Luigi
I’d be a sucker for saying I can’t go full Luigi because I treasure my loved ones more than myself and I am afraid they’d borrow the weight of anything I do before I k-m-s. I’m no person to leave them with that publicity and that responsibility for my actions. With how my hatred flows high, my love and my fear for them is still stronger.
If we dont stop the billionaires the climate will.kill us while they retreat to their bunkers. You already have nothing to lose, even if it doesnt look like it yet.
Would you do a breakdown of how I can kill any billionaire in russia having no skills, no info, nothing at all, while they are all hiding in secret bunkers 1k+ miles away?
Remember that no regime, no matter how strong it may appear is ever able to last forever. No democracy, no autocracy, no kingdom has managed to stand the test of time in absolute. Often all it takes is a few dozen people in the correct points to set the dominoes to fall
Also remember that most (if not all) times a regime falls, the common people suffer. Don’t glorify the decay of a nation, but work to change it for the better.
I was protesting, I’m still exposuring my peers to my ideas, but at times it feels like Pu7in and his regime would outlive me. It doesn’t need to be eternal, it only needs to outlive those who know it’s all wrong and reach the point of our self-destruction as a kind, that is speeded up a lot by this country having the diertiest places in the world like Norilsk.
Wear it on your chest and fuck them. 100%. never apologize. Make it their problem at every single opportunity and never let anyone forget it.
Light the Roman candles in your mind’s eye and flick off the entire town. For the next four fuckin years, I’m the kid with the loud exhaust and I’m making everybody deal with it.
Protests? Yes sir. Shooting right back at fascists the second they say something shitty? You bet. Not giving anyone in my family even a second’s bit of reprieve if they start shit during Christmas? With gusto. Scorched. Earth.
To establish my surviving shitty states credentials: I grew up as a queer kid in the rural Bible Belt during the Clinton and Bush (both of them) years. The current environment may not be exactly the same, but IMO in many ways it’s very similar to the community I grew up in (extremely conservative, racist, and vindictive).
So, here are the things that kept me comparatively sane:
Watch subversive media, whatever that means to you. Being reminded that there is a wider world with people who aren’t like the ones surrounding you (whether it’s your family or wider community) is a powerful hope generator
Connect with similarly minded people in your local community, if you aren’t already. You might need to drive to a college town for this one, depending on your area. Having IRL connections with people who aren’t bastards will keep you sane
Find the joy you can, and make it when you can’t. If you don’t find things to be happy about it will seriously kill you. There’s always stuff to be miserable about, so don’t worry about overdoing it in the joy department
Do something you find meaningful. Volunteering, clean ups, whatever you feel drawn towards. Doesn’t even have to be anything official, like checking in on your loved ones
Get some healthy eating and exercise in when you can, too. If it doesn’t improve your mood it’ll at least let you sleep and poop better
Excellent post.
I would add:
Make a plan to run if you have to. Cash reserve, good backpack, identification and other paperwork, a couple of changes of clothes.
Make a plan to move. Save as much money as you can and set a date. We began planning our move in 2020 and our deadline was last summer.
We successfully completed our move to a better state and are much happier. Like a weight has been lifted off us. It was difficult but very much wotth it.
Thank you for inspiring me. I try to collect money to move, and although it seems like a lost cause rn, your positive experience makes me sure I do the right thing.
I can’t tell you how I appreciate your long answer. I already do parts of what you are suggesting. And I’d keep pushing. And would try to find some more island of joy that’d keep me sane in these tiring times. As for now, only my GF keeps me afloat and I abandoned every hobby that needs my attention for I can’t manage it, but I’d try and find. Thank you.
don’t. be angry. show your anger. let it out in productive, constructive ways to support those who can’t
There are always ways to resist, even in repressive environments. Sometimes it might not be as obvious or as heroic as what we might imagine. It might even be as simple as a nearly invisible act of non-compliance. But these things still matter. In extremely repressive countries, it’s often these small actions, when widespread, that can interfere with their power at key moments, even sometimes leading to the regime’s downfall.
We often imagine that the most effective resistance is some dramatic violent act. But real life isn’t a marvel movie. The most important axis of resistance isn’t how impactful your individual acts are, it’s how widespread and organized this resistance is.
We can’t give you specific advice because the most effective actions are specific to the context, and some forms of resistance that effective in some places may be too dangerous in others. But there are people in your country who have the answers. You just need to find them. In most countries they’re active resistance groups but if that’s not safe than any community orgs that aren’t actively supporting the regime and building independent power can be important. Finding them and supporting one another is the only solution to your problem. But be sure to find groups that respect you and your safety because some can be abusive or cult-like as well.
You’re tired because you’re alone. Many of us feel this way, but the support of allies is what will energize you and find you a productive and safe outlet for your anger. Because you should be angry. We should all be angry. Shit is fucked everywhere.
Keep in mind, there are issues in life that come without any solution. Usually you either fight something… Or get used to the situation and make ends meet somehow… If you’re out of energy, it’s going to be the latter. Or you find a way to flee and go somewhere else, away.
There are a few articles written directly after Trump got elected, telling you how to manage your anxiety etc. I always recommend stoicism if you can’t change how things are. Theoretically you should at least try to change things to your liking.
