Notices by Artemis (artemis@dice.camp)

My spouse (in his 40s) just showed his new Assistant Manager (in her early 20s) what it looks like to stand up to your boss & not take his shit, & she was *impressed*.

You can always look for opportunities to show your coworkers what it looks like not to be a corporate shill & not to let them walk all over you.

He's got young, impressionable employees he's training. It's such a perfect teaching opportunity.

This taught my siblings that as long as they didn't cross certain lines, I was always to blame for being "oversensitive." They didn't need to be considerate of me. I needed to learn not to react emotionally to anything they did.

They learned that I did not deserve consideration & that I would be punished for expecting it.

Meanwhile, I didn't even want them punished or shamed for their behavior! I just wanted them to stop saying hurtful things or bossing me around & to apologize when they did.

I think perhaps the thing I got punished for the most as a kid could be boiled down to "not being calm".

My parents' Christian beliefs said that even *if* someone was being cruel or unfair, the responsibility of a Christian was basically to tolerate it without complaint.

So if I got upset & raised my voice & wouldn't become calm again, I was "sinning". It did not matter what happened to reach that situation.

"Piracy is not a victimless crime. To see how digital piracy hurts the economy visit [website]."

I've been told to substitute the words "rich people's money" when I see "the economy", & that kind of makes this a pro-piracy message all of a sudden.

I think I saw a dumpster with an American flag painted on it in someone's driveway the other day.

You might say "that sounds like art. A timely commentary." And maybe... but it was a "majestic" painting of the flag flapping in the breeze, like fancy patriotism.

So maybe it wasn't a dumpster.

But even if it wasn't...they still painted the flag on something that looks very much like a dumpster & put it out for people to see.

Very confusing.

It's not that I think no one should ever take risks or push boundaries. Quite the opposite! I just want us all to think about what we want to accomplish & be very intentional.

And mind you, we aren't all trying to accomplish the same thing.

The end goal is the same, I hope, but you & I may be doing 2 very different things that require us to make different choices.

Best practices for anything will depend on what you want to get done & what you would need to do it.

It's important to spread the word about how to change the world, but *remember that we are at war*.

Think, act, & speak strategically.

Whatever it is that you think you need to do, you probably want to do as much of it as you can as effectively as possible. That means not creating unnecessary obstacles for yourself.

It can be good to set some quiet goals that you may not end up telling anyone about.

I try not to assume that the fact that someone is being quiet means that they aren't doing anything good.

I write because it's what I'm good at. I'm putting out propaganda, which is a pretty visible role.

That visibility could make my contribution look especially significant, but I'm actually speaking on behalf of a whole lot of people who have to keep their mouths shut & their heads down to do the work that they are doing.

I'm loud. That's part of my job. I want people to hear me, so no matter how carefully I watch what I say, I am pretty much shouting "hey! I'm a dissident!"

If you're working on something else, you may not want to be so loud.

These are the types of choices we have to make.

Seriously, I recommend thinking of yourself as a secret operative carrying out a mission in enemy territory.

It may sound very silly, but I want you to picture yourself as a resistance fighter, a rebel, a revolutionary. Cultivate that way of seeing the world. It's us against the oppressors, & we need to find a way to break out.

You are in this already. The war is real & the battlefront is anywhere that you are.

Disobey. Resist. Break shit. Cut into corporate profits. Demoralize cops. Disable surveillance.

Build outposts of resistance. Establish networks of care. Feed people. Collect necessary supplies.

Periodic reminder to watch what you write about acts of resistance you intend to carry out or would like others to carry out.

Just be aware that your words may be read by less-than-friendly parties.

It's a tricky balancing act, because you want to get the word out about stuff without bringing heat down on yourself or anyone else.

Think strategically. Choose your words carefully & decide where you should talk/write about what.

RE: https://dice.camp/@artemis/116738159773975408

Also, if you're out here trying to get other people to talk to you about doing crimes, people may assume you're a cop/fed.

Maybe you're just very enthusiastic, but comrades don't encourage people to publicly incriminate themselves or others.

Cops do though, so you can see where the confusion would come in.

(This is a PSA. It is not aimed at anyone in particular)

Mentally refuse capitalism & arbitrary hierarchy/authority.

Refuse to let these things own & control you.

Make good choices, always.

Disobedience is a good choice (don't forget risk assessment though).

I would love to see wide-scale disobedience.

I would love it if it was fucking normal to ignore the bullshit rules & supposed economic "rights" of oligarchs & the rentier class.

Millions upon millions of tiny little acts of disobedience all around the world. Millions of "fuck you"s. Millions of little ways of reclaiming public space & pushing back. Millions of people refusing to acquiesce to the theft of the entire world.

FYI, some anti-homeless installations can be dismantled easily with the right tools. If you notice this shit in your neighborhood, maybe take a look to see how the obstruction is attached to the surface it is on.

It's possible that in some scenarios all someone would need is a socket wrench. If that someone is a white man wearing an orange vest, they might even get away with walking up & just removing something in broad daylight.

What you do with the information you gather is up to you.

When you walk around your city, you are looking at a space that should belong to you & your neighbors for public benefit not to the landlords, corporations, & venture capital firms who "own" all the real estate.

They are the thieves. They have stolen from us all. They have taken away every public good & laid claim to every scrap of land & every single resource.

Ask yourself, "if this place belonged to me, what would I do?" Then remember that it *does* belong to you.

Disobey.

Disobedience sometimes requires practice, so find a way to disobey today, even if it is very small.

The word of the day is disobedience: "a refusal to submit to the arbitrary demands of an 'authority'."

It's so funny to compare cis men "wanting kids" to how much cis women "want kids", because it doesn't matter if the question is framed the exact same way to both groups, it is NOT the same question.