Forest occupation was one of my first touchpoints with anarchism. So many years ago 1995. And even though I got lost abroad and internally for quite a while in the meantime the tree houses were a memory that remained and created a seed. So whatever continues of the occupations is super important, if not for the individual tree out there but for trees and forests to come and old young ones to remember. Thanks fighters for the forest.
When it comes to door-knocking, it's less about your opinions and more about listening to and addressing their concerns. So you don't really want to just hammer with what comes across as a propaganda sledgehammer, as much as listen and converse. With extra emphasis on listen. Have to be flexible.
With a phone bank, probably have to stick to a script.
There's other things too though, registration drives and giving people rides to polling places on election day, teaching people how mail-in works, stuff like that. Just generic get-out-the-vote stuff.
Also, some organizations do (politically agnostic) postcard / letter writing campaigns to encourage people to go vote. I did one of these campaigns in 2020.
Search for something like "send postcards encourage voting".
I am planning to join up with one of these again for 2024. I find writing much more in my comfort zone and skill set than face to face or phone banks.
My thinking was that jobs for tech people who want jobs was better than volunteering or phone banking, was why I posted the one as soon as I found it, but they're both good, yes.
I have to say I'm a little alarmed by their strategy (what I can see of it from a quick glance over volunteer positions). Phone banking seemed okay 8 years ago but does anyone still even answer their phone? Their social media strategy is Twitter? Guys this is why the Republicans are horrifying but they still keep winning...
This has been a problem for years. They are still campaigning like it's the 80s. Hillary would have trounced trump if they had let someone younger than 30 run their campaign.
We need a grassroots movement of a 3rd party to get some younger leaders in play starting with town councils, county seats, state, etc until we have enough support to get someone in the big chair.
Where is the tocktics of Joe? Hate the platform with a passion but it's what the kids who just became voting age use. He could even start an only fans and drum up some funds.
Edit: wow I was one day early with this, since they announced it not even 24 hours after I said this.
There is a local'ish politician that recently made it to the house. He (really his team) post videos of him across my states subs on reddit and likely on toctik, insta, etc. This is what the old guard needs to learn from. This is how you reach the younger voters and get them engaged as well as educate them on how things work.
They literally promoted Trump in the republican primaries because they thought he was a crazy fringe candidate with no chance of winning. These people are clowns. They are not worth your time.
Like, sure, vote, it's not going to hurt anything, but I seriously do not understand why "VOTE!!!" is such a big position on an instance called solarpunk.
You may be interested in the Sandy and Nora Talk Politics podcast. They are Canadian socialists, not anarchists, but they have been heavily involved in direct action for years and often have good tips on organizing.
One of their central themes is that anything worthwhile requires physically gathering together. You can share calendars, make websites and podcasts, file petitions, and write books or posts, but it all comes down to meeting in person, organizing in person, and acting in person.
Also, as much as it pains me to say it, the far right has the in-person thing down to a science and that is a major source of their power.
Get out there, connect with people, get shit done.
Surely the folks in these groups are aware that it is too late and that protesting only serves to polarize others. A best case scenario: humans are functionally extinct by 2050. There's nothing that will mitigate the impacts of an ice free arctic.
I don't think it's crazy to understand that the cessation of seasons causes an inability to grow crops on a scale necessary to feed 8 billion people and that starving people will not just choose to die peacefully. Good luck.
I think a bunch of people are going to die, yes. I also think, like a lot of experts who have studied the issue, that action now will produce effective results from among some different possibilities, not all of which are extinction. There's still a potentially drastic reduction in the level of horror that's involved in the outcome, largely because the outcomes at the bad ends of the possibilities are so, so bad.
That's why I use the example of the zombie movie. You're trying to argue that because the situation is horrible (which, yes, it is), it's okay to resign yourself and everyone else to an even more horrible future, and you're actively trying to discourage people who are trying to at least do what they can. I think that's a stupid and counterproductive thing to do.
Even if we stop 100% of emissions, the global average temperature will continue to rise. There is no stopping the melting of arctic sea ice. We will have a blue ocean event in less than 2 decades.
If we do stop 100% of emissions, we doom ourselves quicker because of the lack of aerosol masking. Plants and animals can't adapt quickly enough to survive abrupt global warming.
We're achieving a faster rate of warming in a matter of decades than the PETM that took tens of thousands of years and ushered in a mass extinction event.
Rebel against extinction all you want, but we're not long for this world.
The science of domino effects regarding climate is not set in stone or even fully understood. It could be really bad, or it may not be as bad as some suspect. I don't really see the utility in assuming the worst of something that could be fixable, or at least mitigated.
Personally, I'm going to look at the proposition of complete and utter doom with a healthy dose of skepticism, and continue to try to make things better where possible.
Out of curiosity, why do you consciously choose to discourage others from trying to make things better? I guess if I thought we were all doomed, there wouldn't be much point in telling others that we're doomed, since it'd be irrelevant anyway. I'd just do my own thing and attempt to live my life to the fullest ability that I have.
I'm all for radically changing the way we live and limiting our emissions as much as possible. I also understand that it's likely futile, because again, no action will prevent the arctic sea ice from melting, and nothing will mitigate the effects from that loss of ice.
Protesting and making noise doesn't convince anyone. It only polarizes people that disagree with you, and pushes people that were on the fence over the other side.
I like the idea too. I'd be interested in stories from people who did some kind of real life action and achieved results. I think there are a lot of groups that you could join (and I've joined a couple) but it's hard not to feel like the things I'm doing aren't affecting any change.
I think for tangible results, I'd very much recommend land conservation groups. When they finish a project, whether it's buying land or working with landowners on easements to keep it undeveloped and open for recreation, at the end you can walk those woods and see the habitats you helped to preserve (and if they maintain trails and educational opportunities there, helping with that can be really satisfying).
On the other hand, helping set up tool libraries and makerspaces, providing capabilities to your community, and teaching people can be a very vivid impact. Even giving things away on your local Buy Nothing -type group can help you meet and help people from your community, and even connect them with each other. I introduced my neighbor to the woman who runs a refuge charity I give computers to (because he was getting rid of warm clothing and furniture) and she realized there's a bunch of state resources he's eligible for (he had to retire a few years back due to a stroke) and she's helping him figure out what he can use. That's small in the grand scheme of things, but it's a legit improvement in his life.
I don't know if that's the kind of activism you had in mind but maybe it'll help.
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