Post by Molly White

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Newsletter: A message to those asking “what do I do now?” How to protect yourselves, and how to fight.

https://www.citationneeded.news/wind-the-clock/

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I am disappointed. I am sad. I am afraid. But, you see, I was disappointed, sad, and afraid before the election, too. In and outside of the United States, across the political spectrum, governments are and have been failing their people.

#CitationNeeded #USpolitics #USpol

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And it is the people who have been fighting not just to protect themselves, their communities, and the things they love, but also fighting for people they’ve never met, in places they’ve never been, living lives they’ve never lived, facing horrors they’ve never faced.

#CitationNeeded #USpolitics #USpol

I had allowed myself to hope that American voters would choose the better of the presidential options available to us, and I was wrong. I am disappointed. I am sad. I am afraid.

But, you see, I was disappointed, sad, and afraid before the election, too. In and outside of the United States, across the political spectrum, governments are and have been failing their people. And it is the people who have been fighting not just to protect themselves, their communities, and the things they love, but also fighting for people they’ve never met, in places they’ve never been, living lives they’ve never lived, facing horrors they’ve never faced.

No matter how the United States election went, the fights were going to continue. A Harris victory would not solve our problems, domestically or worldwide. Nor would it change the fact that a sizable portion of people in this country are buying what Trump and his allies are selling. The only open questions were who the specific adversaries in the White House would be, who among the fighters would keep fighting, and who would join the fight.

The first question has been answered. Now the questions are: if you have been fighting already, are you going to continue to fight? If you haven’t been, are you going to begin?

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Illustration: Three arrows: a black arrow pointing right, a blue arrow pointing up and slightly to the left, and a red arrow pointing more to the left

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Maybe you’re not ready to read how to fight yet. It’s okay to take some time to rest, grieve, be angry. When you're ready, read on.

#CitationNeeded #USpolitics #USpol

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First, take steps to protect yourself. Find community. Take care of your health. Learn how to protect yourself digitally. Find and nurture sources of reliable news and information.

#CitationNeeded #USpolitics #USpol

Now what?
First things first, protect yourself. Even if you think the threat of authoritarianism is overblown, take steps to defend against it. If you’re a journalist, maybe read this section twice.

Find your communities. Most people have many communities: the friend group you hang out with in real life, your family, your neighbors, your internet friends, your coworkers, your church or synagogue or mosque or other religious community. Strengthen these communities. If you don’t feel like you have much in the way of community, begin forming them: join new social groups, and try to meet likeminded people near you. Introduce yourself to your neighbors.
Join (or start) a union. There’s strength in numbers, and especially if your industry may fall under threat, you’ll want to unionize now and not wait for that threat to materialize.
Consider taking proactive steps to obtain healthcare that could become challenging to obtain in the future, if you are able. For example, if you need to replace or are considering getting an IUD, now might be the time.
Use end-to-end-encrypted messaging apps for your communications. I use Signal heavily, but there are other options. Please know that not all apps that advertise E2EE enable it by default or offer it for group chats (looking at you Telegram), so double check that.
Consider choosing a VPN to help protect your privacy online, and learn about the pros and cons of using them. Learn when, why, and how to use Tor.

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Then: choose your fights. Think about what matters most to you, and look for ways to fight for those things. Find people who are members of communities under threat and/or experienced organizers doing this work already, and ask them what they need. Help the people around you.

#CitationNeeded #USpolitics #USpol

How do I fight?
For anyone feeling like you don’t know what to do, I urge you to think hard about what matters most to you, and look for ways to fight for those things — particularly if you have specific skills that you can put to use. Are you a good writer? Tech savvy? A compelling leader? Good at coming up with new ideas? Find things that play to your strengths. And most importantly, find people who are members of communities under threat and/or experienced organizers doing this work already, and ask them what they need. Help the people around you. Be there for the people you love.

What matters to me may not be the most important thing to you, and it’s easiest to keep fighting when you’re fighting for something you care deeply about.

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