258) Day 26 -- Reason #26 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism: You can make a difference

“What can I do?”

This is one of the most common questions I’m hearing now.  It’s tough, when you hear about CRAZY SHIT happening at high levels of government, international relations, mass arrests and deportations, dismantling of legal institutions, etc., to know what can I, li’l ol’ me, do about any of this?

I expect to post several of these in the coming months, as my own understanding of how to effectively contribute to resistance and resilience, grows.  But here’s a start. 7 ways to make a real difference, right now.

1) Learn.  Plug into diverse information sources.  Note who is behind those sources.  For example, it is ridiculously simple to figure out that some sources, FOX news, Ontario Proud, Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro, etc., are propaganda mouthpieces.  Others, like the National Post and other Postmedia newspapers and such are less obvious; but do a search; find out that they are mostly owned by an American company with deep ties to the Republican Party. And ask yourself, “Is this really the news? Or is this what Republican donors want the public to believe?” These types of media outlets, “influencers”, podcasters and such, are owned by exactly the companies, billionaires, and political reps who are causing the chaos right now.  So OBVIOUSLY what they are sharing is propaganda, some more obvious, some more subtle. But it’s still propaganda.

Whereas, academics, historians, long-respected civil liberty institutions, publicly funded media (the CBC!), have much less fascist/corporate bias.  Obviously, everyone has bias, but some people root their narratives in well-researched facts and try hard to minimize “spin”.  Other people spin their narratives out of cherry-picked, out-of-context “facts” that disagree with the majority of actual researchers, scientists, and professionals.  

So use common sense.  For example, obviously, international climate change research organizations, or the Sierra Club, or the David Suzuki Foundation, are better sources of environmental info than FOX news or Jordan Peterson.

Obviously, national organizations of medical professionals, top university-accredited institutions and such, are better information sources about health stuff than some “expert” on YouTube.  

Etc.  This is simple stuff.  Use your intelligence and media-literacy and critical thinking skills that you learned in high school, and practice DISCERNING good info from bad info.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell.  Usually, it’s not. Spend 1 minute, for each source you get info from, and do an internet search on who they are, and who is behind them. It doesn’t usually take more than that.

Plus, following a diverse set of info-sources gives invaluable information.  When expert opinion converges to a near-consensus, trust it.  They know more than you or I within their own areas of expertise, and more than the randos spinning conspiracy theories.

2) Join an organization that works on an issue YOU care about.  Whether it’s LGBTQ+ issues, Indigenous rights, workers’ rights, anti-racism, education, independent media, local food movements, the arts — it doesn’t really matter.  Choose SOMETHING close to your heart, because all these issues interconnect. Whether you get involved with a farmer’s market or a children’s sports program or IdleNoMore, just get involved.

Something is better than nothing, and getting more involved builds “social capital” — i.e., it strengthens the networks of friendship, ally-ship, and community. And THAT is our #1 most important resource for resisting tyrannical governments, getting through the tough times, AND building a better world when the current shitshow passes and we have the chance to rebuild.

Right now, we’re in survival and resistance mode.  This won’t last forever.  And when we get to the other side, it’s those same organizations that provide the “social capital” foundation for making a better world.  

So start with whatever you care about.  Join something.  (I’ll post some organizations soon that I’ve researched and from what I can tell, have immediate volunteer opportunities, focusing on Canada.)

3) Become a safe space.  There are vulnerable people in your life.  If you live in the US, they are, right now, today, facing legalized oppression, bullying, and possible targeting for everything from violence to arrest to deportation.  So be a safe space, and work within your friendship networks to let people know, you are an ally, and you’ll have their back.

In the USA right now, this means being ready to hide, support, provide cover for, and help however you can, (even just offering a listening ear goes a long way), immigrants, people of colour, economic migrants, and LGBTQ+ people.  All of whom are facing immediate threats from their own government. (And sorry if I left any key groups out!! These are who came to mind for me!)

In Canada, we’re not in such dire straits.  Yet.  Hopefully we never get there.  But even here, there are many people who are unsafe, and may need a place to go, a sympathetic ear, or information.  From LGBTQ+ people, to the age-old problem of people in abusive relationships or families, to people with family in the US who need help problem-solving, there are people in your life, right now, who you could help.  Help them.  Be the safe person they can go to.

4) Protect your energy.  You can’t do any of this 24/7.  Nobody can.  Resistance is a marathon, not a sprint.  This could be many months.  It could be years.  It could (hopefully not!) be the struggle of our civilization for the rest of our lives.  Who knows?  Maybe it’s just a few months.  But regardless, you need to sleep.  You need to play and have fun.  You need to sing or party or have quiet time to read.  Go for walks in nature. Play sports.  Play games. Play an instrument. Go dancing. Or whatever you do that rejuvenates your soul.  

And you can’t be there for everybody, all the time.

This is like the whole “put your own oxygen mask on first” thing.  You HAVE TO take care of your own sanity and time and energy, so you can continue being there to make a difference, long term.  So, monitor your energy, your sleep, your free time, and practice good boundaries.  

This is always true in life.  It’s even more true in crisis.  So take this as a challenge to level-up your self-care.  And live, when you can, with joy!! Laugh about dumb shit.  It’s best for everyone.

5) If you have professional skills — from education, to medicine, politics, to the law, to accounting, to home-renovation, to fixing cars, to drawing great art, to pretty much anything — donate them.  Find time in your schedule to give away SOME of your expertise, for free, to people or organizations.  Every charity needs help.  Every school needs help.  Every community organization needs help.  And many people who are struggling, need help even just doing their damn taxes or whatever.  Make it a hobby, give even one day per month, to giving away your expertise.  It will make a real difference.

For me personally, my expertise is communication, psychology, and the science of ecology and world-systems.  I’ve worked in this capacity since the 1990s.  So I’m doing what I can to collate, integrate and share good information.  That’s what I know how to do best.  I sure as hell can’t help anyone with their taxes!    So find your own skillset, and donate some of your time sharing your own knowledge and skills.

6) Consumer boycotts.  There are companies that are resisting the authoritarian slide right now, and companies that clearly aren’t.  Use your dollars wisely.  This can really make a difference.  I’ll share information once I’ve put it together better than I currently have, regarding consumer boycott options.

The hope isn’t (necessarily) to drive these companies out of business.  Primarily, it’s to put pressure on them to stop being shitty and contributing to a worse world, and shift their practices.  And boycotts do work.

7) Speak out and connect, heart-to-heart.  You have influence in your own personal sphere, no matter who you are, no matter what role you play in society.  Take what’s going on seriously, and share your thoughts and feelings and ideas with people.  Whether it’s your kids, neighbours, co-workers, the person at the chess club you’re chatting with, or whoever, there are COUNTLESS opportunities in a day to choose not to small-talk bullshit, and instead put your heart just a little bit more on your sleeve.  This can make a huge difference.  Not only does it help you feel like you’re making a difference, it shifts conversational norms more generally.  It INSPIRES and liberates other people to also put their own hearts on their sleeves a little more.

When doing so, remember, there are people who will never change, and will suck up your time in endless arguments.  Don’t do that.  It’s not worth it.  This isn’t the time (actually, it’s never the time…) to focus on trying to convince the hardest-to-convince people.  It’s like arguing with your racist uncle at Thanksgiving….  There’s no point.  Instead, spend your energy on ally-ship and helping the people who are open to getting more involved, learning more, and levelling themselves up.  

There are allies everywhere.  I think MOST PEOPLE are in that camp.  And all of us can do more.  Many people WANT TO.  They just don’t know how, or they feel embarrassed in speaking out, or they feel like it won’t matter.  So be the change.  Show them that it matters.  Because it matters to you.

These changes accumulate.  This is the “snowball effect” that changes a society.  So start rolling that snowball.  I guarantee you, you will be amazed, in a few weeks, a few months, how different your feeling of “community” becomes.  

And no, this doesn’t mean fanatically talking to every cashier about the state of the world. It’s about their weekend, sharing how much you like cooking, talking about the concert you’re looking forward to, asking if they’re a hockey fan or whether they have hobbies, talking about your own, telling a funny story about something that happened to you on the weekend. You don’t overwhelm people all-at-once; you just plant seeds, conversation after conversation. And relationships build, and people open up.

Last night, it was the guy I buy coffee from once a week before my weekly chess tournament. We’ve been minor chit-chatting, a few seconds here, a minute there, depending on whether there are customers waiting in line behind me, for a few months now. And last night I happened to mention cooking Indian food and BOOM, that was the tipping point. We talked for probably 5 minutes about his love for Indian food, the dishes I cook, his favs, etc., and I know, for sure, next week there is going to be just that-much-more friendliness between us. We’re buds now. Not just a customer and a cashier. Imagine, in a year? Who knows what we’ll have talked about! You can do this with literally every person. Plant seeds, genuine seeds of friendliness. You’ll be amazed what grows. THIS is the small-town way of being. But you can be that way everywhere. Even *gasp*, in Toronto…. And for sure, it makes your own day better. It sucks to live in a world of strangers. It’s awesome to live in a world of friendly-acquaintances, and smiles and “how’s your day going?”

I talked about this, not in the sense of activism, but in the sense of building community around you, a while back in one of my blog posts.  I’ve lived in the chat-with-strangers way for most of my life and certainly the healthiest periods of my life.  And it’s one of the absolute best things I’ve done with my time on this planet.  I feel enriched just going into the grocery store.  My girlfriend and I LITERALLY call grocery shopping, “going to see my friends”, and laugh about it.  It’s a beautiful thing.  And it’s how we create a better world. 

So good luck to you!!  You are a courageous, intelligent, beautiful, bad-ass-motherfucker.  Let that light shine.