An obstacle to using mutual aid as a general organizing principle for an entire society is that whenever someone does something for me I feel the most embarrassed I've ever felt in my entire life Moreover, ICE must be destroyed - ThreadSky

miawong.bsky.social • 13 days ago

An obstacle to using mutual aid as a general organizing principle for an entire society is that whenever someone does something for me I feel the most embarrassed I've ever felt in my entire life

Moreover, ICE must be destroyed

Comments

davidforbes.bsky.social•13 days ago

I mean, same honestly but working with folks on mutual aid for long enough has brought it down to somewhat manageable levels.

busillis.bsky.social•12 days ago

Stanley Milgrim (that one) tried to run a study where students were paid to walk up to strangers on the subway and ask for their seat without any explanation.

A large majority of people would, but the study had to end because the students all quit within an hour or two from how painful it was.

busillis.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's natural to think that when we ask someone for something we give them a reason for why we need it so that they'll give it to us.

Often it's the other way around, and the reason is for the person doing the asking, not the person being asked.

scoobertdoobert69.bsky.social•13 days ago

I went to a pride library event where they were giving away books today. Literally begging people to take free books. TELL ME I STILL FELT WEIRD ABOUT TAKING THE FREE BOOKS. TELL ME WHY

scoobertdoobert69.bsky.social•13 days ago

THEY WERE FUCKING FREE. FREE GAY BOOKS. MY DREAM!

carnalclots.bsky.social•12 days ago

Genuinely, when I've worked with mutual aid groups in the past, they would offer to let me take ready meals home and even offer to run them to my apartment for me. And despite, me being very poor and eating unhealthily at the time. I was just so embarrassed to accept anything.

carnalclots.bsky.social•12 days ago

Like, when I needed rent help: I literally sold things I cared about, all while I literally spent many of my days with people who did exactly the aid I needed.

I do think this is a genuine inhibitor to progress of wide-spread mutual aid. A lot of people, just wouldn't consider themselves in need.

carnalclots.bsky.social•12 days ago

When you're poor, you have this ego and humility about it. You see people in worse situations and deduce that your problems aren't real, due to more immediate problems existing. My dad likes to phrase it as: "I just think my day is bad."

carnalclots.bsky.social•12 days ago

A working poor person, could literally go hungry everyday in a way upper-class people would understand as hunger. While, we don't even realize it: I've genuinely noticed, that I eat far less and expect to eat far less, than people from wealthier backgrounds. That's just what I've been accustomed to.

mishacopyninja.bsky.social•13 days ago

Ok but if you don’t ask for help when you need it and things get worse then two things happen:
For one, you’ve spent extra time in a shit hole that could’ve been spent building something else or helping someone else.
But seconds, at some point you need even more urgent help.

Ask me how I know.

darthmassey.bsky.social•13 days ago

Let other people be nice and do things for you challenge.

danieljennagrouse.bsky.social•13 days ago

Asking for help is praxis and the real trick to setting up mutual aid networks is not finding people willing to help but figuring out how to make everyone ask for it and accept it.... and that fucking suuuuuucks