As soon as I started posting comments and podcast episodes about positive action, multiple people in my community reached out to me to tell me that they were organizing positive action groups. Positive action focuses on what we can do and tries to minimize the time people spend complaining about things that they can't control. It's really helpful to view what you are doing as positive action because it makes you somewhat immune to those people around you, in real life or online, who want to pull you down dark and depressing rabbit holes. Every single person can commit acts that make their community a bit healthier, whether the act is tiny like smiling at customers in a grocery store, or large like organizing effective political action.
I appreciate the way your comments ‘lean toward’ civility. Gottman explained the ‘4 horsemen’ that doom a marriage as: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. But I see persons on the left using those 4 with people on the right on the daily, especially on Social Media. Criticism and contempt of someone who ‘seems racist’ only metasticizes racism. The only people the left can change is ourselves. We need to be bigger people, not egoically but with a kind of humility that allows us to engage from a ‘softer place’… That allows people to have the psychic space to admit to their unsure-ness of their deeply-held convictions. Most people don’t have the courage to admit they were wrong about something without a lot of support.
I believe a lot of Americans don’t really understand exactly how vulnerable our democracy is right now. This false sense of security is one of the biggest dangers we are facing. The idea that any particular government is too strong to fail has been proven wrong over and over again throughout history. Your article gives me hope. Thank you.
We also need people inside to tell us what is really going on . Sone Senators, like Klobuchar, put the most benign posts up about say, IGs being fired, that far from inspiring action, land like dead weight, like you’ve hit a dead end.
These people inside need to ramp up their game. Change their tune. Quicken their stride. Understand the assignment . How can we get the message to them?
Interesting observation. I think MOC's currently have a lot of resources at their disposal to communicate with their constituents if they so desire (for example, websites, social media, email, newsletters, etc.), but that doesn't necessarily mean they or their staffs know how to use them well. What specifically would you like to ask your reps in Congress to do differently?
Right now what’s coming out from some Dem leaders like Schumer and Klobuchar are declarative statements about a new executive order and how that could hurt our democracy or what could have motivated such a bad-faith action. The statement comes across like a civics lesson for junior high students at a time when Concerned citizens online seem to want to know now, in the moment, how they can resist, how they can fight back, what the Dems in Congress are going to do about it . Sen Klobuchar even posted about health care for seniors being unaffordable and stating that we have to fix it. Is this an issue right now? Today?
My guess is that some of this stuff are scheduled posts by her staff and they are not only not meeting the moment but whoever is writing is clueless about how to harness social media. The effort hits me as opportunity wasted; energy not captured; support not generated. Replies are skewering her.
As soon as I started posting comments and podcast episodes about positive action, multiple people in my community reached out to me to tell me that they were organizing positive action groups. Positive action focuses on what we can do and tries to minimize the time people spend complaining about things that they can't control. It's really helpful to view what you are doing as positive action because it makes you somewhat immune to those people around you, in real life or online, who want to pull you down dark and depressing rabbit holes. Every single person can commit acts that make their community a bit healthier, whether the act is tiny like smiling at customers in a grocery store, or large like organizing effective political action.
“Positive action” is a wonderful concept. Thanks for sharing!
I appreciate the way your comments ‘lean toward’ civility. Gottman explained the ‘4 horsemen’ that doom a marriage as: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. But I see persons on the left using those 4 with people on the right on the daily, especially on Social Media. Criticism and contempt of someone who ‘seems racist’ only metasticizes racism. The only people the left can change is ourselves. We need to be bigger people, not egoically but with a kind of humility that allows us to engage from a ‘softer place’… That allows people to have the psychic space to admit to their unsure-ness of their deeply-held convictions. Most people don’t have the courage to admit they were wrong about something without a lot of support.
Stand up and speak! Silence does nothing.
Yes! And while you’re at it, be very mindful of how, what, why, and to whom you’re speaking.
I believe a lot of Americans don’t really understand exactly how vulnerable our democracy is right now. This false sense of security is one of the biggest dangers we are facing. The idea that any particular government is too strong to fail has been proven wrong over and over again throughout history. Your article gives me hope. Thank you.
Exactly! We got this.
https://open.substack.com/pub/republia/p/the-difference-between-monarchies?utm_source=app-post-stats-page&r=4ucf6d&utm_medium=ios
We also need people inside to tell us what is really going on . Sone Senators, like Klobuchar, put the most benign posts up about say, IGs being fired, that far from inspiring action, land like dead weight, like you’ve hit a dead end.
These people inside need to ramp up their game. Change their tune. Quicken their stride. Understand the assignment . How can we get the message to them?
Interesting observation. I think MOC's currently have a lot of resources at their disposal to communicate with their constituents if they so desire (for example, websites, social media, email, newsletters, etc.), but that doesn't necessarily mean they or their staffs know how to use them well. What specifically would you like to ask your reps in Congress to do differently?
Right now what’s coming out from some Dem leaders like Schumer and Klobuchar are declarative statements about a new executive order and how that could hurt our democracy or what could have motivated such a bad-faith action. The statement comes across like a civics lesson for junior high students at a time when Concerned citizens online seem to want to know now, in the moment, how they can resist, how they can fight back, what the Dems in Congress are going to do about it . Sen Klobuchar even posted about health care for seniors being unaffordable and stating that we have to fix it. Is this an issue right now? Today?
My guess is that some of this stuff are scheduled posts by her staff and they are not only not meeting the moment but whoever is writing is clueless about how to harness social media. The effort hits me as opportunity wasted; energy not captured; support not generated. Replies are skewering her.