Catbusliberal: omg how do we defeat Trumpism
socialist: *explains how*
liberal: that's not realistic, I meant without changing anything
Janis@ancient_catbus OK, so what needs to change, and why haven't all y'all gotten that bit done yet so your solutions can be implemented? if it's so realistic, it should be in progress, at least.
Cards, please.
binchicken@janisf ok i am trying to do this thing where i treat people like they actually want the answers to the questions they ask.
it's already happening, and has been the entire time. the mutual aid groups, the community organisations.
i don't know your area so i don't know where you should start specifically, but i have discovered a very convenient shortcut when it comes to the US. find the community based activists that the organisers of your nearest 50501 march wanted to call the police on. they are usually they ones who have a history of action that is effective, rather than performative.
also i have no idea what cards please means, sorry.
@thegarbagebird @ancient_catbus Yes, thank you! I did intend to ask in a way that inspired a good answer.
I've reached out to some organizations, but they're not tied into mutual aid groups, so I'm at a loss as to how to find them. I don't have much, but I do have a Chevy Bolt, and I'm happy to drive people around Minneapolis (without using Google or Apple Maps) because our public transit is weak to meh. I've marched, I keep my kid posted....
So, just living outside Capitalism?
cyFortunately organizations don't have to be tied to mutual aid groups, to engage in helping out freely with no money exchanged. I dunno how to clue people in on that though, that doing more of that would be a good idea. Still, it's nice when the local garden club always brings more food than anyone can eat.
CC: @thegarbagebird@theblower.au @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
CC: @thegarbagebird@theblower.au @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
@cy i agree. the local free pantry always needs hygiene products and tinned goods. it might be a building with a staff, or there might be just a set of shelves lashed to a fence somewhere in your neighbourhood.
communities often have community gardens.
some shopping centres have noticeboards, there's often community events and organisations, signups for working bees and volunteer positions.
hell, even the box out the front of the house that says “free limes” is mutual aid.
@cy
there’s a guy at my work who takes all the stuff that's about to expire and makes a big batch of something with it, then leaves it in the cool room fridge with dates and dietary requirements.
@thegarbagebird @cy @ancient_catbus Well, I just found a beekeeper at the post office that doesn't need or use her wax. I plan to pick it up and start cleaning it tomorrow, I might even just make up the batch of lip (or whatever) balm while it's still warm. It's weird that no one wanted to buy it when I tried, but they rave come back for more if I've given them one and offer what they can, way more than I need. It's two entirely different crowds.
@cy @ancient_catbus @janisf oh wow that's a great idea! and it involves bees, which are great little fuzzy guys.
Man, you have no idea do you? Or you probably do, and I'm just reading you wrong. The Hillsboro community garden down 5th is privately owned by the local Catholic church, and is divided into private plots that people pay money to rent. Nobody's allowed to harvest from or work on each other's plots. I been hearing people talk about community gardens a lot lately and I'm like "What community gardens?" Grids of privately owned plots put up for rent are all I've ever known.
You mean how two people could have an uncomfortable conversation while standing in each of their privately rented plots?
Free food things are good, def. Neighbor down by the creek to the west put out a "free pears" box and I can't eat pears myself, but I saved my mother at least $3!
CC: @janisf@mstdn.social @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
You mean how two people could have an uncomfortable conversation while standing in each of their privately rented plots?
Free food things are good, def. Neighbor down by the creek to the west put out a "free pears" box and I can't eat pears myself, but I saved my mother at least $3!
CC: @janisf@mstdn.social @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
@cy yeah that's not a community garden. that's a business.
@cy @thegarbagebird @ancient_catbus They won't get clued in, not if they have to file something other than an individual tax return.
The orgs I touched seemed the sort to have mutual aid-type folks in them, without being pointedly aid organizations themselves, which also haven't connected me, come to think of it.
I'm not sure how mutual aid orgs are at all targeted at changing government, though, while govt are the folks who parse out the land, patrol it, and kick you off it.
@janisf even just showing up at local council meetings can be good, even if you don't believe in electoralism. informative, and lets you get an idea of who's out there in the community with enough energy to tolerate a meeting.
Most councils these days rule over hundreds of thousands or millions of people, who can't possibly form a community. (I certainly know the people of Hillsboro didn't support selling off our only common land to a private corporation, so they could fence it off and make us pay to access it.) It can still be good, but it's better if your local neighborhood association shows up together to this so-called "local" meeting, holding a giant sign saying "HILLSBOROS HANDS RUN WITH BLOOD" while singing the Russian National Anthem.
CC: @janisf@mstdn.social @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
CC: @janisf@mstdn.social @ancient_catbus@jorts.horse
@cy that's fair enough, not a lot of people are interested. no profit motive. but that bit about the people showing up to the council meeting, all pissed off, with signs? that's good. you just found people who will take time out of their day to show up to a council meeting. sure, maybe they're not interested in electoralism. that's fine, sounds like you have a pretty captured council. well you've just found people willing to do a little civil disobedience and don't mind pissing off that council. find out who they are, see if they are down to build. lots of unused ground and public land.
hell, what with all the funding cuts, the council probably have fewer people to check on shit like that. they'll hopefully be focusing on parking fines and traffic enforcement, trying to make up the shortfall. @janisf @ancient_catbus
hell, what with all the funding cuts, the council probably have fewer people to check on shit like that. they'll hopefully be focusing on parking fines and traffic enforcement, trying to make up the shortfall. @janisf @ancient_catbus
@janisf
hey, don't underestimate how much easing the pressure of capitalism can help in changing the government, depending how you want to change government.
a community support network might mean you can afford to take a day off work to stand in line all day to vote, which can be really helpful in situations where voting has been made as difficult as possible to access especially for the more marginalised. that's good for democratic representation and electoralism, if that's how you want to change government.
a community support network might allow a specific communtity member to leverage that support into a political career, and take an active role in administrating policy, if that's how you want to change government.
a community support network might allow the facilitate the formation of a revolutionary cell, or affinity group, which could topple a regime, if that's how you want to change government.
@ancient_catbus