I've a confession to make

'Write to your MP'
'Write to your representative'
'Sign this petition'

These are words I hear every day from those I consider myself most closely allied to, yet I hardly ever act on it

I fully admit that doing so is hampered by personal difficulties with that type of action. ADHD makes it very difficult, and executive function is not my forte. So, I admit that there must be an element of self-interested rationalisation to my perspective here

But I also think there is truth to my cynical view that these recommendations come from a bourgeois place that refuses to acknowledge how undemocratic and unresponsive the systems we live within have become under end-stage neoliberalism. It may be worth it to complain about local bin collections, but our MPs, even if sympathetic, have little to no influence over policy dominated by our provincial obligations under the neoliberal order of the West (which increasingly is most things) and certainly next to none over foreign policy

I feel that participation in this panto of democracy may even stand in the way of the widespread realisation required to face the facts of life under a profoundly authoritarian regime and oppose it in any meaningful way. Worse than being pointless, it grants the system a vestige of credibility it does not deserve. Moreover, it is an act that contradicts any awareness that we truly are on the brink of that authoritarianism turning very dark indeed, for if we considered it we would realise our only achievement might be letting them know who the troublemakers are and where to find them when the Gestapo gets busy

So many of us speak of how authoritarian we've become, of how this is fascism.. but for some reason we still have not internalised this as a reality. We see it enact a genocide before our very eyes, yet we participate in a pretence of democracy as if on autopilot. And until not only we but also a large swathe of the population make that emotional shift, we don't stand a chance of turning anything around

But then, I am poorly motivated, cynical about people in general and systems at large, and profoundly disorganised. Genuinely, I am not sure whether I am right or telling myself lies to make myself feel better. Maybe a bit of both? 🤷🏼‍♀️