Make Your Damn Bed

Engaging with AI ethically is never going to be black and white, but we shouldn't feel shame or guilt for using these things with more awareness and tact. Being conscious is the best way to avoid the risks + potential consequences that come from engaging with an unregulated new technology. Managing our expectations and understanding the risks is incredibly important to these beginning stages of AI. Today we talk about a few of the ways I'm engaging with ai more consciously. 15 times it's good to use AI, 5 times not to: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/15-times-to-use-ai-and-5-not-toProtecting the Freedom to opt out: https://theconversation.com/avoiding-ai-is-hard-but-our-freedom-to-opt-out-must-be-protected-255873Preventing AI from doing all the thinking: https://spencereducation.com/cognitive-atrophy/Avoiding AI article: https://www.voxweb.nl/en/they-are-not-using-ai-avoiding-it-is-actually-really-easyExploring the ethical use of AI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401223000816Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We should be cautious about normalizing AI before establishing regulations: Unreliable:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-Plagiarism machine: https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868Environmental racism, Energy Waste + Terror: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/08/terrorist-groups-artificial-intelligenceTraining models = unethical. https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/the-hidden-human-cost-of-ai-in-conversation-with-professor-mark-graham/Exacerbates issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCynxiV_8I&t=3s AND https://apnews.com/article/chatbot-ai-lawsuit-suicide-teen-artificial-intelligence-9d48adc572100822fdbc3c90d1456bd0Bad for Brains: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/Stealing Jobs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uJHHOO5ZmY and https://www.vox.com/technology/418525/ai-chatgpt-google-office-work-white-collar-jobsBiased. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/even-chatgpt-says-chatgpt-is-racially-biased/ and https://news.uchicago.edu/story/ai-biased-against-speakers-african-american-english-study-findsPrivacy Violation. https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/machine-surveillance-is-being-super-charged-by-large-ai-models and https://www.govtech.com/artificial-intelligence/new-chatgpt-gov-enables-use-of-non-publicly-available-dataThe opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here are some reasons we should be cautious about normalizing AI + ChatGPT before establishing regulations: It's unreliable. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-It's a plagiarism machine. https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868Environmental racism, increasing consumer's energy bill.Terrorism: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/08/terrorist-groups-artificial-intelligenceTraining these models is deeply unethical.Exacerbates mental health issues.Bad for User's Brains: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/Stealing Good Jobs.Biased.Privacy Violation.Deepfakes + Harmful Misinformation: perpetuates extremismAffects Societal Trust + Relationships.Worst Corporations Backing AIMoral Questions of Control + FreedomAs historian Yuval Noah Harari has written, to “never summon a power you cannot control”Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is becoming increasingly unavoidable. It's in our phones, our TV's, and emails. But ChatGPT is one we STILL have a choice on how much we use it.There is a vast number of reasons we should be moderating the amount of AI we're engaging with, while we still can. Here are some reasons we should be cautious about normalizing AI + ChatGPT before establishing regulations: It's shockingly unreliable: ChatGPT is known to falsify sources, reinforce biases, and perpetuate misinformation. AI hallucinations are another increasing concern. According to one peer reviewed study: “ChatGPT is an unreliable source… as 64% of sources were deemed inaccurate, specifically referring to these sources as not able to be traced back to an existing publication.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-It's a plagiarism machine: steals directly from artists without credit or permission. https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People are more productive than ever before and YET our wages are not reflecting the growth in labor. Our wages have been stolen by the wealth hoarders and redistributed to shareholders at the expense of our dignity. We need to ensure their propaganda about laziness doesn't continue to influence the people around us. The robber barons are worse than ever, but at least we're FINALLY talking about their crimes. Justin Scott's TikTok video on Livable Wages: https://www.tiktok.com/@cypher.j/video/7525955994262834462The Atlantic on Minimum wage: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/raise-the-minimum-wage-reduce-crime/480912/ The NYTimes on calculating "livable wages": https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/smarter-living/what-a-living-wage-actually-means.htmlEPI's Productivity–Pay Gap Charts + Breakdown: https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm baaack!!! and today I'm diving into Zohran Mamdani's platform and campaign which has given me a surprising amount of renewed hope for the future of American politics, if we can stay focused on resistance, revolution, and harm reduction.SOURCES:NYTimes on Zohran: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/us/politics/what-is-democratic-socialism.htmlZohran's Platform: https://web.archive.org/web/20250701190438/https://www.zohranfornyc.com/platformWho's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/The DSA's “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/Britannica's Democratic Socialism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-socialismDemocratic Socialist Public Officials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Democratic_Socialists_of_America_public_officeholdersResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

there are so many different "consequentialisms" out there + it's important to not get lost in the "sauce" of the different combinations, but focus on the perspectives you can manage now, ideally the ones that affect you, your community, and the world around you.RESOURCE: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What to expect under an authoritarian regime:1. Democratic election through fear mongering.2. They will divide + rule.3. They will subjugate media outlets to create a propaganda machine.4. They will create a sense of chaos + fear.5. They will distort truth and lie to create confusion.6. They will slander their "enemies"7. They will create distractions to fight while they pass more insidious legislation to dismantle democracy.8. They will further marginalize groups.9. They will attempt to dismantle the courts, the checks + balances.10. They will limit our ability to protest + assemble.11. They will distort language and steal words.12. They will take over national symbols.13. They will rewrite history.14. They will alienate foreign powers.15. They will manipulate our electoral system to fit their agenda.be strong, fight, endure, and remember you're on the good side of history.EVERY authoritarian, totalitarian and fascist regime in history eventually failed, thanks to the PEOPLE.– With love, your Eastern European friendsRESOURCES: https://verfassungsblog.de/the-authoritarian-regime-survival-guide/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hypernormalization: Pretending everything is fine, when it is obviously NOT fine. The goal is to keep us overwhelmed and confused and disengaged. Resist your apathy. Resist in any way you can. Join a co-op, a tenants union, a mutual aid network, a food pantry, local politics, and fight for a new reality that doesn't force so many to pretend it's not happening.FOUSHY ON IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEhR7_Rge95/?hl=enTHE DOCUMENTARY WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisationTHE DOCUMENTARY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr7T07WfIhMDONATE TO KIDS IN PALESTINE: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm back!!!! I've missed you so much and wanted to ramble about community again (for old time's sake). GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

we tend to over-intellectualize our feelings because we don't allow ourselves to work through them. Working through means DOING, CREATING, ACTING, PLAYING, and SEEKING JOY. Let down your walls + learn to feel through the act of creation.GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It starts with recognizing the game. If someone is doing you a favor out of the kindness of their heart, it won't be so difficult to offer them a favor in return. When someone is attempting to manipulate you with that favor??? You're allowed to respond in whatever way you see fit.DONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you change the way you show up in your world, you encourage others to do the same + like the butterfly effect, sometimes the smallest + simplest changes can make the largest and most complex impacts! Resource: https://creaworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/All-About-Power.pdfMore resources:https://commonslibrary.org/ DONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm the type of person who always feels like I'm running late despite the fact that I very rarely am. I've been trying a new type of thought exercise where I take a moment to visit with a more senior or elderly me. Sometimes it's my 81st birthday. I sit as her, with the underlying understanding that everything did eventually work itself out, and I had a great, full, and beautiful life despite all of its challenges. As I sit in my 80 ish year old body, I take a moment to reflect on the good parts I can recall and then I bring her back to my 37 year old body. With the back that creaks so much less often and feet that ache so much less intensely. I bring my senior self back into the apartment she hasn't seen for decades in the town she sometimes misses. She looks at her partner with adoring eyes as they haven't wrinkled and spotted in the sun just yet. She puts sunscreen on us both and digs out the old hobbies she regrets not taking more seriously. She takes her time to cook a nourishing meal with hands that don't shake and arms strong enough to lift the dutch oven. She eats slowly because there is no rush, and she has learned that in her many years of rushing on this planet. She feels excited to be in a body she used to not appreciate. She wants to wander and explore with these eyes that seem to see more clearly and bones that don't tire so quickly. She's not afraid about missing a boat because she realized there is no single boat. So I try not to be afraid of missing the boat. She reminds me that we can build our own boats, or chill on the beach - it doesn't really matter as long as we remember it doesn't matter. As long as the truly objectively important shit gets done, we need to stop pretending like it's possible to get everything else done too. One way to remember that is to allow your future self to lend you some peace and wisdom once in a while. So she lends me her peace and she lends me her wisdom and with it she returns to me more energized, and grateful to be alive and able to experience this time again. For the first time in years she is awakened to the miraculous nature of this current life. She is happy to be here, and she is me. EP: 1418 The source: https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/always-in-a-rush-maybe-its-time-urgencyDonate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not too late. Every action counts. But don't get overwhelmed with doing everything. Instead, choose something + act. Every little bit helps. THE GUIDEBOOK: https://www.nottoolateclimate.com/_files/ugd/c8ef46_65f7332b00de468aa7091e31a4b2f772.pdfTHE AUTHOR: http://rebeccasolnit.net/THE RESOURCES FROM GWUniversity: https:// onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/sources-for-climate-news/MORE RESOURCES: 350.org AND https://hiphopcaucus.org/action-center/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another draft that (apparently) never got published, because I haven't been feeling well! "I sat with two diferent feelings: the sense of success and the worry that we didn't really make a change. I could have given in to either of them. But instead, I began to wonder: What's strategic here? How do my local actions add up to real changes? How do we move from one-time actions to a whole movement, where all kinds of people from all walks of life are joined together in common cause? Tis book is for those of you who, like me, have been part of an action and wanted to know: What's next? How can I not only feel — but be — more powerful?" - Daniel HunterBUY "HOPE IN THE DARK": https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/791-hope-in-the-dark READ FROM "HOPE IN THE DARK": https://blogs.helsinki.fi/vallisaari/files/2018/06/Solnit_Hope_in_the_dark.pdfTHE AUTHOR OF "HOPE IN THE DARK": http://rebeccasolnit.net/READ THE " CLIMATE RESISTANCE HANDBOOK" https://trainings.350.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Climate-Resistance-Handbook-PDF.pdfTHE RESOURCES FROM GW University: https:// onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/sources-for-climate-news/MORE RESOURCES: 350.org AND https://hiphopcaucus.org/action-center/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democratic Socialism has no singular definition, but the simplest way to describe it, academically, is an ideology, economic or political system, rooted in opposing capitalism's profit motive by shifting the power back to the people, through prioritizing workers instead of the corporations themselves. People > Profits. That said, there can be a lot of descriptions which can lead to a lot of confusion. Today, we're digging into the spectrum of definitions and how it relates to our current context. SOURCES:Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/What is democratic socialism + critiques: https://socialstudieshelp.com/economics/what-is-democratic-socialism-key-features-and-criticisms/Communism vs. Socialism https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.aspThe DSA's “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/Wiki's Socialism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SocialismBritannica's Democratic Socialism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-socialismNYTimes on Mamdani: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/us/politics/what-is-democratic-socialism.htmlResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been sick for the last two days and so today, we're jumping back in time to an older episode that I never published (oops!) from Rebecca Solnit's book, Hope in the Dark. "We are used to constant flux in the daily details of existence, yet the basic structure of the status quo always looks so unalterable. But it's not. Profound change for the better does occur, even though it can be difficult to see because one of the most common effects of success is to be taken for granted. What looks perfectly ordinary after the fact would often have seemed like a miracle before it.” - Christ BrightBUY THE BOOK: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/791-hope-in-the-dark READ FROM THE BOOK: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/vallisaari/files/2018/06/Solnit_Hope_in_the_dark.pdfTHE AUTHOR: http://rebeccasolnit.net/THE RESOURCES FROM GW University: https:// onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/sources-for-climate-news/MORE RESOURCES: 350.org AND https://hiphopcaucus.org/action-center/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The problem is, people aren't talking about the same things when they refer to socialism. Most people define socialism differently - but there is a definition (albeit broad) that we can and should all learn together, so we aren't reading to people who aren't even close to the same page. SOURCES:The 2022 research on American's views of socialism: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/09/19/modest-declines-in-positive-views-of-socialism-and-capitalism-in-u-s/Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/What is democratic socialism + critiques: https://socialstudieshelp.com/economics/what-is-democratic-socialism-key-features-and-criticisms/Communism vs. Socialism https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.aspThe DSA's “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back to talk about Zohran tomorrow, but for now let's talk about our core belief filter that shapes how we see the world. For our entire lives, every single one of us has been developing a filter through which we see and interpret the world. This filter dictates the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, about other people, and the world around us, but because we've carried this narrator with us our entire lives, it can be hard to tell which stories are actually fiction, and it can be even more difficult to remember that we can sometimes rewrite happier through line, for certain stories that aren't as helpful anymore. LINK:https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-challenge-your-negative-core-beliefs-7554706 https://positivepsychology.com/core-beliefs-worksheets/ https://positive.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Table-of-Common-Core-Beliefs.pdfGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastThe opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 speak to are truly democratic socialists n the policies they'd like to see. And I know that sounds like a bold claim, and I don't want to pretend like it would solve everything for everyone, but right now - it makes perfect sense to me and anyone I've interacted with about this stuff, as the next step in the seismic systemic shifts that need to occur. SOURCES:Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/What is democratic socialism + critiques: https://socialstudieshelp.com/economics/what-is-democratic-socialism-key-features-and-criticisms/Communism vs. Socialism https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.aspThe DSA's “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 to hold space for multiple, contradictory truths at once. The ability to use multiple truths and perspectives to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of things. But it is work. It may feel more intuitive for some people, but as I have come to realize, holding space for nuance and complexity in understanding something, is not a task every person is capable of doing.So, if we're talking about propaganda, and we are at the baseline of understanding that everything is political, I think it's important to call out that this means propaganda is in EVERYTHING we consume, whether it's in support of an ideology or a religion or control, it's it is rarely obvious and typically buried in things we love for other reasons. SOURCES:Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/What is democratic socialism + critiques: https://socialstudieshelp.com/economics/what-is-democratic-socialism-key-features-and-criticisms/Communism vs. Socialism https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.aspThe DSA's “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-bucket-challenge/ WATCH THIS EPISODE + OTHER CONTENT: www.youtube.com/juliemericaGET A MONTHLY NOTE FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/prospects-for-organized-mass-struggle/ David Whitehouse's We need to do this together the editorial In honor of Mayday John Lewis' “good trouble”, an idea with mainstream support,Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, go check out a library book and read it. And build upon that, and eventually maybe you can consider running for office and actually making a fucking difference in real tangible ways, or at least, find out who is in your local elections with your interests in mind, so you can support the fuck out of them.Remember most control is given freely, most power is given freely. Take that shit back, so that when you start to feel empowered, you can really do something with it. SOURCES: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1017/S0022381609990879 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversionary_foreign_policy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFiGzEvdNUshttps://www.tiktok.com/@jamellebouie/video/7518576478913711373?lang=enResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 common dictator strategy. It's another form of scapegoating. Get everyone focused and talking about this new real threat and fear of another potential outside enemy so we stop talking about the old real threat of the enemy domestically. This whole thing is rooted in a classic dictator strategy. Get people talking about something else because the media can't not talk about THIS! It's wwIII, forget the tanking economy, the grocery prices, the climate crisis, the gun crisis, the political violence crisis, the protests, the formal legal inquiries into a stolen election, the AI crisis, the surveillance and privacy crisis, the attacks on women, trans people, immigrants, and people who look like immigrants. Don't talk about the waste of $45 million on a parade that looked like a chore, and don't even think about the 5 million people that protested it. SOURCES: 1. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1017/S00223816099908792. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversionary_foreign_policy 3, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFiGzEvdNUsResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 were too busy trying to meet some arbitrary societal deadline to notice.Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 because you're not that voice. You know it's wrong or mean or negative and you recognize it. The work you must do is continue to recognize it. Continue to notice when it's chatting with you. Other the voice and name it, or address it with love - because in reality the voice is looking out for you in the only way it knows how. Which, yeah, we can agree this voice is not a great parent, but it does love us. So address this voice, ask it to sit down. Hear it out, and then thank it for its concern. Remind it you're safe and that the advice it is sharing is not helpful or needed at the moment. Then you can move on with you leading the way, rather than this wildcard with random ideas and thoughts leading you through fear. Other it, welcome it, and recognize our thoughts and feelings are often valid but not always rooted in truth or reality. Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for the next day? Or worse - deciding what you can finish when you get home? Some jobs don't allow you to leave the work at work - but I still encourage you to schedule in adequate time to take c are of yourself so you don't burn out. In the show abbott elementary - which I cant get enough of and think everyone should watch immediately it's so funny and heartfelt - but in case you haven't seen it I will butcher a beautiful moment in my retelling of an episode where the main character was trying to do everything in her power to “save the school” on her own and she kinda screws everything up in a comedy of errors and another teacher offers a beautiful monologue explaining that the more experienced teachers aren't stepping into the line of fire because they don't care but because they don't want to burn out. We care so much we refuse to burn out. If we burn out who's here for the kids?And that's something I had to learn the hard way as a teacher. I had to learn that in order to make the difference i was so desperate to make - I had to preserve my own wellbeing first. I had to create healthy boundaries or id work myself to the bone and never be able to recover. If you take it like a staircase instead of a projectile, you're less likely to fall straight back down to the earth.Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 form of censorship intended to intimidate professionals into abandoning their expertise. Books are being targeted and removed without meaningful review, and without regard for the input of local families or communities."THE SOURCES:HCSB meeting Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/7tMHsGztEbY?si=cM-Y50XEBZ8LvIG_The PEN article: https://pen.org/floridas-hillsborough-county-faces-a-frightening-state-driven-censorship-campaign/The Beacon Article: https://www.tampabeacon.com/hillsborough_county/under-fire-from-state-hillsborough-s-ayres-pledges-to-pull-more-books/article_d6826981-001d-4f36-818b-4c6b6af7a4e8.htmlResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 form of censorship intended to intimidate professionals into abandoning their expertise. Books are being targeted and removed without meaningful review, and without regard for the input of local families or communities."THE SOURCES:The PEN article: https://pen.org/floridas-hillsborough-county-faces-a-frightening-state-driven-censorship-campaign/The Beacon Article: https://www.tampabeacon.com/hillsborough_county/under-fire-from-state-hillsborough-s-ayres-pledges-to-pull-more-books/article_d6826981-001d-4f36-818b-4c6b6af7a4e8.htmlResources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-b44571b9ad66https://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-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 TacticsTHE SOURCES:The Thread: https://www.threads.com/@confettitactics/post/DKs5QjQIQn9Protest advice: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-latest-bruce-lee-riot-police-water-a9045311.htmlSUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I am not giving up. I'm hopeful because I believe incivil society, I believe in our power, and I believe in our idealism. I don'tknow what is going to happen, because we make the future in the present, but inthe 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/The Newsletter by Ruth Ben Ghiat: LucidSUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bedDONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 to shift the media narrative, too. Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlThe reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/comments/1l85hyi/bring_american_flags_to_protests/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.htmlAND "Doing Democracy In the 21st CenturyAND The Moyer ModelAND https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/9/freedom-flotillas-a-history-of-attempts-to-break-israels-siege-of-gazaDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 - "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. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVEaRYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 6, but many activists move into this stage, instead.) Many activists lose sight of the long game + quit.Majority Popular Support: Long game of garnering the public's support for your cause. It feels like nothing is happening, but depends on grassroots engagement to challenge the status quo.Success: when the long process of building opposition reaches a new plateau + the new social consensus turns the tide of power against the powerholders, an endgame process leads to the movement's success. This process can take three forms: dramatic showdown, quiet showdown, or attrition.Continuing the Struggle: Celebrate success, Follow up (local, national, etc.), Work on other demands, New social consciousness issues, Beyond reform to social change. Alternative systems not just opposing the ones that exist.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlAND "Doing Democracy In the 21st CenturyAND The Moyer ModelDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 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. The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs + values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 6, but many activists move into this stage, instead.) Many activists lose sight of the long game + quit.Majority Popular Support: Long game of garnering the public's support for your cause. It feels like nothing is happening, but depends on grassroots engagement to challenge the status quo.Success: when the long process of building opposition reaches a new plateau + the new social consensus turns the tide of power against the powerholders, an endgame process leads to the movement's success. This process can take three forms: dramatic showdown, quiet showdown, or attrition.Continuing the Struggle: Celebrate success, Follow up (local, national, etc.), Work on other demands, New social consciousness issues, Beyond reform to social change. Alternative systems not just opposing the ones that exist.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.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs + values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 6, but many activists move into this stage, instead.) Many activists lose sight of the long game + quit.Majority Popular Support: Long game of garnering the public's support for your cause. It feels like nothing is happening, but depends on grassroots engagement to challenge the status quo.Success: when the long process of building opposition reaches a new plateau + the new social consensus turns the tide of power against the powerholders, an endgame process leads to the movement's success. This process can take three forms: dramatic showdown, quiet showdown, or attrition.Continuing the Struggle: Celebrate success, Follow up (local, national, etc.), Work on other demands, New social consciousness issues, Beyond reform to social change. Alternative systems not just opposing the ones that exist.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.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Rather than feeling depressed and powerless, activists now need to recognize the power and success of themselves and their movement." - Bill MoyerToday 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 violations of the general public's rights/values/interests. Prove the failure of Institutions - A prolonged period of increasing stress on the system. The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs + values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 6, but many activists move into this stage, instead.) Many activists lose sight of the long game + quit. Majority Popular Support: Long game of garnering the public's support for your cause. It feels like nothing is happening, but depends on grassroots engagement to challenge the status quo. Success: when the long process of building opposition reaches a new plateau + the new social consensus turns the tide of power against the powerholders, an endgame process leads to the movement's success. This process can take three forms: dramatic showdown, quiet showdown, or attrition.Continuing the Struggle: Celebrate success, Follow up (local, national, etc.), Work on other demands, New social consciousness issues, Beyond reform to social change. Alternative systems not just opposing the ones that exist. 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.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDonate:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 rights/values/interests. Power-holders lie about their intentions and the most of the public buys into the status quo.Prove the failure of Institutions - A prolonged period of building up the stress on the system. The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements to occur can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs and values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 8, but many activists move into this stage, instead.)Majority Popular SupportSuccessContinuing the StruggleTHE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 of the problem, and that the problem can only be resolved if they are part of the solution. Rather than feeling depressed and powerless, activists now need to recognize the power and success of themselves and their movement." - Bill MoyerToday 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 the public is unaware (or feels defeated in face) of the violations of the general public's rights/values/interests. Power-holders lie about their intentions and the most of the public buys into the status quo.Prove the failure of Institutions - A prolonged period of building up the stress on the system. The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements to occur can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs and values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.Identity Crisis of Powerless: (The movement is meant to move on to stage 8, but many activists move into this stage, instead.)Majority Popular SupportSuccessContinuing the StruggleTHE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Institutions - Build up stress on the system - The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements to occur can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs and values. Ripening Conditions - The calm before the storm. Nobody feels like anything is happening.The Take Off - Seemingly overnight, a social problem becomes something EVERYONE is talking about, based on a trigger event AND a non-violent action campaign, that can be repeated on a local level throughout the country.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Institutions - Build up stress on the system - The intensity of public feeling, opinion, and upset required for social movements to occur can happen only when the public realizes that the governmental policies violate widely held beliefs and values. THE SOURCE:Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are in a war for the hearts, minds, and support of the general public. The power holders are violating our values, so we have to raise consciousness around these violations. The movement's strategy needs to accomplish the following:Publicly show that the social conditions and powerholder policies violate values, traditions, and self-interests of the general public. This includes publicly revealing the difference between official and operative policies and doctrines.Keep the issue and moral violations in the public spotlight and on society' agenda of hotly contested issues.Keep the issue and powerholders' policies on society's political agenda, such as having aid to the contras voted on in Congress rather than carried out secretly by the CIA.Counter the powerholders' social myths, justifications, anddenials that the problem exists.Counter the powerholders' demonology. For example, the thousands of American "citizen diplomats" who visit Russia counter the Reagan demonology that the Soviets are monsters and an "evil empire" by revealing that the Russians are people like us.Involve increasingly larger portions of the public in programs that challenge the powerholders' policies and promote alternative visions and programs.Don't compromise too much too soon.After a large majority of public opinion is won, have an "endgame" strategy that mobilizes the populace and institutions to create change, despite the determined opposition of the central powerholders.Finally the movement's organizations and leadership, especially at the national and regional levels, should serve, nurture, and empower the grassroots activists and promote participatory democracy within the movement.THE SOURCE: Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The process of achieving social change through social movements is the struggle between the movement and powerholders of the hearts, minds, and support (or acquiescence) of the general public. The powerholders advocate policies that are to the advantage of society's elites, but often to the disadvantage of the majority population and in violation of its strongly held values. Before movements begin, however, the populace is usually unaware of the problem and the violation of their values, but they would be very upset and easily spurred to action if they knew. - Bill Moyer THE SOURCES:Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlDONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"There needs to be a revival of democracy through "people power".The increasingly centralized power of the state and other social institutions, combined with the new use of the mass media to carry out the political process, has all but eliminated effective citizen participation in the decision-making process. Centralized power-holders now make decisions in the interests of a small minority, while simultaneously undermining the common good and aggravating critical social problems." - Bill MoyerTHE SOURCES:Bill Moyer's (MAP): https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyermap.htmlNuclear Power Info: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/others/nuclear-power-in-taiwanDONATE:www.pcrf.netGet Involved:Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + LinksGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Authoritarianism thrives when people are isolated and dependent — when food, energy, housing and safety are controlled by a handful of elites. But when communities feed each other, house each other, teach each other and protect each other — they are less dependent on dominant systems, which allows them to mount a more effective resistance. Such communities, then, don't just survive. They become ungovernable by any unjust governing body, regardless of who is in power. Not every system can be fixed. But every broken system is an opportunity to build something better. Because once you build it yourself — you never have to ask permission again." - Barbara PetersonThe Sources:Barbara Peterson's Article: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/05/building-alternatives-key-counter-authoritarianism/See if local actions are happening near you: https://www.mobilize.us/Indivisible is doing some cool work + has great action items: https://indivisible.org/couphttps://indivisible.org/resourcesWe should be calling our representatives (+ reminding them they work for us): https://5calls.org/GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"You don't need to tackle the entire regime to weaken its foundation. You need leverage points — clear, concrete places to act."I wanted to read the whole article I referenced yesterday, because it was really good. When we do a "force field analysis" it makes it easier to know what's worth our attention.The Sources:Daniel Hunter's Article: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/05/dont-let-the-news-overwhelm-you-use-this-tool-to-stay-engaged/Useful Trainings in a Trump Era: https://choosedemocracy.us/trainings-in-a-trump-era/See if local actions are happening near you: https://www.mobilize.us/Indivisible is doing some cool work + has great action items: https://indivisible.org/couphttps://indivisible.org/resourcesWe should be calling our representatives (+ reminding them they work for us): https://5calls.org/GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us don't have the time, energy, or bandwidth to do anything extra right now, but I hope these guides can be a reminder that there are lots of different ways to engage on a practical level, on any scale.As long as you're alive, you're engaging and that's truly enough. BUT, if you have been feeling the same kind of "listless" that I have, ideally one of these tactics can motivate you (and me) to engage more enthusiastically because there are people are already out there doing the thing, and once you start to create WITH them, you'll start to feel less listless (and less defeated).There are limitless opportunities + countless ways to engage. Find one. Start small, but start somewhere.Do a "force field analysis" and act with intention, so you can feel more courageous when it comes to larger actions. Practice microrevolutions in your day to day life, and remember: We are not cooked, chat. The Sources:Daniel Hunter's Article: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/05/dont-let-the-news-overwhelm-you-use-this-tool-to-stay-engaged/Useful Trainings in a Trump Era: https://choosedemocracy.us/trainings-in-a-trump-era/See if local actions are happening near you: https://www.mobilize.us/Indivisible is doing some cool work + has great action items: https://indivisible.org/couphttps://indivisible.org/resourcesWe should be calling our representatives (+ reminding them they work for us): https://5calls.org/GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.