Hopeposting - Tumblr Posts

cngremlin
6 months ago

Hey, if you're ever feeling awful because you're super overwhelmed by the news, too overwhelmed to do anything, but you feel like you can't stop without being a horrible person who's just sticking their head in the sand...

Try thinking of it this way:

Maybe the moral thing to do actually IS to never look at the news...

so that you have the energy and will and lack of huge, petrifying fear needed to help

We've seen over and over again, especially in the climate movement, how often it's small, local efforts at making a difference that really start to change things

There's no moral value to being burned out and depressed.

Yes, knowing what's going on in your state/country/the world is good if it's something you can actually sustain

But if you have to choose between following the news/doomscrolling/etc. and actually having the energy to help?

I think that in the vast majority of situations, morally, you SHOULD choose to do something to help

Showing up to your city council meetings, or cleaning up trash in your neighborhood, or volunteering at a food pantry, or registering people to vote, or joining the underground abortion pill network, or doing a fundraiser for bipoc-led nonprofits, or mailing books to people in prison, or seedbombing native grasses, or phone-banking for a nonprofit you care about, or building benches and leaving them at bus stops, or knitting hats and giving them to unhoused people to stay warm, or starting a community garden, or sponsoring refugees for immigration, or taking a stand at school board meetings, or, or, or

all do infinitely more to help other people than doomscrolling and sharing depressing news posts ever will

Tags :
hopeposting activism doomscrolling with this being said goodbye social media
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littleghostboynico
1 year ago

someday my basic rights won’t be up for debate

Tags :
transgender hopecore hopeposting mlm trans man trans children
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javcvc
3 months ago

Good things will happen in September

Good Things Will Happen In September
Tags :
hopeposting
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janthesevenette
6 months ago

Anyway, not-so-friendly reminder that nihilism/doomerism/accelerationism is a conspiracy theory meant to keep people complacent and docile in the event of an authoritarian regime, and the online Left really needs to start shunning these groups with the same vehemence that we shun radfem/terf groups.

The biggest threat to systemic evil is hope, and this nonsense “the world will never get better, so why bother trying to make it better” ideology literally exists to serve those systems. The doomerism movement is pro-capitalist, pro-fascist, pro-authoritarianism, etc. because they accept these systems as inherent to the nature of humanity, unable to be changed… which is exactly what the fascists running the system want. After all, why resist the rise of evil if evil is always inevitable? Why fight to make the world a better place if the world is just going to end soon anyway? Why not just stand aside and let the authoritarians do their thing? It doesn’t even matter anyway, right?

The point is, the Left is far too tolerant of doomerism, and it’s driving me insane.

Tags :
not star wars real world shit politics tw politics anti capitalism antifascist leftism anti nihilism hopepunk hopeposting solarpunk saving the planet certified original jan thought
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janthesevenette
6 months ago

You know what, I actually have more to say on this:

It’s natural to feel upset, angry, and sacred regarding all the terrible things happening all over the world right now. In fact, those feelings are vitally important to have, to prevent yourself from becoming numb and desensitized to tragedy. But if all you ever feel is upset, angry, and scared, and if all you can ever think about is The Bad Stuff, and if you truly want humanity to go extinct because you believe that humans are inherently evil, and if you genuinely believe that society will collapse in the near future… that’s not a natural response to current events. That’s depression, and it’s caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, not by current events.

If you’re struggling with doomerism of this degree, I would urge you to seek professional help, if it’s within your means. But if you’re unable to do so, I have a few suggestions based on some things that helped me escape the trap of nihilism:

Opening Up: Confide in a loved one who you trust to support you about how you’re feeling, and do not spare them a single gory detail. This is also a good resource on alternatives to therapy.

The News: Schedule one day a week where you don’t look at any source of news about current events, from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. I promise you are not a bad person if you aren’t 100% tuned in to every single issue all of the time.

Online Spaces: Leave every single group/forum that doomer-posts, even the ones you have friends in because your mental health comes first. Block tags—yes, even the ones that you think would make you a horrible person for blocking—and people liberally, and unsubscribe from downer YouTube channels, no matter how informative they are. Join groups/forums with an explicit focus on positivity. This is a great list of positive subreddits. Join online communities centered around aspects of your life that are inherently positive, such as a hobby, a fandom you love, or niche scientific topic that fascinates you. Avoid online communities centered around aspects of your life that are NOT inherently positive, such as illnesses/disabilities and political beliefs.

Distraction: It’s a cliche piece of advice, but learning a new skill is a great way to ground yourself in the present and focus on what you can control. Pick up a new hobby, or learn a new language, or reorganize your entire bedroom, or any other simple activity that takes place entirely offline.

Community: It’s another cliche, but getting involved in your local community really does help ground yourself. If you’re in school/university, join a low-commitment club with a flexible schedule. If you’re not in school/university, get a membership ship to your local library. See if they have a book club you can join, or if you can volunteer there, or simply go to mingle with the other patrons in your free time.

Nature: Spend some time away from urbanized areas. It doesn’t need to be a full-hiking trail—you could go the lake at your local park, or literally just wander through a patch of forest on the side of the road.

If you can rediscover your love for this planet and the people on it, you will find that it’s worth fighting for. And if you join the fight, we’ll be one step closer to wining.

Anyway, not-so-friendly reminder that nihilism/doomerism/accelerationism is a conspiracy theory meant to keep people complacent and docile in the event of an authoritarian regime, and the online Left really needs to start shunning these groups with the same vehemence that we shun radfem/terf groups.

The biggest threat to systemic evil is hope, and this nonsense “the world will never get better, so why bother trying to make it better” ideology literally exists to serve those systems. The doomerism movement is pro-capitalist, pro-fascist, pro-authoritarianism, etc. because they accept these systems as inherent to the nature of humanity, unable to be changed… which is exactly what the fascists running the system want. After all, why resist the rise of evil if evil is always inevitable? Why fight to make the world a better place if the world is just going to end soon anyway? Why not just stand aside and let the authoritarians do their thing? It doesn’t even matter anyway, right?

The point is, the Left is far too tolerant of doomerism, and it’s driving me insane.

Tags :
not star wars real world shit anti nihilism antifascist anti capitalism hopeposting hopepunk solarpunk saving the planet positivity self love self care mental heath support we’ll keep living and we’ll learn to love it self rb certified original jan thought
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lopadopalis
6 months ago
A landscape digital drawing of a sunny day. In big handwritten yellow letters top and bottom text states "We would call it Solarpunk, they just call it an afternoon". In the foreground is a thin light-skinned character with short dark cyan hair and spider henna tattoos across their shoulders walking away from the camera along a colorful street. To their right is a Japanese-style drainage canal and a building with doodles drawn on it; a person is casually sitting on a couch in the shade of the building. On their left is a long garden bed, a bench covered in grape vines with a solar panel roof; a bike lane stretched into the distance; an older person carries a baby tied to their back and a tween is running after them to keep up; the road is in the shade of lush trees. Grass sprouts from the road here and there. Buildings are painted in different vibrant colors.
An image divided into three segments. Upper text reads "It all runs on renewables" and text on the third panel reads "They do what they love and share the rest". The top segment stretches horizontally across the canvas and depicts a sunny summer urban landscape. A balcony in one of the low-rise buildings reveals an easel with an unfinished painting and abstract art pieces behind it, there are flower pots hanging from the ceiling. Vines wrap around the windows. In the background are other solar panel roofs and domes, fading into the blue sky. The last two segments divide the page in half vertically. One shows an artist from the back as they're painting an abstract mural. The character's skin is dark and their cotton candy pink afro is tied back into a ponytail; their hands are smudged with paint. To their left stand three paint cans. The final segment is a drawing of two people in casual clothes and caps standing in front of a vine-covered wall holding brooms. The character on the left is plump, has curly coppery red hair and acne; they're cheerfully pointing at something with their broom's tip. The character on the right is a head taller, thin and with very pale skin and short white hair; they're wearing square glasses and are smiling calmly.
A drawing divided into two segments horizontally. Each has text next to it. The top part reads "Money's almost like a swearword" and the bottom "Nobody is poor. Nobody sleeps under the stars unless they want to". The first segment is a view from the inside of an oven with the lights still on; the tone of the image is warm. A young adult is carefully pulling out a glass baking pan with probably banana bread. The character has short curly burgundy red hair, heavy eyeliner, nose bridge piercings and slightly dark skin. They're sticking their tongue out in concentration. The second segment shows two people sitting in the grass in some kind of park at night; everything is lit by the moon. The character closer to the viewer is sitting casually with their head tilted up, looking content. They've got light skin with a patchy tan, barely visible face tattoos of stylized stars, a messy yellow-and-purple mohawk and black casual outfit. The character behind them sits with knees close to their chest, examining a little flower. Their purple hair is tied into a ponytail; they also have light skin with a patchy tan; they have big round glasses. Around the two characters are night flowers and wild rose bushes. In the background are tall dark trees.
Drawing divided into two sections horizontally. The text on the first one reads "There is no shame in needing rest" and the bottom says "you value no less when you can't work". The first panel is a top-down view of a person laying in bed with a vacant expression, listening to something through wired earphones. The bed is messy, there's a sock and an empty bowl on the floor. The character has dark skin and a strong slightly plump build. Their long blue dreadlocks decorated with golden clips spill over the pillow. The second panel (now in regular standing view) shows a younger character cordially passing a mug to the first one. The first character is now sitting up and smiling calmly. The younger character has short brown hair with a lime gradient, light skin and lime overalls. The background is a room in the daytime, most items are colored blue; there are posters on the walls; through a door frame covered in doodles a windowsill lined with potted plants is visible. Vines cover the window.
The drawing is divided in half horizontally. The text on each panel says "They took care of climate change, though some losses are irreversible..." and "Most cars were left behind". The first panel is a summer scene in the shade of a tree. A dark-skinned child with a star-decorated afro, a tooth gap and many freckles is sitting on a round woven mat holding a book with a photo of a koala. They are looking to the side with a worried expression. The second panel is a summer sunset scene, we are looking from the sun's direction onto a thin rural road. A plus-size dark-skinned character with purple hair and freckles is riding a bike. Behind them are striped polyculture fields (wheat, soy and maize) and big majestic clouds.
A drawing split in half vertically. Text on both panels says "Things are made to last" and "Information is free for all". The first panel shows an indoors scene, a glass wall and a many of different plants behind it. Green-tinted light seeps in from above. An East Asian character with short blond hair, heavy golden makeup and astronomy-themed jewelry is holding up the hem of their skirt to examine it; they're smiling lightly. The second panel shows medium dark skin, burgundy red hair divided into two big braids sitting cross-legged on a mat in front of a colorful wall. They have a big bee balm flower tattoo across their chest, face piercings and bright-red makeup. They are calmly listening to an audiobook through wireless headphones.
A drawing is split in half horizontally. Text on each panel says "Endless growth is given up for mindful production" and "They can borrow anything from a library". The fist panel is set in a sunny summer garden full of deciduous trees. A person in their late forties is lowering a branch to examine it. They have a shoulder-length brown mullet, medium-light skin and helix earrings. The second panel shows a library. The walls are painted green, big arches, glass ceilings and solar glass domes let in light. Trees go right through the building's floor and roof on each side of an arch. There are shelves with books as well as gardening tools visible. Potted plants are everywhere. In the foreground a character is shown borrowing a hair clipper from a librarian sitting at their desk.
A drawing divided into 5 parts horizontally. Each part shows a line of text: "no state, no police, no prisons, no borders, nature is crucial". The "no state" panel depicts a diverse crowd seen from the back. There are many hair colors and styles depicted. The "no police" panel shows a broken police baton and a riot police shield lying on the ground. The "no prisons" panel depicts a concrete wall broken in half with two rose bushes, red and white, growing in each other's direction. The "no borders" panel shows a rural road stretching into the distance along a field. An overgrown yellow sign spells "Welcome". The last panel saying "nature is crucial" has a top-down view on a creek. Its water is clear.
A set of doodles with speech bubbles depicting the author. They have a mullet and star tattoos all over their face. The first doodle, palm raised and eyes closed, is saying "You might say 'well that's extreme and unrealistic!' You might also say: 'wtf do you have on your face?'" The second doodle slightly raises its fist in determination and says "And i say we need a vision of a better future! It's not flawless, but it's so much better!" The last doodle looks indignant as it says "And it's star tattoos, asshole! From the future!"
A set of doodles of the author. The first doodle stands with lowered gaze and hand in pocket, saying "I can't tell what year it will be or how we get there. Time travel shenanigans. I know it's hard to believe". The second and last doodle says, with a slanted smile and a twinkle in its eyes, "But i can tell you stories. Will you take stories?"

Characters co-owned w @_magic.stardust_ on IG 😌✨ (a couple more comics abt this on my account already)

I'm not a very positive person, i have a LOT of doomer tendencies. I feel everything like it's cranked up to the max, and as you can imagine it doesn't feel great. Every day throws more atrocious things in my face, and i can't ignore it 🥲

I see other people feeling the same way. We dissociate and numb ourselves by watching, playing, buying stuff. Hateful movements are gaining traction and climate change has its foot in the door

And it's all happening either way, to some degree. I feel like shit, and i'm sick of that. I might as well have a little bit of hope, otherwise i'll go bonkers 😭 Do we continue doomering our way through life or ignoring things altogether, or do we choose to hope a little?

That's why i'm looking into Solarpunk and am thinking of taking any readers (and myself) on a little journey through a better world, and how it might work, through a series of mini-comics I'm posting here. I don't have all the answers (no one person ever does), and i don't hold any pretenses that this kind of world is going to be our future. But i often hear "You love critiquing the status quo, but what do you propose instead?" I'd like to find out too. Here's to something we can hope for, no matter how slim the chances are! Because as I said, i might just lose my mind otherwise ☠️

P.S for new peeps: this is an AU with me and my friend's OCs, so all characters are genderless and go by they/them. It's not identical to our world in that regard, but other than this fact we try to keep it more or less realistic 🤙

A doodle used as a text divider. It shows the author floating among lemons. They're thinking "Fucking fuck" with a plain smile.

I spent a thousand krillion hours on this and the other Solarpunk comics, consider throwing 2$ at me on Buy Me A Coffee to raise my spirits :] I'm not doing well mentally these days, but people's appreciation helps a lot. Thank you very much!

Tags :
♡ reblog ♡ solarpunk art hopeposting
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