1. Take a anti-racism workshop(s). ESPECIALLY if you were a white person that felt any type of negative reaction as your friends used words like “racist” and “white supremacy” to describe the Trump election. It’s totally understandable to grow up removed from the effects of racism (I did) and it is a big step to begin challenging our beliefs, but there’s no moving forward without everyone attempting to understand the systematic racism (not to be confused with the racism that comes from self declared racist) that effects so much of our country.
2. Take an anti-harassment bystander workshop(s). There’s been an explosion of harassment from Trump’s victory and no matter if we’re the victim or bystander we all need to fight back.
3. Find or create local organizations/groups that are fighting for the values you care most about and pick at least one to volunteer on a WEEKLY basis. Whether its group phone calls to your congress rep, tabling, flyer, protesting, researching, or a Michael Moore Rapid Response Team, it’s the consistency and prioritization that makes the long-term difference.
4. Give monthly donations to organization(s) fighting for the issues you care about. Even if its just 5 dollars a month its monthly donations that build actual capacity in organizations, not one time donations whenever something goes wrong.
5. Stop spreading “Out of Context” social media memes. Whether you’re a Trump supporter using a meme comparing Trump’s sexual assaults to 50 shades of gray book sales to avoid any kind of critically thinking or whether you’re a bitter progressive with Facebook pages filled with out of context anti Hillary memes while never once holding Trump to any kind of standard, these memes are creating untrue and propagandistic narratives. If you see a meme that totally captures the narrative you want, try writing about that narrative instead of reposting it to ensure that narrative is based on truth.
6. Never shame someone for attempting to stand up against oppression in any form. Even if they are not the most eloquent or you don’t fully understand it. I feel Jesse Williams said it best when he said, “If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you’d better have an established record of critique of our oppression.”
7. Don’t live in a bubble. But that doesn’t mean you have to listen and get into horrible Facebook fights over your conservative friends ignorant, xenophobic and often untrue posts. That shit will burn the best activist out. Instead follow some “credible” conservative news sources like Fiscal Times, Newsmax, Reason, The Hill, Watch Dog or check out All Sides, which shows three different sides to every article.
8. Research the stores, services and products you shop for. Only buy the ones that support the values you want. And ask you store managers to start supplying products that do represent your values. Often they will try it out.
9. Stop saying things like “We’ll get through this” or “We have survived through worst times”. I understand sometimes we need to feel hope, but if that hope doesn’t include hope for the millions of people who will not survive or will be irrevocably harmed during the next four years, then please keep it to yourself. We must resist the urge to fall back on our privileged ability to weather harsh political times well, and stand in solidarity for all the people about to be irrevocably harmed and all the past people who didn’t survive those “hard times in the past we got through”
10. If you’re up for it run for local office.
Know of any additional approaches to becoming a permanent activist or have feedback? Please email us at: theresponsibleconsumer1@gmail.com
The Responsible Consumer 