Did you know that Staying Alive is the song one is trained to administer CPR to? Keep that in mind.
I was somewhat shocked everyone thought yesterday’s post was super-cheery. Um… I did tell you the world isn’t ending. And hey, remember I tend to go pessimistic. We could by a miracle thread between catastrophes and emerge wonderfully. I don’t think it will happen, but–
For perspective on how optimistic I tend to be, at the beginning of Obama’s first term, someone said by the end of the term we’d be missing not just change but major bills. This was in the comments of a now defunct site. After a series of semi-joking riffing on what we’d be missing, I said “We. We will be missing.” I meant it. I’ve read the grim history of left-lurching regimes and fully expected it.
And at the beginning of 2021 I expected… worse. Far worse. And I write this without suffering amnesia and fully remembering how bad things were getting at the end of the reign of the autopen, including living in constant fear of debanking. (I still resent not being able to use gofundme which is a far more functional software than givesendgo. BUT I can’t afford to have everything confiscated, after fundraisers.)
So, what is this post about, other than trying to re-depress you?
Well, first of all I’m not trying to re-depress you. As I said, I trend depressive. There’s a chance miracles upon miracles occur and we brush through this tolerably well. As BGE said in the comments, G-d looks after fools, drunkards and the United States of America. And thank G-d for that.
But we’re entering scary times of turmoil, and there are things you need to do to stay alive. Oh, I don’t mean just physically alive, but really alive. Though the physical is pre-requisite.
I hope — and honestly, expect — that most of the physical fighting and physical danger — if it comes — will be localized and restricted, because honestly the other side simply doesn’t have enough people. Yes, yes, of course, the caravans of “migrants” were supposed to furnish that. But it turns out most of them make pretty good brawlers, but not particularly herdable much less forged into a unified force. So, instability and petty crime, not armed insurrection.
For that you know what to do. Most of you are probably better preppers than I am at that. And a lot of people on our side have been covering such things all year, in anticipation of things going weird.
Now for other forms of “staying alive.
UNLESS you’re an idiot who can’t shut up, runs a blog where she speaks politics and tells the truth as she sees it, you’re unlikely to be targeted. But it doesn’t mean it can’t happen. After all, we remember how many completely normal people suddenly find themselves in the cross hairs of the woke monster. See, Covington kids, for instance.
So how do you prepare to survive that?
Well, would you believe that increasing your online profile would help?
No, seriously, the safest places to be when the regime might take umbrage with you is either at the very bottom of visibility or at the very top. At the very bottom is safe because it will take truly spectacular bad luck to find yourself in the crosshairs. At the very top, your disappearing would cause too much of a ripple, so they hate you but they suffer you. The most dangerous place is just well known enough and still obscure.
I MIGHT be somewhat safe mostly because of the gig at instapundit, though this blog helps a bit as well. I have plans to become stompier that I would if these elections hadn’t gone this way. “Stompier” as in making more noise online. A lot of it fiction in a new way. You’ll see. But possibly also here. Of course here is not always under my control. I either wake with posts in my head or don’t. And when I do they tend to be my riskier posts.
Anyway, if you can, make yourself really big on line. If you’re not of the type to do so, or don’t want to, I completely understand. It’s a pain in the behind. And the chances are small someone will pick on you.
Keeping yourself alive mentally: remember most of the communists 5 or ten year plans failed. And those communists were intellectual giants compared to our present afflictions. It’s understandable — and healthy — to be mad at them, but ultimately? most of their plans won’t come to fruition. It’s good to know how horrible those plans are, but don’t let them get in your head.
And as part of this: I’m one of those people who has an acute fear of confrontation. I’ve managed to overcome it in this medium and in writing, but getting me to tell, say, a waiter, he brought the wrong dish is almost impossible, because I become embarrassed. How bad is it? I’ve eaten steak that was served by a waiter who was not paying attention when I said “please no bread, I’m celiac” and came to the table with a slab of bread on top. I removed the bread, scraped the steak, all of it knowing it wouldn’t be enough, and submitted to two weeks of itching after rather than tell him “Uh, I can’t eat this.” The second time it happened, DAN told them I couldn’t eat it and explained. They haven’t made the same mistake since.
But anyway, that’s how bad I am at confrontation. However, I’ve decided part of the reason the left proclaims their daft views in public at the top of their lungs in the tone of self-congratulation that denotes expecting “everyone clapped” is that they really think they’re unopposed. Because myself and others like me will not talk back. (And this helps the fraud, because it gives the impression that their support is much larger.) So I’ve made a decision that when someone is carrying out in public, I will approach and very politely and firmly point out I don’t agree, and I’m not going to listen to their nonsense. So far it has worked twice, and they’ve neither tried to draw me into an argument nor screamed swear words at me. This is good. Now, I do this in the understanding that I’m self employed and old. I do realize those of you who are young and depend on professions that are solid left (Or seem to be) can’t do this. Don’t put yourself or your job in danger. BUT do be brave enough to risk social confrontation.
And on this, I must beg you if you have kids, talk to them. Explain what you believe and why. If you don’t, they will assume you can’t defend your beliefs. Don’t be amazed they go the other way. Yes, I know, you’ll have to contradict everything they’re taught in school. That is rather the point.
If you’re a worker in culture — or can be! — writer, artist, someone else who can and always wanted to create, throw yourself into it. If you’ve been doing it, do it more like you mean it, and study how to promote it. Your work reflects who you are, even when it seems not to, and fiction can be far more persuasive than any careful explanation.
Maybe we don’t have enough time to change the culture to feed into the politics to get us out of this particular bind, but then again, why not? The best time to have started was twenty years ago. The next best time is today. Chop, chop, get to it.
Mind you to explore new ways of doing things. AI “slop” might be all that, but make it tasty and people will want it. That “slopcore” music channel I loved has gone all dark and “AI is evil” so I unsubscribed. Any of you feel like creating a new one, all positive on tech and full of fun? I’d appreciate it.
Which brings us to tech: if you’re in tech, now is the time to push on that too. One of the chances for that miracle, in which we walk through the red green alliance’s dominance dry-shod is that we tech our way out of it. That our tech people are good enough and fast enough that in the end it doesn’t matter what they do, there is too much wealth to be able to break us.
I’m not a techy, I can’t tell how that would happen, but I can “sense” the shape of it, if that makes sense?
No one can predict genius breakthroughs, as Heinlein pointed out in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but we do know they happen. And like genius breakthroughs in the arts you are more likely to have one if you’re working really hard and trying a lot of different things.
If you’re neither a writer nor an artist, nor a techy, you can still support those who are. Sure, sure, money is lovely. I’d like some, myself. (Look, the cats like the expensive gooshy food, okay?) BUT if you don’t have that, there’s stuff you can do. I don’t think I’d ever have finished No Man’s Land without the Chinchilla of Hope gang. I’m sure there are unloved writers and artists whose work you like that you can encourage. And then as Mary says in every promo post comment section: reviews. I’m not joking. Ratings and reviews are invaluable to tweak the algorithm so we can actually be discovered and sell. (Please? My Amazon and youtube would love you.) And as for the tech guys, let me tell you, the number of times I just listen while my own tech guy explains what he’s doing until he talks past the snag in his mind… They also serve who sit and imitate a rubber ducky.
Oh, yeah, and speaking of serving. You know your politicians are surrounded by loud lefties pulling them one way (even those on the right.) Consider calling/sending a polite card whenever one of these critters does something you APPROVE of. Yes, you should be hitting them on the head in the more common case when they do the stupid, but seriously, the carrot works too.
And as SNelson tells us, and it’s true, you can volunteer with your local lodg- I mean branch of the stupid party. (I don’t recommend volunteering with the evil party unless you are something special in the way of op-sec. If you are, more power to you.) On the one hand, you can watch polls and help with their get out the vote effort, and such. On the other, you will be making connections, and maybe be able to pull things towards greater election security. Heck, if all else fails, you can document the fraud. If you have the time and are a people person, do consider that.
Holly will give you more “subversive” things you can try, in terms of social interaction. Yes, I’m volunteering her. (I Holly! Honestly, I don’t pay this poor woman enough. I’d say I’ve made her hair white, but the color it started out, it was hard to tell. :D) She is far more “social in a feminine way” than I am, and I know she has ideas because she was giving them to me. (I don’t even think I could start. No seriously. My idea of being subtle is I don’t scream “NO.” before telling you I’ve had about enough of what you’re saying. Also most of my social interaction is with Dan, who already knows what I think, and the cats who don’t care) I’ll let her do it on Friday.
Most important though, through it all, remember, yes, the pudding heads shall always be with us, but very few are truly on the side of the civilization killers.
If you strive to be a decent, hard working, sane human being, you’ll be doing more to preserve civilization than the minority that wants to destroy it can undo.
They can hurt us — badly — but they can’t take us down unless we cooperate, by giving in to despair and letting them into our head.
If you can’t think of anything else to do — as Jerry Pournelle told me in 08 (miss him every day) — go clean and organize your space. I know this sounds like make work, but what I found in 08 is that a really clean and organized and nice-smelling house makes it hard to despair. Besides, you can organize (and hide) the canned and the ammo, and make sure you can get to the essentials if you need to evacuate temporarily.
And if you can keep your head above water, be ready to lend a hand to those who can’t. (We don’t probably have too much worry for the next two years, but economic shenanigans are always a possibility.)
We found at the height of “bad things” (Part of the reason I know the whole affordability thing was a psy ops, besides Temu Obama telling us outright is that recently it has not been nearly so dire) that we had to budget what we could afford to give to people in trouble, in our extended circles. Because it easily climbed to 1500 a month, and no, we can’t afford another mortgage, thank you so much.We had to budget it way down. And taking in account times might get bad, we’re going to sit down and make that budget again, in case it’s needed. And make one for supporting artists and others we believe in, because they have to live, as well as get ego boos. (And no, this is not a hint. If I get in trouble I’ll let you know. I appreciate everyone who supports me, I SWEAR I’ll post on substack too soon, as well as link Holly so she can update when I’m moving, a family member dies, etc. etc. (Can this year at least SLOW down a little?) But I’m making it.(Thank heavens No Man’s Land did so well. Now to finish Trade Goods.) I’m speaking in general though. I have too many friends who are great writers and artists and not making nearly what they should. We plan to support them, yes, in the measure of the possible.)
These things (and others I’m sure you’ll suggest in the comments) will help you feel better about yourself, about the world and what you’re doing. And they will make a difference too.
It will help you stay alive, not just physically but in purpose. And not boil your acts of resistance down to backing into a corner hissing and clawing and hating on them. They deserve the hatred, but you deserve a better life than that.
If all else fails, remember that staying alive is a great tune to remember for CPR. Even when the CPR is on the culture. (A friend informs me so is “Another one bites the dust” which can also be very cheery when sang at the appropriate time.)
And to cheer you up:
