@danirabbit Conversely, it’s incredibly easy to get swept up in the “I’m gonna do good!” thought and bite off more than you can chew. You see it with folks who get into privacy all the time; they actually MAKE the huge switches, get completely burnt, then go back to how they were feeling defeated.

Moderation isn’t just good advice those nervous to make big changes. It’s also a good mentality for those who want it all, but might forget that that doesn’t mean all at once.

@danirabbit There's the whole performative aspect of it too. Like, I tried switching to DuckDuckGo, and switched back to Google because the search results, which are just Microslop Bing as I understand it, we're objectively worse. No big announcement, just installed udm14 and went on with my life. The only reason anyone knows I switched to Debian is because I'm a huge nerd and like talking about my computer crimes. (And making "lesbian" puns.)

And maybe I'm overly cynical, since "I switched to this significantly less affordable thing which is morally superior" is just not an option for me, but I think that is why people don't do vegan plus bacon, because you can't brag about it.

@danirabbit And you might just find that it was worth it for more reasons than you first thought.

I've become a regular at one of my local coffee shops, and at this point I've gotten to know the owner, employees, and some of the other regulars well enough that I go there as much for the community as the coffee at this point!

@danirabbit this is exactly how to do it. Another thing: Cash.

It seems crazy, but the reality is that massive credit card companies and banks keep your money outside of your city/town and invest it there.

I just paid $20 for lunch at my local cafe. I know the guys who work there are getting paid off the books, so they're taking that same cash home and stopping at the bodega for food, and paying in cash, giving their kids allowance in that cash, shopping at the chinatown hardware stores in cash, etc....

the money gets multiplied and stays out of the hands of big corp. And the reaility is that, no matter how liberal, *ALL* big corporations are bad. ALL of them have a negative effect on your home town. ALL of them.

Small business + Cash whenever possible.

@danirabbit

These are all really good ideas, for making small, productive changes. Thanks for pointing them out.

@danirabbit People usually underestimate how much difference small, incremental changes make over time.

If you get into the habit of preparing, say, 2 vegan meals per week, that's 100 vegan meals per year.

Plus, once you've got the hang of it, adding a third vegan meal isn't so hard. Or sometimes a fourth one, maybe. And suddenly you're at 150 per year.

It's the same for all the other good things. Doing a little, on a regular basis, just adds up, and opens further opportunities for change

@danirabbit all of these switches are in itself insignificant. All of them together are significant.

It matters. Do it, you're a part of something bigger!

@danirabbit
I've been degoogling for several years. First was duckduckgo, then I started using my own domain for email. Then I moved that email domain off of Google's servers. Then I canceled my youtube subscription. Recently I canceled my YouTube Music subscription in favor of #Qobuz.

I still use Android. I still use Google maps. I still watch YouTube videos. I maintain my Gmail account for legacy reasons. But I'm using Google much less and they no longer directly receive any of my money.