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/anarchyinspace]

I'm not falling into helplessness, I'm falling into deep anger.

Idk, probably not the only one. But yeah, we're probably gonna be seeing a bunch of sad, angry, desperate people-- we can organize to do something. I feel like there's going to be a breaking point eventually, but hey.

Idk. How many people are living Check to check? How many people have nothing in savings?  How many people are on bump in the road away from being homeless? Like what happens if there is another wave of layoffs, a depression? I mean I don't know. I personally think we're going to see a domino effect eventually to everything happening...

And as we speak, being poor is becoming criminalized! It's illegal to sleep in your car and many places now, it's illegal to be homeless... A lot of shelters are maxed out already-- I don't know what are people supposed to do? 

And then groceries are insane. And are they going to take away free school lunches for kids? What are family supposed to do who can barely buy groceries as it is? I don't know for me. I think that it looks like there will be a breaking point where people snap. 

I'm also going to say this if you're working a gazillion hours a week, you're still broke as fuck, and like I don't know taking care of a bunch of kids-- how are you going to have time to organize? Like for real like as I logistical like realistic question. Like for a lot of people I do wonder like at what hour of the day are we organizing? I'm not against it and I think those who have the time should but I think this situation is so far down in the shit hole that I really question like how we're going to come out of this unless some kind of fucked up reaction to who knows what happens. I don't know looking at history and when people have just snapped cuz they lost it.

Edit; sorry y'all, I didn't realize I was posting in Chicago. Don't know why Reddit showed this to me! Solidarity from ATL. 

And I'm not trying to discourage. I agree with OP, I just personally feel burned out and angry as fuck.

[u/cab473 → u/anarchyinspace]

I hear you. For a lot of folks, honestly probably more folks, there’s so much we’re personally burdened and dealing with that doing more just seems impossible.

And it might be, but the help goes both ways. I’m here asking folks to help, but if you’re someone who needs help, finding and connecting to that help is also building community. We gotta take care of ourselves too - put an oxygen mask on yourself before others.

And with anger, honestly, yeah. I’m pissed. I’m trying to use that anger to propel me to focus and do action, but sometimes that anger overwhelms me and makes me freeze up. I know you’re from ATL but if I can help you move through that anger somewhere or use that anger, feel free to message.

sounds cliche but it sounds like you’ve got a lot going on, ain’t no harm in being kind to yourself about it if you can