I've also heard the argument thrown around that rhetoric isn't as important for us because we're obviously right, and by engaging in praxis onlookers will have some sort of epiphany about mutual aid or some shit. Or, to paraphrase an actual conversation that I saw on telegram, that optics is for neoliberals. Well, I hate to say it, but you do have to actually convince people that you're right by actually talking to them. And this is another realm where leftism has failed horribly. Neoliberalism too, for that matter. Conservatives have obviously been winning the rhetoric game since basically the beginning of the cold war, and we need to accept that our current methods are simply not working. Personally I'm not above pandering to patriotic values like they do, but that's a conversation for another time. The least we can do is engage with people on an empathetic level, and that requires a level of emotional maturity that, honestly, I don't really think I've seen much of recently. Let alone the kind of cohesion which would be required to determine a cohesive messaging platform.

What I envision is a community where we trust one another. Not simply as people sharing a common ideology or goal, but just because we're all people, and we're all trying. I want to see a world where it's not the wild exception to see a debate end in someone conceding that their position was not entirely well founded, and wishing their interlocutor a good day. I want to see a world where we can take pride in the work that we all do together. If we can actually cooperate with each other as empathetic individuals, I believe we can achieve much more than any purely rationally motivated group ever could.

Now, I realize that I'm essentially shouting into the void here. I'm nobody, and you probably are wondering why you should give a shit about my bitching and moaning. And the reason is that you probably feel the same way that I do. And this is me officially giving you permission to vent those frustrations on a public forum. In fact, *please* do. This is the sort of message which is only effective if it becomes widespread enough to spark discourse in the leftist sphere at large. For far too long we have been shamed into pretending that we are all perfectly functional adults, but it's okay to have some growing left to do! In my wildest dreams, social and emotional wellbeing would become central components of leftist communities, rather than at best being an afterthought, and at worst being actively harmed.

A pretty cool rant from a friend of mine. ^

Here’s a guide Kellogg’s products. We must stand in solidarity with working class men and women!
https://redd.it/rfrtoi
@coolguides

The last text sent by Larry Virden, who died in the Edwardsville, IL Amazon facility collapse.
Death to capitalism! Death to wage slavery!

I really, really do hate our state's politics.

Warning: Rant inbound.

"I can't, I'm having a self care day." "Sorry, I'm taking care of myself right now." Do you all realize how completely nuts you sound? One of the ideas I've seen dominate so much of our society recently is this concept that, in order to deal with your problems, you have to pull away and "focus on yourself." Now, I'm not trying to devalue contemplation nor am I trying to say that there aren't some issues that are best handled on an individual basis, but this whole emphasis we have on "putting ourselves first" is often times a rejection of the thing that's made humans so great and successful for thousands of years: We build communities, and the members of those communities take care of each other. It's the building of communities that fills human hearts and lifts the burdens from human shoulders. This church we've built around "self-care" is just another iteration of the death cult that is the modern idea of individualism, and it isn't going to make us feel any better, no matter how much we pretend it will. We can manage on our own, but in a group we can overcome.

I know there's a lot to be said for the big injustices under capitalism and all, but the little stuff that makes every day just a little harder is worth mentioning to. I'm very upset by how hard it is to find a bench to just sit and rest on in day to day life, even in public places.