Survival Manifesto: Principles for Change

@Peter Oram wrote a draft manifesto, inviting comments, for ...

balancing my concerns about the world/society with my well-being? Perhaps you have some suggestions. Basically, I want to work towards co-creating a fairer society that pays attention to climate, inequality, and justice, but I don’t want to get so caught up that I feel unhelpful anger or helplessness.

I suggested some reordering and edits, whilst trying to preserve the spirit. This ties as well with @Phil Landmeier (ᚠ)'s letter-writing proposal, my feet to the fire and pull where you want to go posts.

Activism Survival Manifesto

1. My ability to be a force for good and change in the world begins with my own existence and health. I will tend to and be mindful of my own health, and be aware of and respect my strengths, weaknesses, and limits.
2. The world and its problems are larger than me. Working together with others, finding those to work with, ensuring their own health and wellness, and working effectively with them, maximises my own contribution. Doing more on fewer issues focuses my efforts and results.
3. Problem resolution is a process beginning with awareness and concluding with assessment and learning. Contributions throughout this cycle are useful.
4. Knowledge of leverage points and community activism tactics is useful. Generally, maximising effect through actions toward goals at minimum effort should be my operational standard.
5. Often communications is activism. Even a minimal contribution, yes, even a “like” or reshare, is a contribution, though substantial contributions may be far more useful. Do what I can.
6. Keeping interactions polite to the extent possible is helpful, but so are firmly establishing boundaries and protecting that which I, or those working with me, require.

2021 Suggested Areas of Focus (US)

I'd suggested these ten topics on Phil's discussion, and it still seems a good start.

• Covid-19, public health, CDC, and healthcare for all.
• Economic health and justice, including housing, wages, taxes, corporations, offshore wealth, and securities reform.
• Long-term threats and risks: global warming, energy, resources, pandemics, natural disasters.
• Political corruption and dysfunction, including restoring agencies and services and functions such as the, elections CDC, UPS, FEMA, VOA, and others attacked by Trumpism.
• Justice reforms: police, prosecutors at all levels, courts at all levels, prisons, bail, addiction, violence, white collar crime, institutional discrimination.
• Media reform: online, cable, broadcast, print.
• Monopoly and antitrust / privacy, censorship, propaganda, manipulation.
• Foreign policy and relations.
• Military policy: preparedness & alignment, ongoing conflicts, Guantanamo.
• Science, technology, education.

On Methods

I'll admit that this is where I feel I'm weakest. Political change is about deploying tactics, actions, toward goals. There's a fairly standard playbook of community activism methods, a key and underutilised one being working within your community.

I'd written a long bit on Phil's thread but the upshot is: Letter-writing to politicians is about signalling, not persuading.

Persuasion and planning should, mostly, occur within your own community, or in public communications and think-pieces.

Repetition is more effective than argument.. Though to very occasional good argument may help refine taking points.

Looking at past campaigns, corporate, oligarchic, or popular, and seeing what contributes to success or failure, is useful. Note that corporate campaigns largely don't rely on mass-movement techniques, though they may attempt to emulate them.. Fascist and nationalist campaigns are a notable exception, though the rely strongly on fear, anger, and intimidation.

Companies and institutions are notoriously risk-averse, and often respond to shifts in risks faced.

Organised movements are vastly more effective than unorganised ones. Build community.

#activism #politics #SurvivalManifesto #BigProblems #CommunityOrganising #EconomicJustice #MedicareForAll #BLM #ClimateChange #ZeroCarbon #NoJusticeNoPeace #Antitrust #DecriminalizeDrugs #EconomicJustice #MediaReform #democracy