I believe I am exhausted. I got exhausted of causes when a friend dropped me or given me a preluding sign that our friendship was at an end when they told me I was ‘hopeless’ that I wasn’t jumping up and down for feminism.

It’s like, I know what I stand for and I do want to see more of and support the rights of women. The problem is that, with a lot of causes like feminism, it’s kind of mushy. It isn’t straightforward, it is loud, it is a winding path. I just feel like just simply supporting the rights of women isn’t enough with it and that there’s something more.

And that I’m expected to devote all of my time and energy and effort to it just to prove it. The least I can do and have done anymore, is whenever an issue involving women comes up and someone is attempting to shut them down, I’ll speak my mind of it.

But I’ve got a life too to live here and I don’t want my identity tied up in whatever I believe in politically or socially. I see so many people seemingly burnt out or mislead in causes where it’s all about just being loud and proud. What good is being loud and proud if there’s no directive?

And that’s the key problem I have with a majority of protests. I don’t think going out of my way to stand somewhere waving a sign for hours is what I think a good way to spend time with. I believe we should protest smarter by fighting with facts and being more focused than just allowing intrusive and irrelevant directives take hold of certain causes.

Though I don’t think a lot of people are ready for that so I just bow myself out and whenever I do, people point at me saying I no longer support the cause and that I must be with the other side. Bullshit that I am, I’m just too tired to fucking activist.

  • Diva (she/her)@lemmy.ml
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    3 months ago

    The problem is that, with a lot of causes like feminism, it’s kind of mushy. It isn’t straightforward, it is loud, it is a winding path. … I just feel like just simply supporting the rights of women isn’t enough with it and that there’s something more.

    This is why intersections are important, there are many interconnected struggles under capitalism which all run into common opposition along misogynistic/classist/racist lines and often with numerous overlaps.

    Having an approach which does not include the systemic forces at play from more angles than just one, can lead you to blind spots which cause friction with other people.

    I don’t think going out of my way to stand somewhere waving a sign for hours is what I think a good way to spend time with. I believe we should protest smarter by fighting with facts and being more focused than just allowing intrusive and irrelevant directives take hold of certain causes.

    Demonstrations are only useful if they’re actually demonstrating something. If there’s nothing actually threatening why should anyone take your demonstration seriously? This doesn’t mean you need to be actually getting people in danger, but shit like stopping traffic and being disruptive makes a point where holding signs does not.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    3 months ago

    Yes. I opted to step away from Lemmy because of political news for a few days and it helped. I took a similar break for two weeks earlier this year and got all kinds of other shit done.

  • jlow (he/him)@beehaw.org
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    3 months ago

    Selfcare is a very important part of being an activist (a lesson I’m struggling woth a lot myself).

    Not because you’re of use to noone if your burnt out but because we need to try to live the better world we’re fighting for. So choose your battles as they say and take time off and take care of yourself.

    If demonstrating feels pointless (I know the feeling) try to find your niche, maybe something local where you can see the results. Work in a shelter or a charity or a garden project, whatever is important to you. You (probably) can’t change the world but you can change a tiny bit of it

  • EABOD25@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    There’s a lot of people that can’t see reason through their self-righteousness. And when they begin berating people because they don’t believe or support a cause precisely to their standard, then they themselves are no longer supporting the cause, but just trying to feed their own ego. Those people are not people you need in your life

  • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

    Depression is minimized when one’s accepted responsibilities match one’s capabilities, without being too large or too small.

    Having too little responsibility leads to nihilism. Having too much responsibility (like for example trying to save the world) leads to a state of disillusion with the feasibility of actually fulfilling one’s responsibilities, which leads to hopelessness, which eventually leads to narcissism. (edit: nihilism, not narcissism here)

    It probably can’t hurt to say the above Serenity Prayer once a day for thirty days. Probably can’t hurt to say it ten times in a row every morning, just as an exercise.

    You don’t need to actually believe in God to pray. It’s okay to just pray.

  • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
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    3 months ago

    And that I’m expected to devote all of my time and energy and effort to it just to prove it. The least I can do and have done anymore, is whenever an issue involving women comes up and someone is attempting to shut them down, I’ll speak my mind of it.

    You’ve stated your own problem here. Trying to please moralistic people is a no-win game. Instead, be practical.

  • sentientity@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    Every activist or charity type of group is going to have a person who tries to tell you that your way of participating is wrong or not enough or that you have to do exactly the same thing they do or else you don’t care enough about whatever you’re fighting for. This is toxic bullshit and should be ignored. You’re not doing anything wrong by engaging in the way that is the most effective use of your energy.

  • 1984@lemmy.today
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    3 months ago

    You know, I have one simple rule.

    You can think what you like, and other people can think what they like also.

    But they can’t tell anyone else what to think. So all this social media and Hollywood propaganda about gender and race can fuck off. It wont change my mind and it shouldn’t. I have my own life experiences and I don’t need that replaced with what they tell me to think.

    Friends who try to tell you what to think can also fuck off. You have to have this attitude or you end up with really annoying friends.

    Real friends can have opinions without pushing them on to you.

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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      3 months ago

      So all this social media and Hollywood propaganda about gender and race can fuck off

      People keep saying this but in real lifebut only people I hear talking about gays and trannies are the “conservative” types…

      Block fake news and social media shilling it and move on. If you really believe what you said, you wouldn’t have mentioned them.

      Ignoring it the proper route IMHO and talking about things are relevant to YOU with people sharing these interests is the credited strategy here.