Rec | “LET THIS RADICALIZE YOU, RATHER THAN LEAD YOU TO DESPAIR”

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Rec'd on 🚽 How to Get out of the pit of despair caused by where tf this country/world is rn

“let this radicalize you, rather than lead you to despair”

- seconding the recommendation to grieve! ❤️‍🩹 i think it in someways can be worsened being in a society that is largely undergoing mass denial around things like rising authoritarianism, that the pandemic is still happening, militarized police, economic/social inequality, etc… so i think taking a moment to feel and acknowledge the validity of your feelings is valuable because society at large is just avoiding acknowledging any of this stuff, partly bc the government doesn’t want us to my other recommendations are: - don’t doomscroll! ❌ idk if i think tuning out completely can be entirely helpful because it might reverse psychology into worrying about what news you’re missing out on. so i recommend being more mindful of when/where you‘re viewing news. for example, i try not to scroll twitter past 9/10 at night and set my phone settings to not let me lol. so before bed and when i first wake up i’m not immediately looking at the news! i recommend this - readddd! 📖 i saw some other ppl recommend it and honestly it has helped me a lot. maybe look into things like speculative fiction too, but a book i will recommend is let this radicalize you by kelly hayes and mariame kaba. the book is intended for new organizers but i think it can apply to anyone just curious about organizing or people who organize. personally i have been more serious about organizing for a year and a half, and reading the book this year really helped me feel less hopeless. the idea that we keep us safe (which sucks but also empowers us to think outside of govt structures that fail us) and that we always have the freedom of our imagination to envision a new world… ✨ the book is really good. i also recommend adrienne maree brown’s work, specifically her book emergent strategy and also her podcast and instagram. she’s really great.

@marxinista

Jun 29, 2024

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@royallmonarch

i’m seriously considering going to divinity school and concentrating in social justice/community organizing so j can apply my MBA and my radicalization towards change and not just being a contrarian in some corporate environment haha. I really do think that communal action is getting traction among the younger generations, all that’s needed is people to present opportunities to engage and be involved and people will participate

Jun 29, 2024

@marxinista

also i forgot to include: doing mutual aid projects (like food not bombs, harm reduction, etc), community volunteering (food bank, animal shelter, etc), or organizing on an issue you are interesting in addressing will not only have the possibility of you feeling like you’re “doing something”, it will also surround you by others who feel and care similarly. like i said a lot of ppl are in denial (on purpose or without realizing) so being around others who are dedicating some time to intentionally thinking about and fixing our conditions is really nice, at least in my experience

Jun 29, 2024

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