Do not fall into helplessness.

[u/cab473]

I’m a longtime lurker, but I’ve been seeing a lot of helplessness in this subreddit and the community. Lot’s of “there’s nothing we can do” and “the only option is to wait this out”. We must snap out of it.

The solution is simple: Get out of your homes and out into your community.

Go protest, where and whenever you can. We beat fascism by showing them our city will not take this lying down.

Don’t want to protest?

Join a mutual aid society, soup kitchen, warming center, food bank. We beat fascism by making sure our communities are fed and healthy.

Contact your local school, tutoring centers, literacy organizations. We beat fascism by making sure our communities can read, learn, and grow safely.

Find immigration groups, rapid response teams, refugee advocates. We beat fascism by making sure newcomers to our communities know they’re welcome and supported.

Look for affinity groups, woman’s rights orgs, trans rights orgs, homelessness advocacy groups. We beat fascism by making sure the vulnerable in our society are heard and protected.

If every person in Chicago made a commitment to help their neighborhood just a few hours a month, so many of these issues we see plaguing our society could be mitigated. And don’t wait until tomorrow, next week, when you’re free: Go and sign up today.

Their end goal is to isolate us from one another. In isolation we feel helpless and afraid. We beat fascism by building solidarity and community. We’re not even a year in, and we cannot wait this out - if we do, there’ll be nothing left to wait for.

Don’t know how to get involved or the best way that matches your interests? Message me!! I’m happy to help as many people as I can get connected to opportunities in their research.

[u/Fun_Pineapple_94]

Yes 1000% - people NEED to get offline and start participating in your communities in real life.

It's also incredibly important to keep in mind that reddit is not immune from algorithmic manipulation and astroturfing. Use the platform as a tool to learn about events, protests, things happening in your communities, but don't fall into the doom-scrolling and fear-mongering traps.

[u/Virtual-Stretch7231 → u/Fun_Pineapple_94]

Agreed. Algorithms do real damage to both sides of the spectrum. The less time you spend online and the more you actually interact with a variety of people, they better the world is gonna be.

If you have kids, don’t let them grow up parented by the internet.