The 10 Leftist Commandments in Those Public Entries

The 10 Leftist Commandments

Inspired by a certain 50-going-on-13 “leftist” Queen of Social Justice Threads, who thinks she’s being oh-so-edgy sanctimonious “morally upstaaaaahnding” by calling Kamala Harris “just as bad” as the GOP because “I need a definite statement on Palestine”¹ and “I’m not voting,” who read this and then said, “that’s a lot of words, and I’m not going to read all of them.”

If I still had even the slightest spark of interest in this idiot, it would be to ask where I should send a red baseball cap and set of white sheets, because once her brain finishes breaking, she’s gonna need them.

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1. An imperfect democracy, led by imperfect people who believe in democracy, is always better than dictatorship. If you don’t believe this, you are a fascist, periodt.

2. Activism is active. Thou shalt get off thine keister, log out of social media, and go out in the world and do shit.

3. Doing nothing wrong means doing nothing. It is, without a single exception, 100% better and more effective to do something right than to do nothing wrong.

4. “Intent doesn’t matter, only impact matters” is an over-correction. Intent absolutely matters. If you do imperfect activism with good intentions, that is always going to be better than having perfect intentions and doing nothing.

5. Put your money where your mouth is. If you’re not even doing that, then actually shut the fuck up. It’s the bare minimum of activism, and you can sacrifice one thing to donate $5 to humanitarian aid orgs, or to someone who needs it.

6. You can approach people with kindness and empathy, or you can approach them with contempt and open hostility. If you choose the latter, don’t be surprised when no one wants to talk to you. (And miss me with “bUt iM ND i CaNt mAkE sMaLl tAlK-” LEARN. Small talk is a skill, not an innate ability, and everyone has to learn it, even the dread neurotypicals. Again, “doing something imperfectly is better than doing nothing perfectly.”)

7. Always remember the holy words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

8. It 👏 is 👏 impossible 👏 to 👏 change 👏 things 👏 without 👏 political 👏 power. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 (How many fucking claps do I need to make y’all understand?!) Make connections with politically powerful, liberal and centrist people and groups, then pressure them into making the changes you want to see.

9. Posting and reposting on social media is neither activism nor justice. It’s awareness-raising. If being aware of an issue was the solution, we wouldn’t have any problems. “Do or do not.” And if you do not, stand aside for those who do.

10. You cannot pour from an empty pitcher. Take care of yourself. Take breaks. Establish boundaries. Stop doomscrolling. Go outside. Touch grass, literally. Spend one day a month completely disconnected. Find moments of joy in your daily life. Have something to look forward to, even if it’s something small.

And above all, remember this: PROGRESS IS NOT ENDGAME. Progress is the continual work done toward a better, more equitable world with true justice for all. This work will never be finished. It is a long, slow, arduous process. It happens incrementally. There is no way to make the world better in one fell swoop. If that’s your focus, you will burn yourself out, you will become depressed, disillusioned, and bitter. Focus on what you can do, however small and unglamorous it might be.

Oh, and revolutions are not social reset buttons. They are both preceded by, and usher in, periods of immense political and social instability, and in the aftermath, the government becomes even more reactionary and repressive. It takes years, if not decades, for stability and democracy to be re-established, if they ever are, and it is women, BIPOC, religious and social minorities, the disabled, and LGBTQIA+ folx who suffer the most. Before you get doe-eyed about revolution, read up on ones besides American and French. You will be unpleasantly surprised to learn how often revolutions fail, or are “out of the frying pan, into the fire” situations.

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¹Again, if ending the genocide in Palestine is what swings your vote this year, (1) I absolutely agree that it needs to end, and (2) TRUMP IS SUPPORTING ISRAEL, SAYS THEY NEED TO “FINISH THE JOB,” AND HAS PLEDGED, IF HE’S ELECTED, TO GIVE THE IDF AS MANY WEAPONS AS THEY ASK FOR. If you’re jonesin’ for a “definitive statement” from one of the viable candidates on Palestine, how fucking much more “definitive” can you get? How much more does Harris need to say, in light of that? Either you actually care about Palestinians, or you don’t, but do fucking not act like “both sides are the same” here, because they’re not.

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Last updated August 01, 2024