Hi everyone,
First off, I’m grateful to be part of a community that shares a (more or less) common vision. I’ve been supporting this movement since before the Orange Turd. To no ones surprise my commitment has only grown stronger over the past few years.
What I notice lately is that many discussions seemingly just celebrate alternative products (“Look, this alternative brand is EU‑based!”), which is great for awareness. However, I’m missing conversations about what we actually do beyond posting links and recommendations.
I’m not here to judge anyone’s level of involvement. Everyone follows their own moral compass. Rather, I’d love to hear about the concrete steps people are already taking (or considering).
Here is a sample of the sort of thing I would be interested in to hear about. Be careful to not spoof yourselves.
Political engagement
- Are you involved in any political activities that align with the BuyEuropean ideas?
- Do you back any European‑focused parties such as Volt?
Outreach beyond the forum
- Have you discussed BuyEuropean ideas with friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances who aren’t already in the community?
Physical visibility
- Have you placed stickers, flyers, or other visual cues in public spaces (shops, campuses, workplaces) that promote “Buy European” or highlight non‑EU alternatives?
- The lack of such... basic visibility is one thing that surprises me the most where I live.
Fediverse advocacy
- Do you recommend decentralized platforms (PieFed, Mastodon, PeerTube, etc.) to anyone as part of a broader “European‑first” digital strategy?
- I have friends moving off Meta etc., but it all seems.. sporadic and unorganized. Without collective movement at colleges and campuses I don't see how these things will ever actually grow.
Feel free to answer any (or none) of these questions, add your own experiences, or suggest additional ways we could make a larger impact.
I am sorry if this sounds direct and targeted. I think I just want to know if others are... doing stuff while I feel apathetic and powerless.
You need to spend more time reading (and participating) in discussions and you should start noticing some more comments related to that (and also to consuming less, more local, and so on).
Also, keep in mind most online activities will refer to, well, online activities not what people may do offline, as well as what people may chose to discuss privately. Which can be very different.
A few years, I have made the choice to never discuss politics online (I was getting tired of the quickly rising hatred and brainwashing going on, everywhere) and to limit my political discussions to in-person and/or private discussions. I have the intuition I'm not an exception.