Recent comments

cowloom OP wrote

I can relate to not being cut out for organizing, but I don't think giving up is the right answer either. It takes practice to get good at it. To quote Pearl, "Deep down, you know you weren't built for fighting, but that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try." I was awkward when I first started out, and made plenty of mistakes, but I had to keep trying to get decent at it.

As for what exactly to do, I can't give you a clear-cut answer, because it all depends on what it going on in your location. I think the first step is to figure out what issues the people are facing, and see which of them are suitable for a campaign. Maoists call this "social investigation and class analysis." Here are a couple good articles written about how to get started from scratch:

https://jiminykrix.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/some-suggestions-on-how-to-help-others-become-marxist-leninist-maoist-organizers/

https://libcom.org/article/building-solidarity-network-guide

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cowloom OP wrote

Hi, apologies for the late response, I wanted to wait until my emotions were in check so that I could give a proper response. You're right that this post wasn't aimed at anyone in particular on jstpst, as I posted this on several different platforms. It's aimed at everyone in the US who could be doing something, but isn't. If you are doing something to fight back, that's good, and that's why I put the "this post isn't for you" bit in there. flabberghaster is right that this is sort of a vent post; I've been trying, more politely, to convince people to stand up and do something for years, and the response is usually lip service agreement, followed by no action. Which is a problem, when the situation requires mass action, hence my frustration and tone in this post. When I was a kid, if I refused to get out of bed, my mother would try politely coaxing me out first. But if that failed, she'd eventually have to resort to wringing out a wet washcloth over my head.

Regardless, I accept the warning, and won't post anything this aggressive again.

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rain wrote

Being nice to random strangers is very fun to me.

One of my favorite parts of day to day life after transition is the exchange of compliments. Being nice to people feels good, and it feels good to have that reciprocated.

My partner and their family got nearly their whole neighborhood in on a mutual aid thing which is so nice

This is what I want to do next. Not sure how to get there but we will figure it out.

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WRETCHEDSORCERESS wrote

Being nice to random strangers is very fun to me. The drivers on my bus route always seem really happy to see me since I am always saying good day and thank you and suchlike. Some have checked in on me after I was gone for a long while.

I should talk more to my neighbors, we've never done proper introductions or anything. I've only seen a few of them since moving in.

My partner and their family got nearly their whole neighborhood in on a mutual aid thing which is so nice. Been doing it for decades now.

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