Dude, breaking records is how to get the media to pay attention, spread the message and hopefully encourage resistance.
Putting down others who take a stand instead of promoting change (aka progressive ideals) is counterintuitive to the term Radical Leftist that you claim to be.
If you are interested in defeating fascism, then give constructive criticism and ideas to fight back. Don’t put out the fire instead of feeding it.
How are you screening potential partners? Please read while contrasting against your own experience in relationship and what you look for in a partner. TLDR @ bottom
For context of where my advice is coming from. I’m in my mid 20’s and live in the midwest in a suburbs area near several top universities. Met my partner online 5 years ago (early twenties for both of us) before c-19.
I have autism (undiagnosied at the time) and therefore would be forced to take a 10 min break from driving on the highway (over stimulation) about half way through the drive when visiting them.
One month into our relationship we became long distance where I visit them during fall/winter/spring (1½ hr, one way) and they visit me during school breaks/summer (20 min) due to school/living circumstances.
Timeline is we met in August during 20 min distance, went on 3 dates (1 per wk) before committing to eachother, and then became 1½ hr distance right after our 4th date. We were long distance for 2 years and the c-19 lockdowns occured 6 months into our relationship.
This sounds like a lot of emotional/physical labor to commit to a relationship right away -but I also had a zero tolerance policy on certain deal breakers. Other ‘rules’ were on a case by case basis
By end of the first date, I would need to know: +Am i attracted to them both physically and mentally? +What are their expectations in a relationship and what does that look like to them short term vs long term. Know their expected timeline of events. +What do they consider fundamental human rights and what would they add to their list instantly worldwide if they could? Make it lighthearted by offering a joke answer first to give them time to think. (This can be done on a second date if you want to keep date 1 shorter)
Make sure to cover these most of these topics before committing to a relationship 100% physically, mentally, and financially.
+What is love? Not just for you as a romantic partner, but as a friend, family, parent, for themselves too?
+Kiddos? What happens if not possible due to extraneous circumstances? What about miscarriage? Current political consequences on women’s death rate during pregnancy/birth? What’s the plan for becoming a single parent due to death of the partner for either of you?
+In-law elderly long term care. If they volun-tell you that you’ll take care of their parents and don’t consider your own parents without a prompt from you or subtlety dismiss your own family, RUN! Who’s paying/saving for their and your elderly care/retirement?
Zero Tolerance for ANY relationship
I refuse to put up a mask for a life partner. Get in my life 100% or GTFO
Things to note :
+Recognizing that not everyone desires a deep relationship like this is hard.
+People are willing to be vulnerable if they see the other person become vulnerable with them. This is mirroring and is a wonderful tool to see quickly who is willing to put in the TRUST in opening up. +Have prudence in what you share is something that will be easy to say ‘fuck them’ if they use it to hurt you. If you start off in the deep end, then it can only go deeper from there.
+If they don’t engage with you, they aren’t worth your time to convince them. It will be a never ending fight (+50 year) that is exhausting.
Note: listen for yellow flags like not taking any accountability, immaturity, skewed perceptions of reality.
Highly recommend to start off the relationship with no penetrative sex. Truly see how selfish or selfless they can be in pursuit of sexual gratification. Do they have an inferiority complex towards using toys in bed? Whether or not you’re not a virgin, they should 100% support you and not pressure you to have sex. It’s a no question, the assumption always is, that penetrative sex is off the table until marriage or you change your mind. If they ‘check in to see if you’ve changed your mind’ that’s disrespectful. They will know when you change your mind (by having sex of course) and are subtlety pressuring you for their own gratification.
Of course all these expectations that I have, I communicate to them and demand that I also engage with them likewise 🙂
If it’s ‘too much’ then they can GTFO. There is value in these guidelines and the right person will put in the hard work. Partners that want all that, yet don’t contribute nearly the same are scamming you of your emotional energy/labor. You have value, but it’s your job to chase off the scammers until your value is recognized. If i feel undervalued, communicate that and my partner does not work to address my concerns, I am actively devalueing my emotional human experience and the foundation of a loving relationship
Sorry for the word vomit, lol. TLDR; First give context of my own relationship to provide background for advice/questions. Advice boils down to “don’t waste time on superficial relationship that will devalue your emotional experience. If someone doesn’t want to get to know you, then they’re taking themselves out. Praise the universe they GTFO now and not after becoming legally bound together.”
I agree that more could have been done, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Personally, his speech has inspired me to get involved with the protests April 5th. The visibility of SOMEONE doing something has directly encouraged ONE individual to reach out to friends and acquaintances to join protesting.
There is censorship in mainstream media with protests. They can’t censor a senator that broke a record speaking for the American people. His timing could have the impact of inspiring others and validation of the american people’s fears and pain. Especially when there is a big protest planned this Saturday across the country that is the same week that our voices were given power.
Giving power to the voices of America is important when censorship is at an all time high and gives validity to the struggles and hardship that we are going through. Our pain must have visibility to inspire change.
Now we have saying and slogans to promote. Finding good trouble and redeem the dream give hope and expression that are shorthand for what we want and will fight for in our hearts.