i didn't know my insomnia had an account here

I addressed some of these points in my reply to twovests, but I wanted to address mutual aid here. I don't know what kind of mutual aid work you're doing, so if it's not what I'm about to describe, feel free to ignore this comment. But a lot of "mutual aid" that I've seen is usually something like giving out free groceries/supplies to hungry people, along with zines. And while it's a good thing to give hungry people food, ultimately it's just charity work, not a genuinely revolutionary activity. There's a really good video that talks about the difference between "red charity" work and organizing. My organization was stuck in the red charity trap for a while, and I tried talking to them about how we weren't actually building towards anything (including showing them the above video), but it took them a while to understand. Once they pivoted to tenant organizing, then they saw the difference between treating the symptoms of capitalism and attacking the disease itself, and they wrote a self criticism of their previous "mutual aid" work.

Not at all, I understood your intent, and I always appreciate principled criticism!

I appreciate your response; it seems like there were a couple of misunderstandings here that I want to clear up. I wasn't trying to say people should throw away their hobbies, far from it! Having a way to unwind and relax is healthy and needed. What I meant to say was organizing is more important than doing hobbies; so if a progressive person is spending 100% of their free time doing hobbies and 0% of it organizing, that is what I am saying is a problem. Because nothing will change if they keep hoping someone else will do the work. This post is aimed at those types.

The thing is, we can't be in every fight. You have to be in some fight, but you can't do anything if you try to be in every fight.

I agree with this, too; you can't solve all the world's problems at once. Since the post was aimed at people who aren't doing any organizing, I simply chose one example from the many problems we are facing right now, to illustrate that their "thoughts and prayers" are not materially helping. It was meant to spur them to action. I think it's very good that you are already helping out with several struggles, so don't push yourself too hard and burn out. Since you are doing what you're supposed to, the message wasn't directed at you.

If you said, "Look up your local tenants union" or "Get a pistol permit" or "Take a first aid class" or "Put money toward mutual aid rather than toward video games", then that might be something.

I mean I did say to join their local communist party (and if they're worth their salt, they will probably be doing something like tenant organizing), but I get what you're saying. Talking about what kind of organizing is the right thing to do is a whole other essay though, and I wanted to keep the message of this one simple. I guess I could've linked to this at the end, which does give some actionable first steps.

I also want to say, as far as peaceful protests go, I don't think they accomplish the goal most people think they do (i.e. persuading the government to change its mind on a certain issue). Because as long as it is peaceful, the government can simply ignore your demands. That's not to say they are completely useless, though, as they do bring together like-minded people. So they can be useful as a recruiting tool for an organization.

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

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.

I find listening to heavy metal music helps me deal with my feelings of frustration. YMMV.

Public libraries are just about free (a library card only costs a couple dollars), but in general our museums cost money. The Smithsonian and the Crystal Bridges are the only large museums I can think of off the top of my head that have free admission. I think state and national parks would be a better example of free public spaces.

and camed my pants

We was lookin for some fellas to do a job, see. We's thought ya mighta wanted a piece of the action, see.

nyeeeh where ya been fella?

I feel proud that I actually got this niche reference

Yeah, emulators are amazing! I recently put some emulators on my phone and my 3DS, so now I can play Genesis games on the go. It's amazing how far technology has come!

And that's cool, I'll have to check out Devil's Dice sometime!

Oh nice!

lots of good suggestions in here, but I'd also recommend Sonic Spinball. it's way more fun than you'd expect from a spin-off game, and the graphics and music are great.

This is a good tip; I knew about the pasta water helping the sauce stick to the pasta, but I never thought to use it to clean out the jar. I'll definitely be trying this next time!

Honestly I can't think of any. I've improved my life over the past few years in all the ways I'm able to control, so I guess my resolution is to keep up the good work?

Aside from the typical family drama, yes I did!

Same, unfortunately

found android 16's jstpst account

but in all seriousness, yes, birds are neat

Great effortpost. This is exactly why I feel no remorse whatsoever for the United Healthcare CEO getting shot. Zero.

This comment on the nursing subreddit also made me laugh.

First time I'm learning about this food, is it like indigenous fry bread?

sorry guys, I forgot about the venting forum. this probably belongs there.

Congrats! This was pretty much how I felt leaving one particularly dysfunctional tech job. And not just because it was PHP.

I'm so sorry :S if it's feasible, I think taking a break would be a good idea. It doesn't sound like it's a healthy place for you to be.