I can cross off a list and get that sweet sweet dopamine hit ❤️

constantcait.bsky.social•109 days ago

Same, same. I was asked to join three (!) boards in the last year and the only one I said yes to was the one where I could be secretary and have a very defined set of tasks to handle. That's the most anyone is getting from me.

jlbrown867.bsky.social•109 days ago

As someone who has led school parent volunteer orgs, I concur. Being the leader sucks. I vastly prefer being a worker bee.

constantcait.bsky.social•109 days ago

I'll support decent people who want to be leaders, but I won't do it myself. I'm not interested in having my every move second-guessed by know-it-all Greek choruses who don't do much themselves.

davehollis.bsky.social•109 days ago

It's often an egotistical thing to promote themselves. They don't even care about the cause they are representing.

granger451.bsky.social•109 days ago

This exists in every generation.

deramin.bsky.social•109 days ago

I've observed that younger people who don't like a decision an org makes jump straight to "This happened because all the people in this org are horrible and don't care about anyone but themselves and the whole culture is toxic so no one should support them and a new group should do it!"

deramin.bsky.social•109 days ago

Then you pay attention to literally anything from the org's leadership and it's mostly just, "We didn't have the money or volunteers. Grant money required this. We couldn't get permits at all or conditional on going along with some bullshit. We don't have the resources to fight legal requirements."

bubblepipemedia.bsky.social•109 days ago

My guess is it’s because they went to one of the groups (or perhaps a completely unrelated group) and felt at unease. Or maybe they were the cause of unease. But I can also just see nutty folks who want to be at the center of things doing it for sure.

My adhd butt is like you want to WHAT??

ausetbradford.bsky.social•109 days ago

I don't want to be a superhero. I just need an outlet for all this rage.

thx3188.bsky.social•109 days ago

....but i want to punch nazis
my granddad did it
i want to follow in his fiststeps

sacredblue22.bsky.social•108 days ago

I must make whatever effort I can in my own little corner of the world. If all I do is build community, hopefully that brings some comfort.

cranialbug.bsky.social•109 days ago

Always punch Nazis. Otherwise they will kill you.

herostratus356.bsky.social•109 days ago

Agree with all this but I want to add something. A lot of leftists don't realize that "collective action" means sometimes you do things you don't want to do. It means compromise and working with people you disagree with on some issues.

herostratus356.bsky.social•109 days ago

A lot of people join leftist groups because they're frustrated with compromise and the groups just splinter into ever smaller factions. The desire to never compromise is fundamentally individualist, which is the opposite of what collective action needs.

miasorada.bsky.social•110 days ago

Progress sometimes looks very mundane. “I sat in a room with others and we figured out how to write a paragraph.” HOLY SHIT DO YOU KNOW HOW AMAZING THAT IS

ksargent.bsky.social•109 days ago

"Don't Go It Alone! Punch Nazis Together!"

emilgson.bsky.social•109 days ago

Yep this, but I also hope it will not lead to ceding ground to libertarian/ right wing shit who precisely want us to do things locally / privately instead of organizing on a national level ( which would cost them).

winniethewitch.bsky.social•109 days ago

Yep Chosen One narratives have caused a LOT of damage.

eateator.bsky.social•109 days ago

Organizing vs talking almost daily with your friends and family about politics

jjpinwheel.bsky.social•109 days ago

Are you trying to imply that constantly comparing real-world political events to Star Wars is actually unhelpful

realphilgold.bsky.social•109 days ago

Making Nazis feel unwelcome is a necessity

haroldj.bsky.social•109 days ago

Can I at least punch some Nazis? As a treat?

red5.bsky.social•109 days ago

Also, even superheroes come to the knowledge and acceptance that lone wolfing it is dumb and ineffective. Hence the Justice League. Hence the Titans. Hence the BatFam. Collectivism works.

apocalypticdrift.bsky.social•110 days ago

Hard agree with everything you say. Collectivism rules. Also have to think of this quote for these times… “The required subject – a collective subject - does not exist, yet the crisis, like all the other global crises we’re now facing, demands that it be constructed” (Mark Fisher).

dabeav.bsky.social•109 days ago

This country suffers from an over abundance of main character syndrome.

andrewaltenburg.bsky.social•109 days ago

yes. And that is also part of the problem with that person who just got elected.

syogren.bsky.social•109 days ago

The one good thing about me being disabled is that it keeps me in check from actually thinking I have a chance in a violent situation. Attention issues, basically no wrist control, etc. etc. etc., this is just not happening.

Nonviolent support is all I can offer.

allmousedout.bsky.social•109 days ago

I haven't left my home because I'm still too angry.
I'm a disabled vet but I'm also trained in and very skilled in combatives. I don't feel like going to jail over an incel taunting me...because I'm fairly sure I'd do more than just punch.

...I hate being angry.
I'm ...usually just so happy.

bubblepipemedia.bsky.social•109 days ago

I agree with this so much, but also I cannot help but want to add a parenthesis joke to the end of it so it reads “…. Be part of a collective action. (To punch nazis. Together!)

But yea sure being sane and organized and listening is also cool and smarter

spiritomb.bsky.social•109 days ago

📌

kingyulian.bsky.social•110 days ago

Your sentiment reminds me this page from Superman: Secret Origins, we can't wait for a hero to save us, and we collectively have the power to save ourselves if we can recognize and harness it

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

Absolutely! (Could you repost with alt text, please?)

kingyulian.bsky.social•110 days ago

lizwfab.bsky.social•110 days ago

Thanks!

davemorris.bsky.social•109 days ago

Has Superman seen The Life of Brian?

mediawarrior.bsky.social•109 days ago

Ok MR live off land lone warrior. What happens if you are out in the wilderness fall and break a leg? You die of exposure, that's what.

mediawarrior.bsky.social•109 days ago

This is a team effort. Women are all about banding together while we Men, especially the MAGABROs think they can be lone badass.

alishagrauso.bsky.social•109 days ago

My God, this. Yes. Look, I'm really glad more people started paying attention and getting woke in the first Trump era. But the truth is, too many people still haven't grasped that effective activism is often boring, and grueling, and not glamorous or loud.

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