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Make Your Damn Bed
Julie Merica
@MYDBpodcast is a bite sized, real talk, daily motivation podcast to play while you make your bed every morning. Build momentum - better your life.Each episode is around 10 minutes and intended to encourage, motivate, and inspire you to get out of bed - so you can start making it! Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.All content, including text, graphics, images and information, is for general information purposes only. This content is presented on an "as-is" basis. 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.
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25/06/2025

how's the resistance doing?

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.
8m
24/06/2025

my thoughts on the escalation

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.
9m
23/06/2025

freaking out about WWIII?

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.
8m
21/06/2025

other your inner voice || re-release

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.
6m
20/06/2025

save the work for the work (a re-release)

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.
10m
19/06/2025

32: my rant at the school board

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.
9m
18/06/2025

31: fighting florida's book ban crisis

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 overreach through things like book bans.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.
8m
10/06/2025

24: continuing success

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.
7m
09/06/2025

23: the pitfalls of success

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.
7m
08/06/2025

22: what success looks like

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.
9m
07/06/2025

21: overcoming disempowerment

"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.
9m
06/06/2025

20: remember, you're not powerless.

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.
9m
05/06/2025

19: the identity crisis of powerlessness

"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.
9m
04/06/2025

what can we do? || 18: WHEN A MOVEMENT TAKES OFF

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 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. 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.
9m
03/06/2025

what can we do? || 17: admit things aren't normal

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 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. 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.
10m
02/06/2025

what can we do? || 16: WIN PUBLIC SENTIMENT

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. 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.
7m
30/05/2025

what can we do? || 13 : BUILD BETTER OPTIONS

"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. 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.
9m
29/05/2025

what can we do? || 12 : stay engaged without getting overwhelmed

"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.
7m
28/05/2025

what can we do? || 11 : MICROREVOLUTIONS

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.
9m
27/05/2025

what can we do? || 10 : TAKE ONE TINY ACTION

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.The Main Source: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Other Sources: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/Billionaire resistance: https://www.teslatakedown.com/ AND https://www.change.org/p/dear-t-mobile-ditch-the-starlink-partnershipFor Security Forces: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/blog_post/for-members-of-security-forces-a-guide-to-supporting-pro-democracy-movements/Deep Canvass https://deepcanvass.org/Tax Resistance: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/we-will-not-give-money-to-a-king/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.
10m
25/05/2025

what can we do? || 8: START AN AFFINITY GROUP

An affinity group is a small group of people who come together to prepare for and take direct action. They make decisions together, and support each other during and after action. Sometimes these groups are formed just for one action, but often they are ongoing groups that organise and take part in actions over a number of years.Affinity groups are often organised along the principles of non-hierarchy and autonomy. This means that decisions are made directly within the group by all its members, and responsibility and power is shared so that everyone has an equal voice.Affinity group guide: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/affinitygroupsWhat can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
8m
25/05/2025

what can we do? || 8: START AN AFFINITY GROUP || patreon

An affinity group is a small group of people who come together to prepare for and take direct action. They make decisions together, and support each other during and after action. Sometimes these groups are formed just for one action, but often they are ongoing groups that organise and take part in actions over a number of years.Affinity groups are often organised along the principles of non-hierarchy and autonomy. This means that decisions are made directly within the group by all its members, and responsibility and power is shared so that everyone has an equal voice.Affinity group guide: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/affinitygroupsWhat can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
8m
24/05/2025

what can we do? || 7: MAKE POLITICAL VIOLENCE BACKFIRE

The HOPE-PV guide offers us some tactics in safely + effectively pushing back against perpetrators of political violence. Combat the cover-up with the Reveal – Expose the injustice.Combat devaluation + Redeem – Validate the target.Combat reinterpretation + Reframe – Interpret the event as an injustice.Combat official channels + Redirect – Mobilize support and avoid official channels.Combat intimidation or rewards + Resist – Resist intimidation and bribes.RESOURCES:The Free HOPE-PV Guide to ending Political Violence: https://www.endpoliticalviolence.org/guideWhat can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
23/05/2025

what can we do? || 6: COMBAT POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Today we're talking about how to combat the common tactics that perpetrators of political violence rely on from the HOPE guide (linked below): Combat the cover-up with the Reveal – Expose the injustice.Combat devaluation + Redeem – Validate the target.Combat reinterpretation + Reframe – Interpret the event as an injustice.Combat official channels + Redirect – Mobilize support and avoid official channels.Combat intimidation or rewards + Resist – Resist intimidation and bribes.RESOURCES:The Free HOPE-PV Guide to ending Political Violence: https://www.endpoliticalviolence.org/guideWhat can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
22/05/2025

what can we do? || 5: UNDERSTAND POLITICAL VIOLENCE

The ideal of democracy is that it can contain ALL of our diversity and differences and channel into safe, institutionally protected representation without the use of threat and violence. Democracy depends on societal trust, free + fair elections, widespread participation, free + fair media, due process, etc. Democracy can be undermined by people using threat/violence so we must make the cost of political violence too high to enact. We must take offensive and defensive strategies when addressing political violence. Tomorrow, I'll share some of those historically effective strategies. RESOURCES:The Free HOPE-PV Guide to ending Political Violence: https://www.endpoliticalviolence.org/guideWhat can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
21/05/2025

what can we do? || 4: REFRAME POWER

Thinking of power as an upside-down triangle is a great way to remember where power lies. Everyday individuals hold the structures of power up with their daily labor within the system. This is why mass noncooperation movements are so successful in toppling powerful dictatorships. We have to take back our power by demanding the system work for US, rather than us for it. Handling fear isn't about suppression, it's about redirection. Fear can paralyze you into submission, or fuel your demands for justice. RESOURCES: What can I do? Choose Democracy Resource: https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Daniel Hunter's Analysis on Staying Grounded: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Democracy is a verb: Interview series: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/07/democracy-is-a-verb/#interviewsWisdom from the Fight for Democracy in Serbia. https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/05/overcoming-despair-apathy-win-democracy-otpor-serbia-ivan-marovic/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
20/05/2025

what can we do? || 3: PICK A LANE

Things are chaotic (by design) so after we start to rebuild internal trust + social trust, we can start to address our own needs, and eventually our community's. Develop boundaries, coping skills, resilience strategies. Grieve, learn to accept reality + then address what is within your control. From there, you can pick a lane.When we try to do too much, we get overwhelmed and don't accomplish half the stuff we could accomplish if we had just picked ONE thing to work on at a time.HOW TO RESIST THE COUP?Build Internal TrustBuild Social TrustGrieve, Accept, Build ResilienceIdentify your locus of controlPick a lane: a. Protect People b. Defend Civic Institutions c. Disrupt + Disobey d. Build AlternativesThe sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE BOOK: https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/wcrwCOMMUNITY PRACTICE: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sdKeqajKC5X7tyhowqRTYgMRHelIwo9T5cTzCT0i1b8/edit?tab=t.0Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
19/05/2025

what can we do? || 2: ASSESS YOUR CONTROL

Things are chaotic (by design) so after we start to rebuild internal trust + social trust, we can start to address our own needs, and eventually our community's. Develop boundaries, coping skills, resilience strategies. Grieve, learn to accept reality + then address what is within your control. From there, you can pick a lane. When we try to do too much, we get overwhelmed and don't accomplish half the stuff we could accomplish if we had just picked ONE thing to work on at a time. HOW TO RESIST THE COUP?Build Internal TrustBuild Social Trust Grieve, Accept, Build ResilienceIdentify your locus of control Pick a laneThe sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
18/05/2025

what can we do? || 1: REBUILD TRUST || patreon

Over the next few days we're gonna do a deep dive on the various ways, we as individuals, can actually resist this coup. Remember, it's easier to resist tyranny today, than it will be in a month. Today, we're starting with the internal work of learning to trust ourselves (and each other) with intention. Our distrust is manufactured, it's time to push back against that belief.We've got more in common than we're led to believe."Authoritarian power is derived from fear of repression, isolation from each other and exhaustion at the utter chaos. We’re already feeling it. Thus, for us to be of any use in a [chaotic] world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don’t perpetuate the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion or constant disorientation." - Daniel HunterThe sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
18/05/2025

what can we do? || 1: REBUILD TRUST

Over the next few days we're gonna do a deep dive on the various ways, we as individuals, can actually resist this coup. Remember, it's easier to resist tyranny today, than it will be in a month. Today, we're starting with the internal work of learning to trust ourselves (and each other) with intention. Our distrust is manufactured, it's time to push back against that belief. We've got more in common than we're led to believe. "Authoritarian power is derived from fear of repression, isolation from each other and exhaustion at the utter chaos. We’re already feeling it. Thus, for us to be of any use in a [chaotic] world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don’t perpetuate the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion or constant disorientation." - Daniel Hunter The sources: What can I do to resist the coup? https://choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/Grounding yourself in a chaotic time: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/?utm_source=Climate+Advocacy+Lab+Members&utm_campaign=8cf646d623-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_22_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8cf646d623-547145900Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
17/05/2025

1450 || promotion vs prevention mindset

"Those with “promotion-focused” mindset (i.e., those who tend to focus on achieving their goals and aspirations) are more resistant to conspiracy theories than those with a “prevention-focused” mindset (i.e., those who focus on protecting what they already have)" - Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2020/07/how-to-inoculate-your-team-against-conspiracy-theoriesOTHER SOURCES: Scientific American article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-you-fight-conspiracy-theories/ The research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167218775070Information overload resource: https://www.lifehack.org/922480/information-overloadThe Mayo Clinic on Cognitive overload: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/cognitive-overload Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
16/05/2025

1449 || how to resist demoralization

Resisting subversion means we need to stop playing defense with our consumption habits and start playing offense. Get aggressive with deciding who and what you offer your attention. Identify content as Adversarial or Productive:Adversarial leaves you feeling defeated, or angry, or upset, or hateful, or more disconnected, or trying to sell you something. Attempting to elicit a negative emotional response. Productive has an action item or leaves you with a sense of hope + direction + purpose + support for your tool belt. If it’s selling you something, they aren’t using predatory tactics. Useful, valuable, informative, accurate, and makes you feel more connected with humanity &/or community.RESOURCE: https://www.theframelab.org/putin-failed-to-conquer-navalny-or/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
15/05/2025

1448 || why "facts" don't seem to matter anymore

Most of {demoralization} is done by Americans to Americans, due to a lack of moral standards. Exposure to true information doesn't matter anymore. One who is demoralized is unable to assess true information. The facts tell nothing. Even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, even if I take him by force... and show him a concentration camp, he will refuse to believe it - until the military boot crushes his balls, then he will understand - but not before that. The next stage is destabilization... economy, foreign relations, and defense systems. The next stage is crisis. And after crisis, with a violent change of power, structure, + economy, you have the so-called period of normalization. It may last indefinitely. This is what will happen in the United States if you allow all these schmucks to bring the country to crisis, to promise people all kinds of goodies and the paradise on Earth, to destabilize your economy, to eliminate the principle of free market competition, and to put a Big Brother government in Washington, D.C., with benevolent dictators... who will promise lots of things. Never mind whether the promises unfulfillable or not... He will create false illusions that the situation is under control. The situation is not under control. The United States is in the state of war.Whether I scare some people are not, I don’t give a hoot. If you are not scared by now, nothing can scare you. But you don’t have to be paranoid about it. You have to force your government to stop."THE SOURCES: Watch the interview: https://bigthink.com/the-present/yuri-bezmenov/Read about Bezmenov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_BezmenovResearch source: https://www.historians.org/sixteen-months/the-causes-of-our-national-demoralization/Research source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/russian-misinformation-seeks-to-confound-not-convince/Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
9m
14/05/2025

1447 || dissecting an interview with a KGB defector.

"This is the greatest paradox in the history of mankind when the capitalist world supports and actively nourishes its own destructor." - Yuri Bezmenov THE SOURCES: Watch the interview: https://bigthink.com/the-present/yuri-bezmenov/Read about Bezmenov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_BezmenovResearch source: https://www.historians.org/sixteen-months/the-causes-of-our-national-demoralization/Research source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/russian-misinformation-seeks-to-confound-not-convince/Research source: https://www.beyondintractability.org/newsletter-245The Yuri Bezmenov interview transcript: https://math-physics-problems.fandom.com/wiki/Ideological_Subversion_Interview#A_Transcription_of_the_1984_Interview_Between_G._Edward_Griffin_and_Yuri_BezmenovDonate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET 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.
10m
10/05/2025

1444 || art vs. entertainment

The goal is to “consume consciously” more often than you’re letting shit "consume you, unconsciously”.James Baldwin puts it like this: “The industry is compelled, given the way it is built, to present to the American people a self-perpetuating fantasy of American life. Their concept of entertainment is difficult to distinguish from the use of narcotics. To watch the TV screen for any length of time is to learn some really frightening things about the American sense of reality. We are cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly. These images are designed not to trouble, but to reassure. They also weaken our ability to deal with the world as it is, ourselves as we are.”Josh Johnson: “Art can save your life but entertainment will never be your salvation. Entertainment by and large is escapism and no one has ever escaped their chains by forgetting they were shackled.”Watch Josh Johnson's special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgKsG6NZSIoRead James Baldwin's words: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23960/james-baldwin-cool-it/ (If there's a paywall, you can go to a paywall bypass site to avoid subscription fees!!!) IF YOU CAN:Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET AN OCCASIONAL 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.
7m
09/05/2025

1443 || trad wife movement alternatives

We all have limited time and if shit doesn’t make us feel empowered or better or less nihilistic, then we have to remember we’ve ultimately got the power to change that. You’re allowed to and supposed to watch entertainment for joy and motivation and pleasure and curiosity and even to be petty as long as you don’t forget that the entertainment is affecting you in more than one way so in my experience being aware of the presence of a pipeline towards alt right extremism is a very crucial step in not sliding down it or unknowingly promoting it. Alternative influencers who "homestead" but aren't afraid to talk about the elephant in the room: Alexis Nicole (Forager + Educational + So charming): https://www.instagram.com/blackforager/?hl=enScience Based Homestead farmer: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezenhenandthehoneybee?_t=ZP-8wBf6CAjQ47&_r=1Chaotic Forager: https://www.tiktok.com/@chaoticforager?_t=ZP-8wBeyyPNULv&_r=1Homestead + Farmer: https://www.tiktok.com/@offgridhomesteadfam?_t=ZP-8wBeyOPObJX&_r=1TODAY'S MAIN SOURCES:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradwife#:~:text=A%20tradwife%20(a%20neologism%20for,of%20being%20a%20traditional%20wife.  https://www.shatteringthesilence.org/blog/what-is-a-tradwife IF YOU CAN:Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.netDonate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-fundsGET AN OCCASIONAL 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.
10m