And as an anarchist I disagree with you, but on most struggles we're actually facing we're probably on the same side.
If you're polite and don't force me to operate within a hierarchical structure we can probably work together in a lot of real-world situations.
Sure, but that doesn't change my points in any way.
I think they can help in a small way. If you're only ever meeting people online, you'll rarely face consequences for poor behavior or see people facing consequences for their behavior.
That being said, finding allies is probably a bigger aspect here. Where I live there's fairly few of those spaces, especially for non-electoral leftists but that also means the ones we have are always filled with different groups and individuals that might otherwise not have met. This leads to more cooperation and understanding.
I don't live in the US so my assessment might be completely off here, but with protests like this you shouldn't hope for the more radical positions. If you're more radical yourself this can be annoying or feel like it serves no purpose and I get that. It still provides opportunities for us.
There's two main reasons I advocate for showing up at things like this:
Treat it like a networking event. Go talk to people, hand out flyers, wave your flags, bring funny signs, hand out vegan cookies... As an anarchist I'm very much aware that most people never think about anarchists, and when they it's rarely in a positive way. Protests like are an opportunity to get people to see, however briefly, that anarchists can be nice people with free cookies.
If or when things go poorly, like if the police or the far-right decides to escalate, I'd want people with experience there to provide assistance. Whether that's taking up the front to defend others, yelling: "Walk! Don't run!" while people are trying to get out of tear gas, handing out water so people can rinse out pepper spray (and telling people not to use milk), explaining how to handle a kettle, etc.
I had a difficult evening yesterday and really needed a laugh before going to bed. This definitely delivered.
This was always something I struggled with.
It's something I still struggle with. I'm getting better at accepting I'm tired almost all the time, but everything else I, much harder to accept.
I know fairness is irrelevant for this, but it just doesn't feel right that I have carefully plan my most meaningful activies because I'll be emotionless for two weeks if I do two protests in one week. Or that a date night could be ruined by an unexpected depressive period.
I sometimes wonder If I had everything I ever wanted would I actually be happy?
Happiness isn't about having things, I think. Of course being in a situation in which you have your needs met helps. Financial security, a partner, housing, food, friends, etc. make it way easier.
But most of the moments in which I was "happiest" weren't about "having" or the fulfilment of a specific desire. They were much more about experiencing community and feeling like I had agency.
As someone who has treatment-resistant depression: keep inviting your friend. Keep asking them for help when it makes sense to do so. Even if they cancel a lot or are quiet when they do show up. That's helping a lot.
People need community.
It does.
I've experienced symptoms of depression for as long as I can remember. Over the years I tried a lot of different treatments, medication, therapy, etc. None of it ever worked.
I lost a lot of jobs and friendships because I simply didn't have the energy to do the bare minimum. I divorced the love of my life in part because I could see how much my chronic illness was weighing on them.
I was never suicidal but I've frequently wished I was because that at least would provide me with an option to stop the unending apathy.
There's never going to be a point in my life when I'm not depressed. I'm gonna have to be very disciplined and work hard to maintain a level of functioning that I consider suboptimal. Mistakes made when trying to judge how much energy something will take or those unavoidable times where you simply need to push yourself more than is comfortable will be setback that could take days or weeks to recover from.
But I have reached a point in which I'm content a lot more. I have a partner that loves me and they're great. I'm a more-or-less reliable member of a local anarchist collective and people appreciate me and come to me for advice. They're respectful of my limitations. I've been reading more and trying new hobbies. There's people who love me and I love them.
I can look at a sunset and appreciate its beauty. Yesterday I was singing along with some punk rock while driving and kinda enjoyed it. I baked cookies to share with people and I look forward to handing them out. I found an empty snail shell on the street and it was pretty enough to make me smile.
Is my life amazing? No. Do I have to work very hard and be very disciplined to achieve what most people seem to have naturally? Yes. Have I reached the point where I think that work and discipline is worth it more often than not? Definitely.
The best advice I can give you is to do things anyway. Seek out things that are, at least in theory, fun or enjoyable. If there's something you'd like to try out but it feels scary or not worth doing, try do it anyway. Look for what makes it easier.
Imagine the coolest possible future version of yourself. Try to take small steps to move in that direction. For me that was things like painting my nails, going to Pride, joining a protested, learning to wield a sword... For my partner this was dying their hair, going out to party, learning to make fire... However it looks to you: try to do it.
This book can't be recommended enough.
If you're an experienced activist you'll probably know a lot of what it says already, but it'll do so in language that helps you teach it to newer people looking to get involved.
You've already gotten good answers so I just wanted to reply that I indeed wasn't joking.
You can have decentralized planning. Those aren't mutually exclusive.
Decentralization doesn't mean you can't have organization, communication or coordination.
What do you think makes it hard to combine planning, decentralization and democracy?
I don't even mean in the hypothetical future in which you (or those you champion) would have power. I was talking about our current-day organizing.
Some Marxist organizations insist that everything they're a part of is organized in their preferred way. For example.