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Good News, Everyone!: Mutual Aid Monday

The mutual aid trap and how to avoid it (kind of), plus some aid fund success.

Author

Em Bee
December 16, 2024

Couple o’ things today, kids.

First, I wanna start with something I posted on Threads a little while back. Okay, it’s actually two things, but they’re not that different of a concept, so I’m gonna just smush ‘em together for ya.

First of all, I’m profoundly aware that very few of us are wealthy, and none of us are rich. That makes committing to a collective action like mutual aid feel overwhelming at times, and it is very easy to fall into a trap where we keep telling ourselves, "What I’m doing is not enough.” That fear, that sense that our contribution is not enough, which is a short walk to our contributions feeling like nothing, can freeze us into inaction. But within the problem lies the solution: mutual aid has to be mutual. It isn’t about single-handedly solving everyone’s every problem - at least not all at once. It is about the collective.

Helping one person is powerful, because helping one person creates ripples. That one person may go on to help someone else, whether monetarily, emotionally, or just in a way that allows them to be present, for others or for themself, in a way that they couldn’t have been before. If your help only reaches one person, if one person is all you can help? That is already more than enough. That one person is worthy, just as you are worthy. Mutual aid is about many hands making lighter work, and even the smallest contribution joins other hands in lifting the collective.

If you find that that makes sense, and if you’re in a position where your own urgent needs are met, I ask that you consider setting aside 1% to 5% of your paycheck for mutual aid every two weeks (or on whatever schedule you are paid). It might feel like a very small amount. Too small, perhaps. But to someone in need, it could make the most extraordinary difference. And if you truly find that percentage unnoticeable indoor budget, next pay, set aside 6% to 10%.

And please.

Please.

Do not let guilt take you if 1% is all that you can manage. One percent is more than zero. A share, a like, a repost if that 1% does strain you - and believe me, I understand if it does - is more than zero. A personal word or best wishes, letting someone who needs help know that they are seen and that you will help others see them, is more than zero. And that is always, always something.

And if you are struggling, do not hesitate to ask for help. Whether your own need feels insignificantly small or impossibly large, reaching out is the act of trust that allows this collective effort to work. We can only do this together. We cannot do this apart.

Now, some good news!

Our friend @ausadiansol4palestine shared with me that her friend Muhannad in Gaza has reached three-quarters of a first-tier $2,000 goal in just two days! They’re trying to hit $7,600 overall. Here’s more about Muhannah and the link:

Muhannad's Survival Fund

Muhannad is a 23 year old currently displaced in Gaza, Palestine with his siblings and grandparents after their house was bombed by the occupation. They are a family of 6 living in a tent, and as the eldest he shoulders the responsibility of caring for them and making sure their basic needs are met.

chuffed.org/project/114649-muhannads-survival-fund

@lkthehorrornerd has also had some successes! They’re slowly reaching their goals and right now are seeking to meet their $140 goal for a holiday dinner. (They’re also an amazing artist so be sure to check out their work; it’s posted in their Linktree!)

A (less good news-y) recommendation:

Never Forgive Them

In other words, internet users are perpetually thrown into a tornado of different corporate incentives, and the less economically stable or technologically savvy you are, the more likely you are to be at the mercy of them. Every experience is different, wants something, wants you to do something, and the less people know about why the more likely they are to — with good intentions — follow the paths laid out in front of them with little regard for what might be happening, in the same way people happily watch the same TV shows or listen to the same radio stations. 

Even if you’re technologically savvy, you’re still dealing with these problems — fresh installs of Windows on new laptops, avoiding certain websites because you’ve learned what the dodgy ones look like, not interacting with random people in your DMs because you know what a spam bot looks like, and so on. It’s not that you’re immune. It’s that you’re instinctually ducking and weaving around an internet and digital ecosystem that continually tries to interrupt you, batting away pop-ups and silencing notifications knowing that they want something from you — and I need you to realize that most people are not like you and are actively victimized by the tech ecosystem. 

https://www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgive-them/

Listening to:

Crumpet Corner:

A small black cat sitting on a cardboard box. There is a soft light blue blanket on the box to make the cat more comfortable. She is looking at the camera and has one and only one paw stretched far out, in an almost daring way.

You have been blessed by the foot.

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