Just curious about how people here make a difference in their local community. Talking on the Internet about national and international politics can sometimes be depressing since there is little sign of any influence - but local activity has more feedback.
I've sometimes dabbled in listening and making comments at local city council meetings. Also, I was involved a bit with in local dance and theater projects. These days, though, I'm mostly active through my church - which also does multi-faith projects with other religious groups in the area.
I know Pundit has his religious community, but I think he prefers not to talk about it here. Others have mentioned involvement in local sports or other groups. Does it feel like you're helping to make a difference locally?
I teach at a large university, and I try to make sure both conservative and progressive students are heard and welcome. I've had enough of the conservatives feeling squeezed out or ostracized in the university setting. I've also noticed that a lot of students don't have the slightest clue about nature in their area, so I regularly arrange naturalist excursions where we go on hikes and try to identify plants and animals.
Local is much more important to me than state and federal issues, despite them often being ignores.
For example, abortion is a huge national and state issue. Abortion directly impacts 0.187% of the U.S. population each year.
Meanwhile, land use planning impacts pretty much everyone in every city, every year. If you leave your home, land use planning will impact your travel in a meaningful way. Your electrical and gas and other service rates are all impacted by land use planning. Every day, everyone is impacted by tiny decisions made about where and how to expand and maintain basic town and city elements. Land use planning is far more important, to far more people, than abortion in terms of meaningful direct impact on their daily lives.
So yeah I get involved in some local politics. But never based on partisanship, which is much more of a state and national thing. Much more on the "What is the plan for dealing with this particular homeless issue at this location, and the schedule for that plan, and our progress on that schedule, and the reasons for missing a deadline, and enforcement of laws surrounding that issue?" Same with crime issues, and planning for a transport path near my home, and permit approvals for some types of businesses. I keep on top of brush clearance for brush fire prone areas in my region. I keep on top of business regulations coming from the city and county.
To do this I communicate with both Government employees (local reps, etc.), and private groups like the better business bureau, chamber of commerce, homeowners associations, homeowners safety groups, and I am pretty active with my daughter's school and her sports school.
I do a lot of work with young unwed mothers.
Mostly helping them get their start.
I avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling.
I'll be honest: I don't do hardly jack shit for my current community. I hate it here. I'm not from here. I'm not a native, and I never will be. I'm here because of family obligations. On the unhappy day when those are no longer constraining me, I'm gone, back to greener pastures. The most I do is some token involvement in my particular religious community.
Back where I still consider home, I wasn't involved in politics or anything, but I was a volunteer at the local library, and in a more local and personal capacity I mowed lawns and blew snow for people on my street for free, older folks and widows and stuff who couldn't do for themselves easily.
Quote from: DocJones on January 17, 2023, 02:45:27 PM
I do a lot of work with young unwed mothers.
Mostly helping them get their start.
Getting their start in becoming an unwed mother?
;)
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 17, 2023, 03:47:09 PM
I avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling.
How about the other types of virtue signaling?
This seems like bait...
Quote from: Mistwell on January 17, 2023, 05:05:10 PM
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 17, 2023, 03:47:09 PM
I avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling.
How about the other types of virtue signaling?
ALL virtue signalling is dishonest and masturbatory.
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 17, 2023, 07:41:31 PM
Quote from: Mistwell on January 17, 2023, 05:05:10 PM
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 17, 2023, 03:47:09 PM
I avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling.
How about the other types of virtue signaling?
ALL virtue signalling is dishonest and masturbatory.
I suppose some of it could be honest and masturbatory. Sorta like wealthy soccer moms bragging about what charities they give to at the holidays.
Quote from: Trond on January 17, 2023, 08:35:47 AM
I teach at a large university, and I try to make sure both conservative and progressive students are heard and welcome. I've had enough of the conservatives feeling squeezed out or ostracized in the university setting. I've also noticed that a lot of students don't have the slightest clue about nature in their area, so I regularly arrange naturalist excursions where we go on hikes and try to identify plants and animals.
Cool. Education is the cause I care the most about, but I'm not very involved right now. I taught high school physics and chemistry for a short time, where conservative/liberal isn't so visible, but I understand its a much bigger deal in other fields. I'd like to get back to being involved. And good on the nature excursions. Too much screen time is a huge problem for kids growing up these days.
I feel like encouraging local involvement is probably for the best. Especially local governance, building a healthy and sane-ish community, and cetera. And while a lot of posts here in response to your question, or even just about how perceivedly gross your question is or isn't or the responses here seemingly might or might not be, are probably going to read as virtue signaling, I actually think that this is an interesting query at heart. Do we actually feel like we are making a difference at the local level? How? What matters there to us, can we impact it, and why?
To do a somewhat unrelated tangent which leads into my response... As regards the virtue signaling thing, I feel of two minds. Is it a problem to share what we find meaningful about that kind of thing, or to mention our lives outside the chat? Probably not, so long as we're careful not to dox ourselves or whatever lol. I can definitely see some potential pitfalls, though, as regards caring or perceivedly caring more about bragging or kudos than actually helping or taking joy from the service or engagement or whatever itself. In that sense virtue signaling can be a problem. But to me it has a negative enough connotation that I don't know if I'd consider sharing what is individually meaningful or what feels impactful about personal local engagement to be that term. At least not intrinsically. Cuz otherwise anytime one does anything remotely good or meaningful to them and talks about it or has "ego" (read any smidge of pride or self-respect) they're doing the bad-wrong-talk. But at the same time, I do think some people care a lot about their own image, which while not intrinsically bad can be kinda annoying when it seems like folks care more about how they are presented or portrayed than who they really are and if they're actually doing the right thing or contributing or whatever as opposed to pandering to a mob, often woke.
Unfortunately, as to said main question, whether it feels like I'm helping to make a difference locally... not as much these days. And back when I did it was partly motivated by a desire to get kudos and feel worthy or whatever, tying into the whole signaling thing. Admittedly I used to be a bit better in some ways, or at least a more involved and productive person than I am at the moment. But yeah, these days I'm not nearly as active in what used to be meaningful and feel pro-social or whatever on my end. I used to be a more engaged member of what was genuinely my religious community. I also had some involvement in helping with malnutrition among those who genuinely had it according to the identification of medical professionals. I was involved in scouting both in my childhood and for a bit thereafter, in a solid local troop with good people, engagement and values, before the most severe decline and collapse of that broader organization hit, so to speak. I was involved in a few other community organizations, projects, clubs and so forth over the years as well. Over time, though, I lost momentum and drive, became disillusioned or at least discouraged, and drifted away. I don't go out as often to do things for others or the community or God or whoever as much anymore. And as a result I kinda feel somewhat more disconnected to the world outside my immediate family, friends, and house. In short, I feel less a part of my locality than I used to, and it's not something to brag about.
On the other hand, I feel I no longer vote quite as poorly at the local level as I did during some of my college years, when I bought into more institutionally popular propaganda that mostly leaned to the left. That I will virtue signal and perhaps nonsensically brag about, lol. ;)
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 17, 2023, 03:47:09 PM
I avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling.
(looks around...)
damn. no upvote button.
Quote from: KindaMeh on January 17, 2023, 09:50:35 PM
I feel like encouraging local involvement is probably for the best. Especially local governance, building a healthy and sane-ish community, and cetera. And while a lot of posts here in response to your question, or even just about how perceivedly gross your question is or isn't or the responses here seemingly might or might not be, are probably going to read as virtue signaling, I actually think that this is an interesting query at heart. Do we actually feel like we are making a difference at the local level? How? What matters there to us, can we impact it, and why?
Thanks. That's exactly the sort of questions I'd be interested in. The local level is usually the place where one can feel the most impact, but the big question is what works and what doesn't. Here we've had a thread on exercises people here do (https://www.therpgsite.com/the-rpgpundit-s-own-forum/preferred-exercises-or-fitness-activities-the-forum-engages-in/), and we discuss politics a lot. It seems like a reasonable thing to talk about.
Quote from: KindaMeh on January 17, 2023, 09:50:35 PM
I was involved in scouting both in my childhood and for a bit thereafter, in a solid local troop with good people, engagement and values, before the most severe decline and collapse of that broader organization hit, so to speak. I was involved in a few other community organizations, projects, clubs and so forth over the years as well. Over time, though, I lost momentum and drive, became disillusioned or at least discouraged, and drifted away. I don't go out as often to do things for others or the community or God or whoever as much anymore. And as a result I kinda feel somewhat more disconnected to the world outside my immediate family, friends, and house. In short, I feel less a part of my locality than I used to, and it's not something to brag about.
I don't know how old you are, but I've gone back and forth in my levels of involvement over the years. It takes the right conditions to have the drive to do something. It makes a huge difference to connect to a like-minded community, or even just a handful of like-minded friends. I'm pretty sure that's true regardless of whether one is liberal or conservative.
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
Ehhh, modern Christian churches don't always believe in the Bible...
Quote from: Eirikrautha on January 21, 2023, 01:31:20 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
Ehhh, modern Christian churches don't always believe in the Bible...
So they aren't Christian, they might be churches, but they AREN'T Christian.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
This does not mean that all giving and good works should be in secret. Otherwise, how would we know about the giving and sharing the believers as shown in Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:32-37? Would all church-going and community prayers be sins according to Matthew 6:6? Should everyone only worship God in private, do good in secret, and never let the world know one is a Christian?
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
What Matthew 6:3 is saying is that charity should not be *only* for show. If someone never contributes if it is private, or feels no motivation to, then that shows they are only doing it for the praise. If you're attributing that to me, I'd ask -- do you really think that I come here to theRPGsite for the praise?!? We've been in conversations for years now, and it should be pretty clear that I constantly get insulted and ridiculed here.
Quote from: jhkim on January 21, 2023, 05:11:04 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
This does not mean that all giving and good works should be in secret. Otherwise, how would we know about the giving and sharing the believers as shown in Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:32-37? Would all church-going and community prayers be sins according to Matthew 6:6? Should everyone only worship God in private, do good in secret, and never let the world know one is a Christian?
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
What Matthew 6:3 is saying is that charity should not be *only* for show. If someone never contributes if it is private, or feels no motivation to, then that shows they are only doing it for the praise. If you're attributing that to me, I'd ask -- do you really think that I come here to theRPGsite for the praise?!? We've been in conversations for years now, and it should be pretty clear that I constantly get insulted and ridiculed here.
Who said it was directed at you or anyone else?
If I wanted to direct it at you wouldn't I have quoted you?
You asked a question and you got my answer, I don't do what I do to appear just I do it because it's just and feel that I shouldn't disclose it.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 22, 2023, 01:28:48 AM
Quote from: jhkim on January 21, 2023, 05:11:04 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
This does not mean that all giving and good works should be in secret. Otherwise, how would we know about the giving and sharing the believers as shown in Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:32-37? Would all church-going and community prayers be sins according to Matthew 6:6? Should everyone only worship God in private, do good in secret, and never let the world know one is a Christian?
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
What Matthew 6:3 is saying is that charity should not be *only* for show. If someone never contributes if it is private, or feels no motivation to, then that shows they are only doing it for the praise. If you're attributing that to me, I'd ask -- do you really think that I come here to theRPGsite for the praise?!? We've been in conversations for years now, and it should be pretty clear that I constantly get insulted and ridiculed here.
Who said it was directed at you or anyone else?
If I wanted to direct it at you wouldn't I have quoted you?
You asked a question and you got my answer, I don't do what I do to appear just I do it because it's just and feel that I shouldn't disclose it.
And that folks, is how you avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling while still being virtuous.
Ya'll need to learn from GeekyBugle here.
Quote from: jhkim on January 21, 2023, 05:11:04 PM
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
Do you think a message board about pretending to be elves, and on the side discussing politics and culture war stuff, is a good place to be "an example" and spread gospel?
I think the best place to be an example is actually out in that Real World thing, actually doing things. As they say, talk is cheap.
QuoteWhat Matthew 6:3 is saying is that charity should not be *only* for show. If someone never contributes if it is private, or feels no motivation to, then that shows they are only doing it for the praise. If you're attributing that to me, I'd ask -- do you really think that I come here to theRPGsite for the praise?!? We've been in conversations for years now, and it should be pretty clear that I constantly get insulted and ridiculed here.
You've also made a lot of contentious posts and made glaring mistakes when posting. (As have I.)
Honestly, when I saw this thread, and it's author, I immediately thought...
(https://media.tenor.com/2uNhOa0IYJwAAAAd/thats-bait-mad-max.gif)
Quote from: jeff37923 on January 22, 2023, 06:37:48 AM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 22, 2023, 01:28:48 AM
Quote from: jhkim on January 21, 2023, 05:11:04 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 20, 2023, 11:06:05 PM
"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:3
This does not mean that all giving and good works should be in secret. Otherwise, how would we know about the giving and sharing the believers as shown in Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:32-37? Would all church-going and community prayers be sins according to Matthew 6:6? Should everyone only worship God in private, do good in secret, and never let the world know one is a Christian?
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
What Matthew 6:3 is saying is that charity should not be *only* for show. If someone never contributes if it is private, or feels no motivation to, then that shows they are only doing it for the praise. If you're attributing that to me, I'd ask -- do you really think that I come here to theRPGsite for the praise?!? We've been in conversations for years now, and it should be pretty clear that I constantly get insulted and ridiculed here.
Who said it was directed at you or anyone else?
If I wanted to direct it at you wouldn't I have quoted you?
You asked a question and you got my answer, I don't do what I do to appear just I do it because it's just and feel that I shouldn't disclose it.
And that folks, is how you avoid dishonest masturbatory virtue signaling while still being virtuous.
Ya'll need to learn from GeekyBugle here.
TBF I fail more than most at being virtuous when talking over the internet. Due to my temper and the authism.
There are churches out there that do NOT believe in god at all and have outright atheists all there together. Gatherings of these sorts in that kind of place looks more to me like opportunistic use of tax codes to practice activism with few rules and looser book keeping.
Quote from: Ratman_tf on January 22, 2023, 07:18:30 PM
Quote from: jhkim on January 21, 2023, 05:11:04 PM
As I see it, Christians can, and indeed should, be an example of kindness and good works to others. They should speak of their faith and good works with others, to spread the Gospel.
Do you think a message board about pretending to be elves, and on the side discussing politics and culture war stuff, is a good place to be "an example" and spread gospel?
I think the best place to be an example is actually out in that Real World thing, actually doing things. As they say, talk is cheap.
I think I went too far and gave the wrong impression by saying Gospel. I think Christians should spread the word, but saying Gospel unfortunately has the connotation of preaching at people - which no one likes, and has the opposite effect of making Christianity less palatable. That's regardless of whether it's in the Real World or virtual. Even if someone is doing charity work, talking up the Gospel while doing so sounds insufferable.
And maybe I've leaned into that here. If I seem like I'm proselytizing, sorry.
My thought in this thread was that while national politics are very partisan left/right, local issues often are not. So I thought that asking about how people engage with their local issues might be an interesting change of pace for this forum.
The Pundit's forum is a place where we talk about everything from wars to our personal exercise habits. And Pundit seems to have approved the topic, so it seems like we could chat about it.
The only reason local politics doesn't appear as divided is because most local poltics is dominated by one party. In Commiefornia, there's no opposition to the woketardia outside of a few small "red" counties. LA now has a marxist mayor who literally worked for Fidel Castro to undermine the USA and the only local politics of note is how the Hispanics and blacks are jostling for power within the new even farther left regime. We even have "brown faces of White supremacy" now!
I'm sure in sane red zones the local politics is also not divided by the putrid vomit of liberals, but sadly those seem increasingly few and far between.
As for my involvement, I could not imagine lifting a finger for my local community in 2023.
Except maybe the middle finger.
Quote from: Spinachcat on January 24, 2023, 03:57:05 AM
I'm sure in sane red zones the local politics is also not divided by the putrid vomit of liberals, but sadly those seem increasingly few and far between.
As for my involvement, I could not imagine lifting a finger for my local community in 2023.
Sorry to hear that, Spinachcat. I'd note that supporting one's local community doesn't necessarily mean helping everyone or helping the majority. Many majority-liberal areas still have local conservative groups. For example, my area is very liberal, but there are still more conservative religious groups like Latter Day Saints members and Pentecostals in the religious mix. There could also be secular groups trying to push for conservative change locally.
I don't know your area, so maybe there are no such options that fit you. I just wanted to point out the topic is wider than just helping everyone.
You know, a lot of you seem to be giving jhkim shit about this thread, but I have to take his side.
I've seen many of his posts here (his community), and I often feel certain that he's acting.
Quote from: Spinachcat on January 24, 2023, 03:57:05 AM
The only reason local politics doesn't appear as divided is because most local poltics is dominated by one party. In Commiefornia, there's no opposition to the woketardia outside of a few small "red" counties. LA now has a marxist mayor who literally worked for Fidel Castro to undermine the USA and the only local politics of note is how the Hispanics and blacks are jostling for power within the new even farther left regime. We even have "brown faces of White supremacy" now!
I'm sure in sane red zones the local politics is also not divided by the putrid vomit of liberals, but sadly those seem increasingly few and far between.
As for my involvement, I could not imagine lifting a finger for my local community in 2023.
Except maybe the middle finger.
Where I live, which is pretty much a very conservative small town (rapidly growing unfortunately), a bunch of fucktard Austinites frequently show up to protest downtown about The Current Thing. I take it as part of my duty to the community to drive by them and call them dumbass faggots whenever they're down there making a mess of our nice town square.