22 resolutions for ‘22, part 1
Do you do resolutions? I kind of do. I usually think of one or two things I’d like to start doing, or do differently, but I don’t normally tell people about them. To be honest, it’s probably because I don’t want to be embarrassed if I don’t live up to them.
But one advantage of going by Eclectic Misc I guess is that if I don’t live up to one of them, the people I know IRL don’t necessarily have to know about them, or whether or not I actually kept them, lol.
Since it’s ‘22, I thought I’d do 22 resolutions — 11 political ones today and 11 personal ones tomorrow. (I was going to do 2022 of them, but wanted to avoid risking carpel tunnel!) Do you share any of these resolutions? What are yours?
POLITICAL RESOLUTIONS FOR 2022
Demand more from elected officials, progressive or not. We deserve Medicare For All. It saves money. We should not talk about expanding it to some people and start from a compromise position.
Support local candidates more. Both local as in my own district and state, but local ones elsewhere. Change can happen at the top, but enduring change needs local support and local leaders.
No more excuses for politicians — including progressives — who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. You’re there to represent us, not cave to business interests.
Online: Build more bridges with good-faith actors online who aren’t progressive but who share some progressive values. For example, some “Blue No Matter Who”s are coming at it from a good place.
Local: Become active in my union. I’ve only ever attended two meetings and participated in one action in my current union. Labor is regaining power and I want to — and should — be part of the movement.
National: Become active in the DSA. I’ve similarly attended two Democratic Socialists of America events, one national and one local. I actually have tried to participate more locally, but am having difficulties getting my foot in the door so I’m thinking to look more on the state or national level.
Watch and read a wider variety of news sources. The TYT Network has the best news out there IMO, but there’s a lot more I can watch and read regularly that I only do sometimes: Majority Report, Daily Poster…
Read and learn more about socialism. I know the basics but need a broader perspective. Watching Weekends by Jacobin (which sadly had its last episode in December!) and exploring more from the late Michael Brooks and others, has reinforced how much capitalism is behind so many of our problems.
Take more chances in my takes online. I tend to be on the left of the progressive side but play it safe sometimes in what I say online more than I should.
Take a step back sometimes to re-examine my positions. When I look back at some political beliefs I used to have — the biggest one was probably over the span of 20 years going from anti-choice, to neutral, to pro-choice — I realize that it’s important to consider different arguments and evidence, and see why, or whether, I can still defend that position.
Find new causes and new ways to support them. I’ve become a member and/or volunteered for a number of things the past couple of years: Wolf-PAC, TYT Army, Jacobin, Waldorf Nation — not to mention supporting the causes readers have been voting for in the polls (thank you for voting!). I know there’s more out there.
I know there is a lot more I could do and will be trying to see what else I can do personally to help the causes that need it the most. If there are causes you support, volunteering you do, or ideas for what we need more of as progressives, I’d love to hear them. There’s a lot wrong in this country and the world, and we each need to do what we can to help create the better world that everyone needs and deserves.
In my next post, I’ll talk about some personal resolutions, make sure to come back Monday-Friday for new posts!
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