Protesting Without Protests?
- Todd
- 13 minutes ago
- 7 min read
My partner and I are at a crossroads. I feel that as a cis, white, man he has more power right now than I, a queer femme, will have in my entire life and that he needs to be doing more. He says he's scared, that there's nothing he can do, that he doesn't have any power, and so what's the point?
He doesn't show up at protests and the few that he has, I've had to babysit him through panic attacks.
I do not fault him for that, I know first-hand that anxiety is a bitch, but I do fault him when he does nothing.
Protests can be powerful. Protests can be important, but they're not everything.
So, instead of being upset about his defeatist attitude, I am going to list some ideas he, myself, and others, can do as acts of protest without going to actual protests.
The first thing that I notice with my partner is his headspace, the negativity that he uses when talking about himself and the future.
He feels small and powerless. I can't do anything. What's the point?
How can someone get out of that mindset when it really all might be fucking useless? I don't know if it's actually possible to fully get out of that line of thought, but there are some things worth trying:
It might sound goofy, but affirmations on repeat:
"I am fighting for a better future."
"I have the strength to stand up for what I believe in."
"I radiate courage and confidence."
"I am strong, I am safe, I have community."
Other affirmations for activists here.
When you start hearing yourself fall into the defeatist mindset, you have to cut that shit off, immediately, before it festers in you.
Practice these affirmations, memorize them, interrupt your negative thought patterns with something lighter. It's not fucking easy, try it anyway.
Get to the source.
Why do you think that fighting for liberation is pointless?
What is holding you back?
Do you care about liberation?
Put your care level on a scale between 1 and 10. Where do you fall?
Are there things that could positively or negatively affect your level of care?
What are you willing to risk to see a future that you believe in?
What does that future look like to you?
What does the future look like if everyone just gives up?
Forget the big picture future for a second. What do you want to see ten years from now? How will you work toward that ten year goal?
Everything is easier said than done. Fear can be paralyzing. But you don't have to risk everything to make progress.
No one is asking you to save the world. And no one is asking you to fight alone.
The revolutionaries before us felt scared, alone, and defeated at times. But they never gave up and neither should you.
Remember: You are not alone in your feelings. We're all scared and exhausted. Keep going anyway.
Go to therapy.
If you can afford therapy or are able to find income based pricing, this is a must.
Take care of yourself.
If you cannot afford therapy or face any of the other obstacles in finding therapy, there are so many helpful self care tips out there, but meditation/prayer/mindfulness, affirmation, and rest are vital to the fight.
You cannot take care of others if you are falling apart.
Have trouble leaving the house or being around a lot of people? Don't worry, there are still ways to continue the resistance.
Activism happens in your everyday actions.
Take on household chores. Do the fucking dishes.
Ask how you can make sure there's an equal partnership in your home.
But don't always need to ask how to do your part.
Find something and do it. Browser search it if you really can't come up with something to do.
Make a list, if it helps you.
Be consistent.
If things aren't equitable at home, how do you expect to see an equitable world?
Speak to your family members and friends.
Start by finding common ground among the people that you care about, but might not see eye to eye on, then educate.
If you don't give a shit about the person, you can throw decorum out the window, throw hands, idc.
Shut down hateful rhetoric on sight. Do not let people disparage the unhoused, the queer community, immigrants, Palestinians. Shut that shit down. Do it now, not later.
Create or join a third space, inside your home.
What are your hobbies or interests? Expand your community by joining a virtual club or community, and start a dialogue.
Whether you like knitting, D&D, Bible studies, video games, book clubs, what have you; something that gets you together with more people outside of your home, but without going anywhere.
Attend online activist workshops.
Talk politics with whatever sucker's in your game lobby.
Coordinate online events or manage a political social media page.
You can find existing groups on Reddit, Next-door, Facebook, etc. There is a group for everyone.
Or you can create one yourself with your friends, or make new friends by posting about it.
The more people that are in your circle, the more people you can talk to about your values, spread our message to, and the less alone we'll all feel.
Create something.
Create digital art, paintings, music, writings, drawings, or songs.
Make a meme, an infographic, or a video displaying your values.
Create something human and put it into the world.
Make it meaningful - not in the sense that it has to have some grand meaning, but make something that matters to you.
And then share it.
It doesn't have to be perfect to be worth doing.
Share every post and video of what's happening in Palestine, in ICE detention centers, in Lebanon, in Minneapolis, in Iran, share every atrocity.
Share fliers for protests, rallies, town halls, etc.
Don't use social media? Print it off, you find a way to share that shit, idk.
Read.
Read banned books. Read leftist literature. Read independent journalism. Read fantasy and smut. Read things that you know have an inherent bias and think critically about them.
Just read. Before they take that away, too.
Education is power. Education is a threat to fascism. Media literacy is key to avoiding falling down the propaganda rabbit hole.
Thou shalt not cross a fucking picket line.
Support artists and businesses that align with your values. Don't falter on this.
Do political sidewalk chalk art in your front yard, or on a public sidewalk near you. You don't have to go far from home or be around anyone to write "fuck ICE" in blue chalk.
Public signs of solidarity can be anonymous, you can give someone hope by sharing a message.
Bully the fuck out of your representatives.
The 5Calls app is great.
You can start letter writing campaigns. Send emails. Type out your anger. It's cathartic.
It might not feel like much, but it's gotta be better than nothing, right?
Whether you find an organization to be a part of, do it by yourself, or with some friends, start actively helping your community today:
Organized Mutual Aid:
The Burrito Project - You can volunteer to pass out or make burritos for anyone in need. There are other projects like this local to you, regardless of where you are.
The ACLU and AARP need local volunteers all the time and have plenty of resources for how you can help and how they can help you.
You can literally just browser search "volunteer [your city]" and I've found plenty of options. For example: https://www.slc.gov/get-involved/
Find a mutual aid group. There are many that you can find in your area.
You can find mutual aid groups at protests. They have tables and fliers.
Go to Reddit, man. They have everything.
Browser search: "mutual aid [your city]."
Note: Make sure to vet the organization so that everything is to your comfort, safety, and needs, too.
Non or less organized mutual aid:
Put out a community bin:
"Take what you need, leave what you can."
And just fill it full of what you can: unexpired canned food, menstrual products, water bottles, new or gently used clothes, travel sized items like sunscreen, lotion, toothpaste, first aid kits, etc.
Or a Little Free Library.
"Take a book, leave a book."
Offer rides to your community members, whether it's to or from political events, or running errands like grocery shopping.
Throw a "rent party" with your friends.
Charge a cover at the door and each month, the funds go to a community member in need.
Cook a meal for your neighbor, just 'cause.
Make a casserole. Grab your grandma's recipe book.
Plant, plant, plant.
Have extra seeds you haven't gotten to planting? Ask around and see if anyone would want to seed swap with you.
Or look into getting a community garden started.
Seed bomb barren plots of land with native wildflowers.
Plant a tree. Plant 10 trees. There are local events for planting trees with the community, try to find one.
Help the native plants grow and help your neighbors eat.
Canvas for the legislature and politicians that you believe in.
Show up at town halls.
Vote, of course.
Utilize your local library.
Check out multiple books, use their language learning tools, print off fliers, join one of the free classes that they offer.
Befriend the librarian.
Boycott, boycott, boycott. Check out the ever changing BDS list.
Lucky to be one of the few that have financial resources?
Donate money to bail funds, food banks, and mutual aid groups.
Find a GoFundMe for someone that's been affected by capitalism.
Donate to families in Palestine.
Tip your servers damn well.
We can discuss the bullshit systems that make tipping a necessity, but until that system is changed, tip your fucking servers. Always.
You shouldn't just pick one thing on this list and be done. You can't just do a bunch of self care and call it good. You can't talk to your friend about Palestine a couple times and suddenly you've done your duty. You can start with one, but then you take on another, and you just don't stop.
Defeatism is a disease, do everything you can to avoid catching it.
There's no stopping or giving up. There's always something worth fighting for.
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