As I pit the complexities of "normal life" against the swirling doubt of what's coming, I keep returning to the idea that, at the end of the day, people who have privilege need to sacrifice some comforts and privileges in order that those who do not can do better. I think the problem with this, for me, is that it promotes a "saviorism" mentality. It's like when Christian missionaries go into struggling ares to "help" by building a parochial school or something. It's a very small sacrifice to do without home comforts in exchange for the admiration of the church/pastor. When the missionaries are gone, the locals are left with a random building and no long term support. What the missionaries do is not mutual aid, because it is rarely requested. It is saviorism which benefits mainly the missionaries.
Mutual aid taps into the same fundamental need to help our neighbors, but without the trappings of institution. By its nature it defies systems, and that is why it's important right now. Here's an example. During the height of COVID, a couple of random local folks spun up a website where you could go and request grocery delivery. That's it. You could ask for or offer up delivery of groceries. People who used it were often lower income, but I know a couple of well-enough-off folks who live alone in an area where the stores weren't offering delivery. There was no vetting or application process for this. You simply made the request and it was fulfilled by a stranger.
And that's what'll get folks through. So, when you have the bandwidth, hook up with a local mutual aid group (there's a website for that) and get started. It's messier than a traditional nonprofit org, but it's also less bureaucracy.
I dunno. It's what I've been thinking about today. Sorry to miss yesterday's post. I have no excuse other than being tired.
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