how to not be a shopl!fting ποΈββοΈ capitalist
(an ethical l!fter guide to intersectionality and privilege)
we do not want to recreate the same systems we want to dismantle
β’ remember that most people who st3al need to do so to survive. not everyone is a white girl on tumblr st3aling for fun. i see so many tips that go like "NEVER st3al if your (insert: anxious/alone/you don't know the store/paranoid/etc.)" which instead should be "here are the ways you can reduce risk if you are (anxious/paranoid/unfamiliar with store layout/paranoid/etc.). "
everytime i see someone on here say "maybe ποΈββοΈ isn't for you" when someone voices a barrier to ποΈββοΈ i want to scream.
not. everyone. is. so. lucky. to. have. an. alternative. option.
harm reduction is ALWAYS the way!
β’ basically an expansion of the first point, but acknowledge your privilege. are you white? are you able-bodied? do you have access to resources other people don't (money/food/housing)?
who are you l!fting with? are they a poc? black? Indigenous? disabled? if they get fined/taken to court, do they have less resources than you to help them get through the legal system? do they live in unsafe housing where if they get caught and their family finds out, their safety is at risk? do you understand they will be targeted more than you, and will you use your privilege to help protect them if they get caught? will you say you put that in their bag? are you willing to take the blame? if they aren't physically able to run after getting caught, have you discussed how to both get out safely?
these are examples of what true "allyship" look like. you can't claim to not be racist if you aren't actively and consciously acknowledging and using your privilege to help marginalised peoples.
β’ how do you redistribute your resources?
i personally ask those around me what they need (or even just want). sometimes that looks like groceries/medical supplies from the chemist/clothes for work/or even just mascara! remember that people dont need to be on their last cent in order for you to help them.
if you happen to be surrounded by people who are well off, expand your circle! you see someone on the street experiencing houselessness? ask them if they'd like anything from the store, and go ποΈββοΈ if for them. ask them for their name, ask how they are going, TREAT THEM LIKE A HUMAN PERSON not a charity case! find mutual aid groups/projects in your area (there will ALWAYS be something) and ask them what they need.
β’ and for fuck sakes, do not sell the shit you ποΈββοΈ. you cannot be an anti-capitalist capitalist. "they get it for cheaper it's a win win / I need money to survive too!" are bs reasons. you cannot dismantle a system by profiting off of other people's labour. you cannot ethically sell things. at the VERY least, introduce a sliding scale that starts at 0.
you cannot make radical change while operating and perpetuating the same system you want to eradicate. you need money to survive? put effort into building a support network, a COMMUNITY around you. build real, supportive, genuine and revolutionary relationships with people. maybe you bring them food sometimes, and maybe they sometimes help you pay your bills, maybe you help them clean and maybe they take you to your doctors appointment.
don't buy the lie that capitalism tries to sell you, that the only way you can survive is by profiting off of people. you can do better than that.
β’ acknowledge when you're participating in consumerism. this is something im currently really struggling with. i feel driven to get more and more and more and it never feels like enough. it's problematic because it does tie in with capitalism. sometimes we don't need to go to the mall, sometimes we need therapy/hang out with a friend/sit with our own heavy emotions!! and that's a tough fucking truth (I feel like a hypocrite rn but ik it's true so whatever i gotta deal with that at some point lol).
finding the balance between the fact that we all deserve nice things and it feels good to have nice things, and the need to have as many things as possible because of whatever internal beliefs we have (like the more things we have = the more we are worth as a person). also hoarding. i feel like hoarding is so prevalent in the ποΈββοΈing community because it's so much easier to when you can constantly get new stuff. try to let stuff go! try to use things till they finish! remember how nice it feels to give things to friends/people who also like nice things!
i always try to get a gift for a friend whenever i do a haul. it feels NICE π
β’ are you on stolen land? ACKNOWLEDGE IT. you are stealing on stolen land, you are living on stolen land, do something about it. ask the Indigenous peoples of the land what they need, donate to Indigenous mutual aid posts, protest for them. you cannot be anti-capitalist if you are not pro land back.
β’ be true, but easy on yourself. you will make mistakes. you will hurt people. you are human and it's how you navigate yourself afterwards, take accountability and change your behaviour that matters. we are all capable of the change we want to see in the world.
β’ ποΈββοΈing is not the only way to acquire resources out of the system! dumpster diving is very real and i have much information and resources on that if people would like? but that's a whole thing in itself.
please think about some of these things π i believe there is a world for us where we don't live under the current oppressive systems at place, and i believe that collectively all the decisions we make play a big role in that happening. we are powerful together. go bake something for your neighbour, send your friend a sick basket, smile at strangers and ask people for help when you need it. you got this β€οΈ
^^ us watching the system burn
