Make Your Damn Bed

Democratic socialism in the United States has been maligned since before I was born. After WWII, there was the Cold War (which was a series of proxy wars that ended with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991) and since then, there has been a deliberate effort to associate any form of socialism with dictatorships and communism and tyrannical government overreach.  But in reality most people...

I feel like a lot of people expect propaganda to be on the nose. War posters, Uncle Sam pointing directly at you to recruit you for the war or directly glorifying it. But I am starting to notice how propaganda is becoming more and more insidious and targeted and effective.  In an episode a long time ago, I remember talking about the concept of Dialectical thinking, which refers to the ability...

Today is a refresher course on the "awareness wheel" which leads us into tomorrow's episode. feeling outta whack? off kilter? need a lil grounding? check in with where your attention has been going with a lil awareness wheel: YOU are the center. Around you are categories to prioritize BALANCE within like: health, relationships, career, hobbies, goals, rest, etc. resource: https://www.als.net/ice-b...

The resistance is diverse and often spontaneous. Additional disruptive action can win real gains (and already has).Large masses of people are experiencing, and expressing, a sense of solidarity with the oppressed.  There are no guarantees.  But there is every reason to maintain some optimism and keep our eyes open. SOURCES: Mel Bienenfeld's Article: https://tempestmag.org/2025/06/pr...

Preparation never includes: overthink everything from every angle all the time. There’s a line between aware and too aware, and learning everything there is to know can’t save you from reality when it happens. The best preparation is hands on, so actually call your local politicians and see if you can speak to them one on one. Or if thats too much, go talk to your neighbors, or if that’s too much,...

Making this shit backfire in whatever way possible, is a great way to push back against further escalations.  Keep talking about the protests, keep talking about the legality, keep talking about how unnecessary and expensive and deadly and cruel and violent and painful this war will be for everyone. Because this, like all the other chaos the regime has been enacting, is a very commo...

Tomorrow I'll be back with a NEW episode, but for now, enjoy this fan favorite from episode 300 and something. According to science, humans kind of suck at knowing what will genuinely make us happier in the long run. Society tells us what we really want is to find love and money and success, but in reality, we may already have all the things that we could ever want to be happy people, but wer...

On day 342 of this podcast, I said this: "If you’re like most people, the voice inside your head is probably pretty incessant. It’s probably very critical and anxious.  That voice is not you. If it was you, it wouldn’t need to share all of it’s wild ideas with you. You would know the message and have already made decisions, instead you engage in these dialogues or arguments with yourself beca...

Save the work until you get to the work.  So often, we get caught up in our heads about potential problems and our workloads that we basically double the work on our plate by basically having to go through it twice.  Have you ever been driving to work and pre-writing emails, or pre-planning meetings, or predicting problems?  How many times have you left a job and started planning fo...

Book bans are unconstitutional. Florida is in a crisis. I'm on my way to rant at these people. "What is unfolding in Hillsborough County is not the measured application of parental concern. It is a calculated effort to consolidate power through fear, to bypass legal precedent, and to silence diverse voices in Florida’s public schools . Educators and parents view this campaign as a state-directed f...

historically speaking, the good guys have never restricted access to information. In fact, well intentioned people tend to provide MORE information so everyone involved can make the most informed decisions based on their situation. The Nazi party, the Soviet Union, Communist China, + North Korea all advocated for suppression and censorship which always started and never ended with government overr...

Successful protests start by rupturing the narrative. It takes time to make real change, but we're moving the needle. Don't stop. THE SOURCES: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66 https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/voices-of-resistance-and-insight-on-the-eve-of-no-kings-day/ SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-d...

He's losing, and we the people are realizing our power. THE SOURCES: https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/voices-of-resistance-and-insight-on-the-eve-of-no-kings-day/ SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INST...

"Hope isn’t a mood. It’s a decision. And if you’re struggling to find it—borrow mine. I’ve lived through a coup. I’ve lived under martial law. And I’m telling you right now: This moment isn’t over. We’re still writing the ending." - Confetti Tactics THE SOURCES: The Thread: https://www.threads.com/@confettitactics/post/DKs5QjQIQn9 Protest advice: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-...

"I am not giving up. I'm hopeful because I believe in civil society, I believe in our power, and I believe in our idealism. I don't know what is going to happen, because we make the future in the present, but in the present I see solidarity, commitment, principle, and courage." - Rebecca Solnit THE SOURCES: Rebecca Solnit's Blog: https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/the-heart-of-the-matter/ Th...

The stage before the success stage is all about shifting public sentiment, and we do that by working on our communication. Optics are crucial. One tactic is to reclaim the American flag and wave them at the front of the ICE protests. That way, when the National Guard shoots into a crowd of Americans waving American flags, it will look so horrific that NOBODY could support it and may actually start...

Success often doesn't feel like success because of the backlash paradox: Authoritarians escalate violence when they  lose control, not when they’re strong. We're slowly shifting the overton window and creating mass support for the movement of the people. We're closer to success than we'd think. THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.html AND "Doing D...

There is no end. There is only the continuing struggle, acted out in cycles of social movements. The process of winning one set of demands creates new levels of citizen consciousness and empowerment, and generates new movements on new demands and issues. Today we're going through the conclusion of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "...

The movement needs to recognize successes achieved, follow up on the demands won, raise larger issues, focus on other demands which are in various stages, and propose larger alternatives and a new paradigm. Today we're going through step 7 (success) of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times t...

Today we're going through steps 6 - 7 of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times that the public is unaware (or feels defeated in face) of the violations of the general public's rights/values/interests. Prove the failure of Institutions - A prolonged period of increasing stress on the system....

"Rather than feeling depressed and powerless, activists now need to recognize the power and success of themselves and their movement." - Bill Moyer Today we're going through steps 5 - 6 of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times that the public is unaware (or feels defeated in face) of the vio...

Today we're going through steps 4 - 5 of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). In stage 5, large swaths of activists quit because they feel powerless, despair, and generally like they've failed. Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times that the public is unaware (or feels defeated in face) of the violations of the general public's...

"The crisis of identity + powerless is a personal crisis for activists. After the experience of a movement in take-off stage, their view of the world and themselves is transformed. They come to realize that the problem is more serious than they had thought, the governmental institutions, powerbrokers, and democratic processes which they thought would help solve social problems were actually part o...

Today we're going through steps 3-4 of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times that people are unaware or feel defeated in face of the violations of the general public's rights. Power-holders lie about their intentions and the most of the public buys into the status quo. Prove the failure of I...

Today we're going through steps 1 - 3 of Bill Moyer's 1987 Movement Action Plan (A Framework for Effective Social Movements). Normal Times - "Business as usual" - Politically quiet times that people are unaware or feel defeated in face of the violations of the general public's rights. Power-holders lie about their intentions and the most of the public buys into the status quo. Prove the failure of...