Break Up with the Broligarchs
It's not us, it's them
Every day seems to be more chaotic than the previous one. But we’re not helpless. While we may not be able to completely dump the broligarchs who are poised to further amass power and wealth under this new administration, we can find alternatives to their companies without dropping out of society and moving into a yurt. (Personally, I think I’d love yurt life.) As it happens, breaking up with the tech bros can lead to living more sustainably, saving money, making new friends, eating tastier food and benefiting in other ways.
Cancel Prime
Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your money. Shop local and order books from Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. Get a library card and use it to borrow books and DVDs or to log into Hoopla, where you can read e-books and watch TV shows and movies for free.
Get involved with local politics
Change at the local level is possible!
In October 2023, our city council voted 6 to 0 to keep the natural grass fields at one of our parks. The new design that planners had created for the park included replacing the sports field's existing natural grass with artificial turf.
Artificial turf is plastic, which contributes to climate change. It contains harmful PFAS, sheds microplastics, burns feet and paws on hot days, needs to be replaced every 10 years (at least), clogs landfills at the end of its life (because only PFAS lasts forever) and increases sports injuries.
Forty-four people spoke out against fake grass at the city council meeting and council members commented on the impact the community involvement had on making their decision.
Support local, independent media
A non-profit—not a billionaire—runs my local independent newspaper. Like other independent outlets, local news (physical or online) puts federal government policies into context for a local audience. It covers city council meetings and local elections. It keeps money in the community by connecting customers with local small businesses. It brings together neighbors and strengthens communities. And it informs both larger media outlets and local citizenry.
Support PBS and NPR as well (which we still have for now at least).
Get off of Ex-Twitter
I don’t need to elaborate on the cesspool much here. If you aren’t ready to dump Meta as well but would like to limit the amount of data the company harvests from your accounts, go here for three-step instructions. I was able to complete them in about five minutes.
If you already drive a Tesla
My sister has never put bumper stickers on her cars but because she bought a Tesla before Elon lost his mind, she now wants to order an anti-Elon sticker for her car.
Switch from Google Search to Ecosia
Even if you don’t care that Sundar Pichai sat in the front row with the other tech bros at the inauguration or that Google Maps bent the knee and renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, you probably don’t like being tracked.
Ecosia works quite well (I use it) and does not spit out energy-devouring (and inaccurate) AI results. Your searches also help plant trees. According to Ecosia’s website:
[W]e don't store your searches permanently, and don't create personal profiles of you based on your search history. We actually anonymize all searches within days. Nor do we sell your data to advertisers, or use any external tracking tools. Moreover, we protect your searches from potential eavesdroppers with a securely encrypted connection.
Pay cash
The broligarchy can’t track or sell data they don’t have. Pay in cash and you’ll also likely buy less stuff you don’t need. Handing over cash causes much more pain than swiping a credit card.
Dump Whole Foods
After Amazon bought Whole Foods, I noticed employee morale plummeted immediately at my nearby store. I’m not sure where morale stands today because I rarely go in there. I don’t want to help fund the bro space race.
Start a victory garden
Now is the time to plan that spring garden. Farmers’ fields have been emptied not of produce ready to pick, but of people that pick it. Fear of deportation raids has kept workers away. So food will rot in the fields, reducing supply and increasing prices. Go here to print off or order Red Cards, which list people’s rights and can help them defend themselves should ICE shows up. Give them to people who may need them.
Build community
Join or start a community garden. Contact your city to locate one.
Start or join a community compost site. Read about a successful composting community in the UK.
Share goods and services with neighbors. Join Buy Nothing. Organize a swap with your friends. Organize a swap at your kid’s school.
Host a block party. Have everyone bring reusables for their drinks and food.
Join or start a cooking club. Everyone meets once a week, you cook up a storm, you each take home several meals for the week.
Find or launch a repair café. Read more about these community-building-waste-busting events here.
Attend events at your local library. These community hubs offer events not just for children but for adults as well.
Join a book club near you. Your library may have one. Check your local bookshop for one. You might find a book club through Meetup.
Join a climate-focused group in your city. Some to check out that have local chapters: 350.org, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Climate Reality Project and Sunrise Movement.
Take care of yourself
You can’t fight the broligarchs if you’re burnt out. Relax with a cup of tea. Read a good book. Go for a walk. Check out more self-care strategies that don’t rely on the wellness industrial complex.
Perform bread labor
The concept of bread labor played a key role in Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance. He (and Tolstoy) believed that we each must perform physical labor in order to earn our living—or bread. To do otherwise amounted to stealing someone else’s labor and living off the backs of others.
Plus, you’ll eat delicious bread!
Or make flat bread. Go here for whole wheat tortillas.
What I’m reading
I recently finished Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles, which she not only wrote, of course, but also beautifully illustrated. (Tan did not take her first drawing class until the age of 64!) You don’t have to be a birder to enjoy this book but after you put it down, you may want to pick up a pair of binoculars. Either way, Tan will inspire you to observe your surroundings closely.
Exactly what we needed to hear. Yes, taking action is empowering. And effective.
Thank you, as always!
Thanks, Anne-Marie. I really need this today!