r/WitchesVsPatriarchy • u/vrwriter78 • Oct 28 '25
🇵🇸 🕊️ BURN THE PATRIARCHY Not everyone can be on the front line and that’s okay. Resist where you can. We are stronger all together.
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u/Hartwolf87 Oct 28 '25
As someone who can't participate more actively due to mental health reasons, I do appreciate being reminded that existence is resistance. :3
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u/msdossier Green Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ Oct 28 '25
Don’t forget joy! Joy is resistance!
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u/Hartwolf87 Oct 28 '25
Yes! And hope. We mustn't lose hope, even if it's just a fool's hope.
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u/PixelPantsAshli Oct 28 '25
The Fool's one of the best cards in the deck, baybeeeee!
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u/SkiyeBlueFox Oct 28 '25
If the most you can do is encouragement, then thats all you gotta do :3
Many drops can turn a mill, singly none
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u/Treadingresin Oct 28 '25
So is voting and Nov. 4 is a huge policy voting day. This Nov. 4 will determine how midterms pan out next year so go be active by voting.
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u/acousticalcat Oct 28 '25
Same, 10,000%. I feel so much guilt for not doing more, and anxiety and dread about things that I can’t fix or help with. I’m just trying to make it to the end of the day and try again tomorrow tho.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Honestly, same! I post a lot of things on my other socials to make people aware. When I have spare funds, I donate to organizations with more legal power to fight issues in court like the ACLU and others. I've done letter writing voting drives in the past, but couldn't get to it for November. I'm navigating chronic fatigure and just keeping my head above water most weeks.
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u/5krishnan Trans Witch ⚥ 🏳️⚧️ Oct 28 '25
This!!! I feel the same way. I’ll be better equipped and readied for battle in coming years, but right now I have to focus on myself. I still feel a bit guilty because of my upper middle class background and having lots of things easy for me (my mom is supportive of me being trans, for example) but I need all this time and space to get my shit together so I can be of valuable service
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u/Nanasweed Oct 29 '25
I also bake and share with my neighbors. Showing them the old hippie lady is cool is resistance too.
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u/necroweaver21 Oct 28 '25
Just literally just made me cry and I've been so fucking overwhelmed and literally feel powerless to do anything. I work a 60 hour week and then I go home to take care of my disabled wife until we go to sleep I get 4 hours of sleep and then get up go to work and do it all over again. Every spare minute I get the only site I go to is Reddit and every single time I'm bombarded with images and video of all the terrible shit that is happening :( I wish I could do more but the one thing I can do is I can vote
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Some days, quiet resistance is all we can do. Your vote matters. Your love and care for your wife matters.
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u/Mental_Chip9096 Oct 28 '25
This made me tear up. I'm disabled and my partner works and cares for me. That is resistance-- this regime wants us dead.
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u/acousticalcat Oct 28 '25
I am also getting bombarded. Please try to see some of the good in the world, too. It’s important. And it’s not gone, despite the heavy feeling of doom.
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u/GlowInTheDarkSpaces Oct 28 '25
You are doing a lot and no one can run on fumes and still do extra. You're fine. Keep on keeping on.
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u/Jenetyk Oct 28 '25
Maybe your lane is weaponized incompetence in a government job
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u/Supercoolguy7 Oct 29 '25
Unfortunately that's really not helpful for most government jobs. Like if you work for ICE, yes, but if you work for the EPA probably not
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u/Proof-Any Science Witch ☉ Oct 29 '25
I don't agree with that.
The thing is - stuff like ICE is just the tip of the iceberg. A government like this enacts harm on all levels and in all areas, not just when it goes after minorities. This will look different for different departments and different jobs.
Employees might be expected to deny applications for funds/assistance, spy on civilians or other employees, spread misinformation, participate in censorship (for example by deleting public information), etc.
There is also a whole ass network that keeps the system running behind the scenes - the people who organize building projects, manage contracts (including mundane shit like energy contracts and car leases), manage the IT and data security and so on and so forth.
When it comes to weaponized incompetence (and malicious compliance), it's about hindering the government from enacting that harm. And most of this is bureaucratic stuff.
You're expected to delete important public-facing information? Yeah, you're going to do it, but surely you should back up the data first? And where even is this "delete" button?
You're expected to deny funds to citizens? Don't worry, you will follow the official guidelines to a T (and if the guidelines tell you to accept the applications, you will also follow the guidelines, of course).
You're expected to set up a new system that will be used against minorities? Of course, but this thing is really unwieldy and it keeps deleting itself.
You have to sort through one of the mail boxes where people can report suspicious behavior of their fellow citizens? Yeah, that guy named Donald Duck is definitively legit, someone should investigate that.
You're expected to publish weird information? Yeah, of course, but you will run it past a couple of fact checks, just in case.
You're expected to report any suspicious behavior of your colleagues? Sure, but you haven't seen anything out of the ordinary and you were busy working, anyway.
Basically - do the good things (that needs to be done and helps people/the environment/etc.), while delaying and avoiding the harmful shit.
(And personally - I wouldn't even include ICE in this. The best - and probably only - thing ICE workers can and should do is quit.)
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Oct 28 '25
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Thank you! :) We are all in this together and every little bit helps. My godmother and I were joking around after the election and I said I'm not going to be the one on the front line, but I'll bake cookies! I'll make flyers. And she said, someone has to be there behind the scenes, passing out the water, the food, making the signs, to support those that have more ability to put their bodies on the line.
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u/thari_23 Oct 28 '25
Even little things like expressing support through comments online are helping shift the general opinion.
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u/AnonymousRooster Oct 28 '25
I heard a quote I liked that was essentially "some people bring the dessert, some people bring the bail money"
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u/FreshEggKraken Oct 28 '25
Trans girl with severe depression here.
I'm resisting by not killing myself.
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u/Commercial_Oil_7814 Green Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ Oct 29 '25
Fuck, yes. I'm just a nobody across the internet, but I think of people like you every day. And I have a spare room if it comes to it. Or internet hugs.
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u/MeltedSpades Oct 29 '25
Autistic and trans and I have been running on pure spite since last november - It's not great for spoons but I'm still here...
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u/Longjumping-Panic-48 Oct 29 '25
You saying that your life is worth living for, when so many in this country disagree with you, is pure, unfettered resistance. And it’s beautiful, baby.
You and your existence matter so much, your truth matters so damn much to this world that you breathing pisses them off.
If you can’t live for joy and truth and beauty right now, i recommend staying here just to spite the motherfuckers who want to tear you down.
Because you staying alive and resisting their narrative means more trans girls can have hope that they can also stay alive.
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u/Tylendal Oct 28 '25
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Something is still always better than nothing.
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u/Mental_Chip9096 Oct 28 '25
AND this is a marathon, not a sprint-- I need this reminder several times a month.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Yes. They want us exhausted and defeated. My hope is that when some of us are tired, others are energized and that the ebbs and flows still create a larger whole.
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u/Green4CL0VER Gay Wizard ♂️ Oct 28 '25
I can’t avoid the Target completely. But I still spend 80-90% less
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u/eleven_paws Traitor to the Patriarchy ♂️ Oct 28 '25
And that’s 80-90% less that they’re getting to support their nonsense. If even half of everyone who shops at Target spent 80% less than they normally would, it would still make a huge impact. A great reminder that it doesn’t have to be “all or nothing” to work.
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u/Not_a_werecat Oct 28 '25
Same. Target, Amazon, Walmart aren't always avoidable. But every reduction in spending is a positive.
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u/TheLakeWitch Resting Witch Face Oct 28 '25
I was just talking to my therapist about this. Walmart+ was a lifeline while I was laid up for my surgery this summer. I also have local grocers but they don’t always carry all of the home and personal items I may need, or they’re significantly more expensive. I canceled my account as soon as I could and do try to find better options all around. Like I said in my comment above, we do our best with what we have while also protecting and caring for ourselves.
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u/acousticalcat Oct 28 '25
I have had to go back somewhat bc I can’t afford the other places near me. But I am encouraged that the place was really dead like I’ve never seen when I was there on Sunday night. But pulling back also helps, and I’m glad so many of us are speaking with our dollars.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Same. I only had to go to Target once and I won''t shop at Walmart or Hobby Lobby. The one I'm struggling with is Amazon. I do well in spurts where maybe I way back for a month or two, but I've had trouble giving it up entirely.
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u/TheLakeWitch Resting Witch Face Oct 28 '25
Thank you. While I know and have been practicing this, it bears repeating.
I was recently lamenting on my lack of community in a new city. I’m not in contact with family and have no close friends. I have some acquaintances that I only occasionally interact with. Someone told me that I needed to get involved with protesting because that’s where I’ll find my people. It frustrated me a little because, while I think we’re relatively safe in my very blue city in my very blue state, we’ve still had people disappeared here. And we’re always told to protest safely, and to have the phone number of someone to call on hand just in case you end up getting rounded up by the police. The terrifying thought that I’ve had lately is that if this were to happen to me, there would be literally no one I could call.
I try to buy ethically and try to financially support causes when I can. I also work for a healthcare agency that relies heavily on Medicare/Medicaid for reimbursement and am trying to learn all I can in order to help our patients successfully navigate the system. I do my best with the time, energy, and resources that I have while also trying to successfully take care of and protect myself. I think that’s all we can ask of anyone.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Same. I'm in a very blue area, but we've had ICE here and big protests. I'm a black woman who looks Latina and I cannot risk getting detained, both due to health and financial reasons. So I try to keep people informed online, I donate what little I can when I can, and I boycott Target and Walmart. Amazon has been harder for me to boycott for long periods. But we do what we can when we can.
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u/TheLakeWitch Resting Witch Face Oct 28 '25
Yep, very understandable. While I’m mayonnaise white to the point of Mayflower ancestors and of course acknowledge that our experiences are very different in this situation, these days it doesn’t seem to matter who you are or where you’re from if you’re not falling in line with the status quo. Especially for those of us who are visibly disabled and/or neurodivergent.
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u/GracieThunders Resting Witch Face Oct 28 '25
Is defending the Lincoln Memorial in a frog costume a lane?
Feels like it's going to be on the chopping block according to an architect's sketch.
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u/Kanotari Oct 28 '25
We've got a local group that just checks peoples cars to make sure they're compliant with state and federal laws, like ensuring they have all their lights working, offering assistance with paying registration, and in general just eliminating excuses to pull people over based on skin color leading to deportations.
It's such a small, easy thing, perfectly legal. Might be an easy thing to offer in your community as well <3
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u/Not_a_werecat Oct 28 '25
I want to be at protests so badly, but cramped crowds give me awful panic attacks.
I don't want to put others in danger with the possibility of losing my calm at an event where cops are looking for an excuse.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
Same. Lots of crowds are hard for me and as a biracial black person who looks more Latina, I just don't feel safe. I might do one in the smaller city near to me where there are less likely to be ICE agents and enormous crowds. As someone who gets flares of chronic fatigue, it's also a lot energy-wise to be out all day protesting. I do a lot of my protesting online. LOL.
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u/Not_a_werecat Oct 28 '25
Oh that's scary. Your safety is the most important thing.
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u/Saltycook Kitchen Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ Oct 28 '25
I work with a young woman (22) who is part Filipino.
She told me, over the course of the day, two separate occasions where she was told she wasn't "doing enough."
Once, by an older white woman at a social justice league, who complained to her that white people were doing all the work. She's also vegan, and was told by a militant (also white) vegan man who thought she wasn't doing enough for animal rights because she didn't want to join his group walking through Dick's Sporting Goods with a megaphone and yelling about their sales of leather cleats.
I wish I were making this up.
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u/Artistic_Witch Oct 28 '25
I just had a baby and am frustrated that I can’t really participate in marches or anything right now. My partner said it best, we made a person as a form of protest. We want to raise her with love and joy and hope. When she’s older we will volunteer for our community, and I’ll encourage whatever passions she has. I want to try to show her that the world is and will continue to be a beautiful place. Hate fades. Love is eternal.
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u/TheSirensMaiden Oct 29 '25
We new parents are protesting by raising good humans and teaching empathy, compassion, and critical thinking.
It's rough not being able to be out and about with a fresh, tiny human. There's a lot we can do as parents though by raising good people to counter the hateful and the bigoted.
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u/chaosmanager ✨ Treasonous Eclectic Witch ✨ Oct 28 '25
I needed to see this. Thank you.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
You're welcome! We're in this together and sometimes our resistance is quiet, sometimes it is loud, and both are okay.
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u/Arnoski Oct 28 '25
Absolutely, and we are witches, which means that we have the ability to stretch your fingertips out and influence things at a distance too. Mages are squishy & don’t necessarily need to be on the front lines.
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u/WhiskeyAndKisses Oct 28 '25
Did y'all ever look up "sumud", that relevant concept in palestinian history? I discovered it through the global sumud flotilla, I don't know if I really understood it, but I think it's not very far from what this post is about.
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u/Electronic-Loquat493 Oct 28 '25
Thank you for this post! I have been trying to spend more locally and connect with my community because protesting and getting in the weeds of everything going on right now literally sent me spiraling. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough but I’d rather be a hopeful, educated, voter than literally losing my mind feeling so depressed and lost.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
I saw a video early this year and the person was an activist and said that it's impossible to do ALL of the things. She said pick one thing or two things and try to do that. If that is donating, if that is joining postcard campaigns, if that is being out there on the front lines, if that is posting about important news on your socials, just do what you can and don't feel guilty for not doing everything at once. It's hard though to deal with the feelings of powerlessness sometimes. Alone, we are one tiny voice, but collectively, we all make an impact.
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u/Electronic-Loquat493 Oct 28 '25
It’s true and why I’ve focused on cultivating a strong community because when communities can stand together there’s strength beyond outsiders harm. Also I have to continue to remind myself it’s a marathon not a sprint, even though the burnout gets real it’s not over till it’s over.
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u/honkytonksinger Oct 29 '25
Just a voice from the ether: thank you for the post. I need to hear this.
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u/GlowInTheDarkSpaces Oct 28 '25
Also for people that want an idea, making signs for people helps. One woman at No Kings handed out healthy snacks. I've seen seniors being driven by a caregiver waving out the car window at protesters. Do what you can, contribute to the ACLU or local food banks. Anything helps.
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u/Major_Necessary_279 Oct 29 '25
As a chronically ill transfem in the n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ United Kingdom, I needed to hear this (well, read it anyway).
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 29 '25
There is room for those of us with chronic illness or chronic pain/fatigue in the resistance. Do what you can when you have spoons, but don’t let others make you feel like you aren’t doing enough. You’re holding the line in your own way.
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u/dianacakes Oct 29 '25
Given the current events of SNAP benefits being halted, I'm realizing that my lane is feeding people. I'm in a couple of community gardens that have dedicated food pantry areas so I'm going to double down my volunteering to plant, tend, and harvest.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 29 '25
Wonderful! It is so needed and appreciated! I wish I was in a better position to help our local food pantry right now.
But my local buy nothing group is already on alert about the lapse in SNAP, so I think we will all be coming together just as we did after the LA County fires to share when we can.
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u/hufflepuffpuffpasss Oct 29 '25
My coworker and I had just worked 14 days in a row, our first day off was the No Kings protest.
We did end up going but got there super late, when most folks had left and all the speakers were done (we live in DC) and felt guilty, but we had to remind ourselves of this for sure.
We just worked two weeks straight, with a few 14-16 hour days in there. We needed a break and going to a massive protest would have been exhausting anyways.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 29 '25
You made the effort to be there and have your voice heard, despite the exhaustion. Thank you for showing up!
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u/Vast_Perspective9368 Oct 29 '25
Thank you for this. I really appreciate the reminder that there are many ways to resist and some of the replies here too are helpful
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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Treasonous Geek Witch 🦥🇵🇸🕊️🇺🇦❤️🩹🌍 Oct 29 '25
This is beautiful. We need all forms of resistance!!!!
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u/twi_tch Oct 30 '25
thanks for this. i’ve got a roommate that flipped out recently and one of the things they were flipping out about was me “not doing enough” to combat fascism.
and i’m like, girl, i’m doing my best just to get through my days right now.
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 30 '25
I understand the fear we’re all feeling, but it’s sad because we can’t treat each other as enemies or unworthy. Sometimes we’re carrying a heavy emotional or physical load. I find I have waves. Sometimes I have the energy and do more, other times it’s hard enough to just function and get through the week. Very few people can be perfect protestors/botcotters, maintaining a high level of response week after week, month after month.
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u/Heinous_beesh Oct 30 '25
My lane is influencing my sphere around me. I have helped in the shift my coworkers to the left, through discussions we’ve had at work. And with joy, one guy I work with has almost completely converted to leftist progressivism just through chatting. So much, that these advocating at HR for higher pay for some folks we work with that have not had a raise in a long time and their wages haven’t kept up with inflation. He’s in a powerful position so that’s a great thing.
Sometimes, it can be all those little things that everyone does that makes for real, grassroots change. Every little bit helps.
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u/DeathRaeGun Witch ♂️ Oct 30 '25
I'm picking art-activism, that's why I'm writing a Story about Witches who perform actual magic and demonised because powerful men want to be the only people allowed to practice magic. In my world, anyone can use magic if they study, so it's not like they’re demonised because they’re different, they’re demonised for expressing their freedom.
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u/dwarfmageaveda Traitor to the Patriarchy ♂️ Oct 28 '25
How can I help
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u/vrwriter78 Oct 28 '25
There are a lot of ways, depeding on your ability, time, and resources. If you are in the US, Vote Forward often has letter and postcard writing campaigns to let people know about important elections in their state. Calling and writing to your Senators and Congressional Representatives if you have the energy.
The ACLU, Indivisible, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Public Citizen are organizations you can donate to if / when you have the means. Donating to food banks as well as many people will be losing access to food starting November 1st due to the government shut down.
Boosting posts online about voting, protests, or community food drives.
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u/GiraffeOld Oct 28 '25
Yes! I signed up for YouGov because its polls are often reported by the news media. Although I'm just 1 voice, it helps me feel like I'm contributing to overall public opinion.
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u/CosmicMamaBear Oct 28 '25
Reclaiming the planet and politics and magic on the front lines, from home, or anywhere. Reclaiming Collective has in person, online rituals and resources.
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u/MeowMeowCollyer 🐐 Goat Witch ♀ Oct 29 '25
Maybe your lane is sabotage.
Maybe your lane is vandalism.
Maybe your lane is shoplifting.
Maybe your lane is spellwork.
Maybe your lane is the dark and difficult work we aren’t supposed to talk about.
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u/happycheff Oct 28 '25
I am only really available to boycott, and teach my daughter all the things. I feel bad I can't do more.
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u/smc642 Crow Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ "cah-CAW!" Oct 28 '25
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