Activist New Year's Resolutions

[sabotabby]

I don't make New Year's resolutions because I am already a delight. But I am also not the best activist I can be in these rather bleak times, and the movement, such that it is (which is to say it isn't), globally but in particular in my city, is not what it could be either.

Accordingly, here are some New Year's resolutions for all of us committed to the struggle.

• Show up to other groups’ events. So you do Palestine stuff? Show up to a First Nations thing, or a Black Lives Matter thing. You’re antifa? Do some picket line support. Talk to at least one person you don’t know while you’re there.

 

• Bring a new person into your movement. A relative, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbour. Make it your goal to recruit one person.

 

• Organize off Facebook. Let’s build more resilient networks.

 

• Think beyond the demo in particular and symbols in general. Figure out what needs to be done and which action is best suited to accomplishing a win in that scenario. No one cares if there are 1000 of us protesting in front of the US Consulate on a Saturday when it’s closed.

 

• Bring back the reading group. In person. Invite someone in who is not already part of your movement.

 

• More fuckin’ giant puppets because I miss them.

 

• Assume good intentions when it comes to your fellow activists. Did you get called out and feel it’s unfair? Maybe the other person is right and you can learn a thing. Maybe they’re not and they just had a bad day, or were hurt by an interpretation of your words and actions based on their own history of trauma. Did someone else screw up their terminology? Assume first they don’t know and weren’t trying to be offensive. People act out of malice all the time but if you can talk it out and avoid misunderstandings, that will be better. I guarantee you will find out in like five minutes if it’s a misunderstanding or the person is actually being a dick on purpose.

 

• Likewise, stop slagging off other people’s genuine efforts. We all do as much or as little as we can. No one’s politics are pure.

 

• If you’re in a position of privilege, do something that makes activism more accessible to someone else. Volunteer to do childcare. Hold meetings in accessible spaces. Go out to marginalized communities rather than expecting them to come to you.

 

• Spend time with someone older than you and someone younger than you, and listen to what they have to say. Old activists have experience of what's worked and what hasn't; young activists have new ideas that we should hear.

 

• Bring joy back into political action. Being dour never changed anyone’s mind. Make actions creative and inspiring rather than repeating rote slogans with the same signs all the time. We’re angry and sad but that comes from a place of love and empathy; our activism should carry with it the seed of a better world.

That’s all I can think of. Feel free to add more of your own. Happy New Year, punch a Nazi, liberate a detention centre. Be fierce, be kind, and go forth and make the world a less fucked up place.

Comments

[bcholmes]

This is a good list.

[sabotabby]

Thanks!

[smhwpf]

These are excellent resolutions.

[sabotabby]

Thanks! Let’s see if I can follow them myself.

[minoanmiss]

*saves this and contemplates how to implement as many as possible*

[sabotabby]

It’s my goal, anyway..

[sara]

More fuckin’ giant puppets because I miss them.

*solidarity fistbumps*

I will be spending the first weekend of the new year going to a lobbying training my union is running, speaking of offline organizing.

I like a lot of these thoughts and would subscribe to your newsletter but I already did so oh well.

[sabotabby]

Sweet! That is Good Work.

[lapinlunaire]

I wish I could follow through with these. I live in the middle of fucking nowhere and getting anywhere were there's a variety of political stuff happening requires €€€€. Meanwhile, for the longest time I was afraid of doing any activisty stuff in that area because of that shitty abusive friend as I was worried about running into him. Less so these days, fortunately, but now I don't have money (lol) and don't really know many political people who could give me pointers about which groups are associated with what. Sigh. But I definitely agree with these points for people who can do it so I can live vicariously through them, at least.

[flamingsword]

What area do you live in and what causes would you want to donate time and brainpower to? I've done pencil pushing for Real Justice and Texas Organizing Project, and phone banking for them and the Beto for Senate campaign, and so I know some stuff about tracking down contact info for small organizations.

Your time and volunteering is *very valuable* to local orgs. Even if you dont know how to do much at first, they are generally happy to train you, knowing that you are likely to use that training to make the world better and pass it along.

[lapinlunaire]

Thanks! I actually live in a small crappy town in Portugal. There aren't really any local orgs whose work I believe in, unfortunately (there's one that works with street animals and I'm hoping to get more involved this year, but I wish I could help people too). It sucks. :(

Maybe when I have more money I can commute to Lisbon more regularly where there are more things going on.

[sabotabby]

I have the opposite. Living in a big city is a double edged sword. On the one hand, there’s a lot of work that can be done. On the other, this leads to burnout and also none of the groups communicate with each other.

[lapinlunaire]

Still, living in a big city means there's stuff to do! Not even just politically but in terms of there always being things to do and friends to make. I'm a city type of person so living in a tiny town and a dysfunctional one at that is SHEER TORTURE

[sabotabby]

Yeah, it would absolutely kill me.

[jjhunter]

I fail at New Year's Resolutions, but I can do quarterly intentions!

*plots three months at a time*

I especially like your point about bringing joy back into political action - fun and art and play not as tangents from realizing the world better but compelling the kind of better we actually enjoying living in.

[sabotabby]

It’s important. Anger is important but joy builds a sustainable culture.

[50ftqueenie]

Anger is important but joy builds a sustainable culture.

I want this on a T-shirt. And maybe as a tattoo as well.

[sabotabby]

I could make one? Seems a little wordy...

[50ftqueenie]

How about "Anger is important but.." on the front and "joy builds a sustainable culture" on the back.

[sabotabby]

Hmm. Could work? I just thing the phrasing could be tighter, somehow.

[umadoshi]

May I link?

[sabotabby]

Sure!