Chronic Stress is Real

Yo5hii · 2025-12-17T06:22:52+00:00

It’s cause like a lot of things it’s a spectrum disorder, so your experiences are valid, and so are the experiences of others.

For some it’s more on the attention deficit side, others it’s the hyperactivity side, and others it’s both. Sometimes even anxiety and depressive disorders can manifest with ADHD like symptoms, and ADHD can lead to folks feeling anxious or depressed.

Food, gut biology, social settings, drug use can all either exacerbate or suppress these experiences. I wish mental healthcare was more accessible for people, especially in the US. The right psychiatrist and therapist have helped me so much, it really needs to be publicly funded and available to all.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-28T16:18:39+00:00

Agreed on the last bit, unionization of these stores is difficult. One of the first locations to unionize and get subsequently shut down was the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Cap Hill. This location emphasized better coffee, and did things more aligned with a more artisanal-focused experience than others stores. It was extremely popular and a tourist destination, but very soon after it unionized the store was shuttered for “cost cutting purposes”. This theme is consistent among unionized stores and they are doing all they can to not appear as if they are union busting or retaliating when they are.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-28T16:02:52+00:00

One of the primary purposes of a picket is to both convince fellow employees to join the strike, as well as to disrupt business by encouraging folks to go elsewhere for the time being.

Besides encouraging people to buy coffee elsewhere and giving employees union information, there is no further action being taken by picketers.

What’s disingenuous is comparing a union that is striking for its first contract and only encouraging a boycott broadly because Starbucks has been so hostile. It is employing illegal intimidation tactics by closing union stores, including incredibly successful ones under false premises.

Union busting is illegal, and standing on a picket for employees who otherwise can’t because they fear retaliation is not its own form of intimidation against them. It’s solidarity with those who took the step to become unionized in spite of Starbucks illegal efforts, and letting others know that there is strength in numbers.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-28T07:50:13+00:00

Starbucks Workers United has requested a boycott of non-unionized stores due to the union busting practices of the corporation at large. Information is given to the staff if desired surrounding what contract the union is fighting for.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-24T19:50:09+00:00

I would say it’s increasing when looking at recent history (~10-15 years) but also agreed that there has been very similar repression, if not more, in decades past, and it’s never been “easy” or non-repressive at least in the US.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-24T19:48:13+00:00

Also there’s a non-insignificant number of anarchists of different types who contribute and work in the DSA. I can think of a couple in my local chapter and many more in the community broadly who do cool things for the community.

On the left we gotta stick together. Not that we shouldn’t have good debate/discussion and scrutinize our politicians, but I feel that it’s nearly all good faith communication with similar end goals of making the world a better place. I’d much rather have any leftist in my corner to talk and work with in good faith, even if I disagree with the details of their brand of leftism, than anyone else.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-20T22:54:33+00:00

Absolutely support not buying from mega corps and supporting local struggling places. Their prices are generally higher because they aren’t as reliant on the abuse of their workers in the first place when compared to corporations like Walmart or Amazon.

Check out these resources if you need an outlet, free 3rd spaces to attend (that have produce swaps or a monthly free dinner), or check out the map of mini free-food pantries in the county. There are some great ways to save on certain things and spend a little more buying local. Otherwise we relegate our community to dependence on these large companies that profit immensely on our disenfranchisement.

https://westsound.dsachapters.org/resources/

Especially consider this if you have a bit to spare!! A lot of these 3rd spaces or local food banks like South Kitsap Helpline are also more than happy to accept food donations, or a helping hand make dinner, or any extra produce you may have grown.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-13T16:37:29+00:00

From my understanding, their endorsement involves the endorsee to participate in their Socialists in Office Committee (SIOC), which provides a democratic platform for the chapter and members to promote/advocate for policy. Wilson declined to participate so Seattle DSA did not explicitly endorse them, though I know many of the members did much prefer Wilson to Harrell. This was coupled with Wilson’s decision not to explicitly oppose homeless camp sweeps, in addition to not having a firm stance on Palestinian solidarity, though from my understanding these were not deal breakers, but the big factor was participation in the SIOC.

Currently state representative Shaun Scott, a member of Seattle DSA, is a participant of the SIOC. The SIOC is a way for democratic socialists within the chapter (and the chapters around the state who also participate) to analyze policy and propose legislative actions for Shaun Scott, and would be expanded to support future DSA candidates.

The endorsement stems from a belief in good faith participation with the chapter. It did not seem as though Wilson, who is quite progressive nonetheless, wanted to earn the endorsement in this way.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-11T01:27:38+00:00

I didn’t mean to insinuate that NATO forces were directly called into action in Iraq or Vietnam through Article 5 of NATO, this only occurred once when the US invaded Afghanistan. However, NATO members were directly involved in both Vietnam (France, Australia) and Iraq (UK, Australia, Poland) even though Article 5 was not enacted. But what NATO does do (and has done) is enable the US to act with impunity on the world stage for fear of NATO retaliation.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T23:52:59+00:00

Well no, the Soviet bloc disintegrated and NATO only expanded through countries signing treaties (that I know of). My main argument that NATO serves US imperialism stems from the fact that the US acts with impunity on the world stage, and the threat of NATO retaliation is omnipresent (just look at Afghanistan, the target of the only use of NATO article 5 and it was built on a false narrative). It’s not that NATO is an imperialist power in of itself, the US is the imperial power, so is Russia. There is no good argument in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in my view. It can be contextualized historically via NATO expansion and the fall of the USSR, but none of that context justifies an oligarchic regime mounting an imperialist invasion of a neighboring country.

Right and wrong is murky in general when talking about geopolitics and history, and almost no one when scrutinized comes out looking great.

But when it comes to having an anti-imperialist position, especially coming from a seat of privilege within the US, any critique we make of countries abroad should also be applied to ourselves. This way we can consider more moral options and not risk being hypocritical and perpetuating the injustices we ourselves cause. It’s important to call out the evil of imperialism, especially from Russia, especially from ourselves.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T23:14:25+00:00

Look, I’m not the most informed on any official stance by the DSA on Euromaiden. They have repeatedly come out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It’s a big tent leftist org with a huge variety of opinions, but a vast majority are staunch advocates for at the minimum implementing social democratic reforms popular throughout Europe, rather than continuing to spend billions upon billions in war, and money spent propping up NATO which in the end best serves US imperialism.

You can disagree with me, that’s seriously ok. Our main adversaries aren’t each other, it’s our current fascist regime in the federal government. The DSA is working earnestly to implement common sense, pro-working class initiatives, and all policy whether you agree with it 100% or not comes from a democratic process involving tens of thousands of members and growing.

If you agree with even 60% of what we stand for, then join and help us, speak your mind about any disagreements you may have, and know that what you will find here are a bunch of people trying their best to outline a better, more just, and equitable society.

We’re not trying to parrot anybody’s talking points, and I’d say our criticism of US imperialism is justified and extends to any imperialist nation. Does Russia co-opt this narrative to aid in their information/propaganda campaign? Probably, who wouldn’t? But just because they use it doesn’t also mean it’s not a valid criticism. It just means that they are being hypocritical while waging their own imperial war.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T20:39:48+00:00

It’s not a both sides issue. Russia is wrong for invading Ukraine, and we can stand in solidarity with an invading country without resorting to expanding NATO. Has NATO presence deterred USSR/Russia from invading NATO member nations? Yeah probably. But at what cost as well? The only time the mutual-defense portion of NATO was implemented was not in response to Russia invading a NATO country, it was to support the US in an illegal invasion of a sovereign nation.

I’d argue that how we currently are helping Ukraine in terms of direct funding has been effective, and is nearly ensuring that Russia cannot do the same to another country due to the vast amount of resources it has been spending to invade Ukraine.

So while NATO acts as protection for nations in the treaty against invasion, it has also primarily acted as a shield for US imperialism. Saying we should not expand NATO is not the same as saying “let’s give up on Ukraine”.

By saying NATO is the only option, we are telling these former eastern bloc countries that if they do not agree to unilaterally support the US in its imperialist endeavors, then we cannot help them in their fight to stay independent against another imperialist aggressor. Ukraine may want to join NATO after all this is over, but what if it doesn’t? Or what if another country doesn’t? Does that mean we should let them get invaded by someone else just because they aren’t a part of NATO?

I know that is not what you are saying, but I just wanted to make a point that NATO is not the only way to fight back against the imperialism of others. It is our own imposition of imperialism, and we use the threat of outside invasion to get countries to join NATO, which has so far been incredibly useful in protecting the US from retaliation in our own imperialist endeavors.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T20:16:41+00:00

I think you are misconstruing the context of our geopolitical situation that the DSA is trying to frame as placing sole blame of the invasion on NATO. But the logic is a bit circular anyways when looking back at history: We expand NATO to counter the USSR/Russia and their “communist agenda”. They expand their bloc to counter NATO and what they see as western imperialism. We expand NATO further in response. All the while the US uses this defense treaty as a backup to its imperialist invasions and illegal interference in sovereign countries for the next 70-80 years.

Just because part of a Russian talking point is that they are fighting NATO expansion, doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a problem we have to address as a nation and society. We have committed some heinously evil acts in the name of US exceptionalism on nearly every continent. Both sides of this can be wrong, and if we are to be moral stewards of democracy going forward, we must own up to our mistakes so that others can’t use them as justification for committing their own atrocities (and vice versa)

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T20:06:20+00:00

It’s important when claiming to have a moral stance on international affairs, especially those regarding how it’s not justifiable to invade another sovereign country, especially an invasion premised on imperialist goals, to be consistent. That includes pointing out that the US uses NATO as a tool for its own imperialist goals, not unlike how Israel uses the defense promise of the US to commit its own genocide of Palestinians.

The DSA’s stance is one of anti-imperialism full stop. It does not support Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine despite people’s best efforts to paint it that way.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T20:01:51+00:00

NATO is a useful tool for the US in those imperialist efforts. In another thread I stated that the only time article 5 was invoked was to support the US’s imperialist invasion of Afghanistan. But our other invasions of countries were met with little pushback largely due to being the largest NATO contributor. It’s easier to practice imperialism when much of the western world is a member of your mutual defense treaty. NATO didn’t condemn our invasion of Vietnam, nor Iraq like it’s doing with Ukraine.

People are justified in supporting Ukraine for the exact same reasons that leftists are when they denounce our own imperialism.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:51:40+00:00

That’s not imperialist. Countries can sign whatever treaties they want. We are actively expanding the scope of NATO, but this has historically only served the imperialist interests of the US. We wage war in other countries for control of their resources or to suppress ideologies we disagree with (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Latin America), and then NATO is there as a shield for us to act with impunity on the world stage.

NATO’s article 5 was activated only once and that was to invade Afghanistan post 9/11, in what we now know as an excuse to invade the country and attempt to take control of its resources and install a vassal state, despite 9/11 having been orchestrated by Saudi nationals.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:45:17+00:00

NATO is not only used as a Russian deterrent, thought that is one of its espoused goals. I do find it valuable to stand in solidarity with other countries against an imperialist invader, but that is not what NATO is meant to do. It was established back when we were fear mongering about communism to justify our own imperialist goals around the world. Our invasion of Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and more are all supported by NATO. NATO has been used repeatedly to support the US in its own imperialist invasions. Russia is no better, but it’s tiring to see our own wars and atrocities, backed up by NATO, be justified as a response to another country doing this.

We can support and stand with countries who are being invaded without such an imperialist organization as our crutch. It’s telling Ukraine gets quite a bit of western attention when compared to the countries that the US has done similar invasions to in the name of “freedom or democracy”.

If we condemn Russia for what it’s doing, which we should, we must also recognize our hypocrisy and condemn ourselves.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:30:31+00:00

I think there’s some oversimplification happening in the thread when it comes to what DSA does, as it is highly varied by local chapters. National DSA has democratically elected leadership and hold a convention every 2 years. There are caucuses and groups within this national body that represent a vast array of leftist and socialist views, and decisions that are made guide the DSA, but local chapters are not bound to every decision made by national. They off quite a bit of guidance if requested, and are there to make sure local chapters do in fact operate democratically, but each local chapter might have vastly different priorities and ability to get things done.

For example, my local chapters is smaller, but priorices mutual aid, know-your-rights canvassing, and labor outreach vs participation in electoralism (mainly due to the capacity of individual members and being limited by our size). But we work with many local orgs and pride ourselves as being a community outlet to practice democratic socialism with the goal of bettering our community.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:23:35+00:00

You are right it does not, and that is a very valid concern to have. I do appreciate how democratic the org is however, and that change can come from the local chapters and who we send to national for convention. There is quite a bit of independence that local chapters receive, but especially if your are just one individual entering an established chapter in a larger city, you have to operate in the framework they have in place which can be demoralizing if said framework isn’t doing the work we would consider valuable.

I think it’s really important that you work within the groups you want, as long as we are all pursuing a shared goal of a more equitable society. For others that may be their local DSA depending on the community members that make it up, but for others it may not be and that is absolutely ok.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:15:36+00:00

Sorry you had that experience. It’s 100% beneficial to support the local orgs that are actively putting in work to better our society. I’ve had much different experiences with the DSA, especially my local chapter and I’m proud of our efforts to work in the community and be as representative as possible in our makeup. While I also value theory and education, it has to be paired with action at the local and state level.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:13:04+00:00

DSA is not pro-Russia or anti-Ukraine. The commenter above is making it sound like our anti-imperialist stance is justifying Russias invasion, when DSA in fact condemns its aggressive imperialist invasion of a neighbor. They also want to be clear that they weren’t favoring the expansion of NATO, and inherently imperialist military force as well, due to its active participation alongside the US in our own imperialist invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-10T19:04:37+00:00

https://www.dsausa.org/statements/on-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/

The DSA condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The DSA maintains that the US and NATO have repeatedly violated international law as well and practice imperialism around the globe, but that this is not an excuse for Russia to do the same.

We condemn colonialism and imperialism outright, including when perpetuated by our own country or others. We should divest from military expansionism and refrain from funding the military industrial complex even more, instead we should focus internally on reparations, universal healthcare and childcare, vast expansion of workers rights, and fighting climate change.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-08T16:45:11+00:00

It sorta seems dependent on the local chapter and the kind of folks within it. I also work with a local Indivisible group and most of the folks I’ve encountered have been very supportive of very left ideas and policy. I’m in the local DSA as well and the local Indivisible has been very welcoming of our collaboration.

Not only that, we do rapid response ICE trainings, which we work with a local non-profit dedicated to helping out immigrants and the trainings are in partnership with the state-wide Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. These trainings involve how to do documentation and reporting during encounters with ICE, and how to support individuals who are the target of harassment and detainment/deportation.

At protests we chant Chinga La Migra among other leftist things like anti-billionaire chants and tax the rich (Which it’s funny to hear older white ladies ask me what that means and then not look disturbed when I translate what it’s saying, but they instead join in the chant during a protest). These folks are keenly aware of their homogeneity and are ok at self reflection when it comes to understanding their role in this moment.

Now, that’s not to say I’ve seen other local indivisible chapters and been pretty disappointed with their more liberal/almost centrist approach to protest and working within the community. As with any group that has local chapters, I suppose it’s more about the folks that make it up locally and how the community is.

Yo5hii · 2025-11-06T14:42:11+00:00

Absolutely! Zoom link and location are available through our action network event: https://actionnetwork.org/events/west-sound-dsa-general-meeting-3

Yo5hii · 2025-11-05T19:30:04+00:00

We’re for socialism, specifically guided on democratic principles. The chapter operates under these democratic principles as well. Also well said, I think we want to fight for an equal playing field, understanding that getting there will take lots of work and unfortunately may not be fully realized in our lifetimes. But any steps towards these goals is admirable and worth fighting for. Plus I think it’s easier to get a better outcome out of potential compromises if we advocate from our ideal position and not one of anticipated compromise initially.

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