“MOBIUS: Neon, you’ve been living in the Nonprofit Matrix, a world controlled by wealthy individuals and corporations, who created a sector to delude people from seeing how they’re hoarding money, avoiding taxes, and furthering inequity while convincing people they are the solutions to the problems they cause. NEON: What are you talking about? I’m a good person. My nonprofit helps a lot of people. EQUITY: That’s true, it does. But remember that improv workshop you took once, where you learned about “Yes and”? NEO: Yes. And? EQUITY: You are helping people AND you are helping capitalism uphold itself by charity-washing its most egregious offenses. You see, by setting up foundations and donating to nonprofits, the extremely wealthy get to feel good about themselves while the masses are tricked into believing excessively wealthy people are good. This is how wealth disparity maintains itself.” WealthRichCapitalismWealthyGood PeopleHoardingNonprofitsFeeling GoodWealth Disparity Author:Vu Le
“[Mark] Zuckerberg has also said companies need more “masculine energy,” which I think means having employees of all genders wear fake mustaches and interrupt one another more often to talk about stuff they only have a little knowledge about but a lot of confidence in.” MenWomenBusinessGenderCorporationsMasculinityFacebookCompaniesMansplainingMark Zuckerberg Author:Vu Le
“All of us are on edge as we try to navigate this rapid collapse of democracy and the US’s slide into a totalitarian regime. I don’t recall a time, even during the early years of the pandemic, when there was this much constant and relentless stress and fear. The resulting anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions get misdirected to ourselves and the people closest to us, often without our being conscious of it. This is a tactic and goal of fascism, as a populace that is constantly on edge and emotionally dysregulated is easier to control.” FearDemocracyTrumpAnxietyEmotionsStressAngerFascismTotalitarianismEmotional Regulation Author:Vu Le
“Try to be strategically detached: I don’t like to use the words “don’t take things personally,” because really, it’s impossible to not take things personally at some level. So I’m calling it “strategic detachment.” When I get stood up, yelled at, called a sheep in the comment section, or whatever, I try to remind myself that people are fighting battles I might not be aware of, eat some dark chocolate, and try not to let it affect me too much.” EmpathyDetachmentEmotional RegulationStrategic Detachment Author:Vu Le
“Lean into joy: When the world seems to be falling apart, it can seem selfish or irresponsible to enjoy stuff. But joy is not frivolous—it’s fuel we need to continue fighting for a better world. Watch a funny show. Bake cookies. Befriend some raccoons and train them to fingerpaint. Remember that fascists hate joy and humor, and doing stuff fascists hate is always a good use of our time.” JoyActivismEnjoymentSelf CareFascists Author:Vu Le
“Overall, if you find yourself feeling crappy, tired, unmotivated, overwhelmed, unproductive, with a face that could scare small children, and wishing you were in a different timeline, you’re not broken. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re in excellent company. These days, most of us are just trying to get through the day. But maybe that’s enough for now. Take care of yourself, lower your standards, take a nap, and then join the fight whenever you’re ready.” ActivismSelf CareRestFeeling DownRecuperation Author:Vu Le