In light of the previous post, it occurred to me that part of powerlessness is
Not Knowing What Can Be Done
There's the obvious: Protesting in the streets. Calling your Representatives and Senators. Burning down the Patriarchy.
Not everyone is wired for big crowds, felonies, and telephone calls though. Here are some passive ways to protest or support that might be helpful:
Email your Representatives and Senators.
The addresses are relatively easy to find and often there are letters already written and available online.
Follow them on your social media.
Whoever came up with this idea should get a chocolate cake every Monday for the rest of their lives. You don't have to have a twitter account, it's just where they started:
Sign Online Petitions:
Make sure they're from reputable sites like Change.org or MoveOn.org or organizations/leaders you trust. They can increase your spam/email so just know that moving forward.
Volunteer/Donate to Organizations
Cash is always a good thing but not everyone can donate. See if there are volunteer options that are accommodating for your situation. Know that even $1 is helpful, no need for embarrassment if that's all you can give. $1 still helps toward a goal.
Stickers, Pins, Signs or Flags:
Put out flags in your yard, put signs in your windows. Let your neighbors know that you support them.
You can do the same on your vehicles but it creates the risk of damage to your vehicle, depending on where you live or work.
Do the same at your workplace, if it's allowed.
Remember Lucy's collar? We bought it at Mud Bay but I'm sure they're available everywhere.
Wear or Use your support: Every org has merch. Order tshirts, water bottles, or whatever. Make your own stuff to wear. Pay attention the "Wear Red/Orange/Purple/Jeans" days.
These are tiny little actions that may seem like not enough but to the person who spots them and feels supported and accepted? it's everything.
Organizations that I Follow:
MoveOn.org, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, Moms Demand Action, EveryTown, Occupy Democrats, The Lincoln Project, PlannedParenthood.org
Don't Sh*t Post on Social Media:
What does that mean, you might ask. That means just constantly reposting every meme, video, etc. on your feed. People will unfollow or block because they'll tire of it, even those who agree with you. I balance mine with Lucy and racecar photos and memes.
Be conscientious about what you post. Don't be the "I don't care who I piss off" person. Because you don't know everyone's beliefs and feelings. Oh, there are moments but choose wisely.
This meme summed the idea up for me better than I could:
Fact Check. For the love of dog FACT CHECK:
How to google/search:
Searches can be written in the form of a question (no punctuation)
Do not click at the first 3-4 results as they are almost always advertising or paid to appear first.
If you go to the second page of the google, you're just purposefully looking for nonsense
Check the site or publisher name. Make sure it is reputable and known. the IdahoTimes.net is not going to be helpful. (I don't know if that's an actual site, it's just an example)
Check the DATE of the article. Make sure it isn't from 2015 or 2007
If you're worried about confirmation bias, marketing or tracking algorithms, etc. Use an incognito browser page that prevents that. (that's some high level nerdery I just dropped there)
Stay Informed - How Do I know Who to follow?
Make sure your follows are balanced. I follow some writers and representatives from the opposite party for balance. Obviously, they are moderate or independent leaning. Follow historians, they provide so much knowledge and perspective.
It is too easy to get caught up in following everyone so be careful. Cultivate the ones who "speak" to you. Don't overwhelm yourself with All That Is Happening.
One news tip: follow Reuters, AP, BBC, Canadian news, The Guardian. Get news from out of the United States for a better perspective.
Here are some of my favorites. I noticed that they mostly happened be women but I do follow men too. (Seth Abrahamson, A.R. Moxon, Dan Rather, Tea Pain)
Click the names to connect to their twitter pages
PoliticsGirl (on all the socials)
Under the Desk News (on all the socials)
Dr. Joanne Freeman - Historian
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