Provision & Principles
An update with our vehicle GoFundMe, and trying to live with principles in our current political climate and system.
One thing I love about the midwest is how we collectively respond to average winter weather in the aftermath of record low winter temperatures. Clear skies, little to no wind, and most of us are out and about in shorts and light jackets enjoying the vibe. There will be one more winter push at some point in the upcoming weeks and months, but this warm weather is a reminder that spring is on the horizon.
In this post I’ll be talking about
Provision - A wonderful update about our vehicle GoFundMe
Principles - Looking at the economic blackout, Twitter/X, and wrestling with how to live with systems that marginalize and dispose of people.
Provision
Last fall we launched a GoFundMe to raise support for a new vehicle. We have been blessed as people reached out with financial support and encouraging words. The GoFundMe project has been at $5650 for a month now, but privately people have continued to give toward a vehicle. The weekend of February 8 & 9, we were around $7000 that had been given altogether.
That weekend, I wondered about our vehicle options if we stayed around $7000. I remember telling Jana where we were at financially and processing what we could do. On Monday, February 10, an individual came by the house and handed me a card that included a check for $3000.
Let’s see… $7000 + $3000 = $10,000.00. We hit our goal!
The individual has asked to remain anonymous, so please don’t ask who it is. What meant just as much to me were their words of appreciation towards my work and the presence of my family’s lives. It’s nice to be seen, and sometimes it’s sometimes to know you are missed.
I’m grateful to God for the provision and for so many people that have responded to this fundraiser.
Now we start looking for a vehicle. Please pray that we can find a vehicle that will serve us well for a long time at an affordable price. (I think that’s the prayer of many of us that purchase a vehicle!) We will keep the GoFundMe up to post updates and if anyone else wants to give toward the costs staying low. (You know how Nebraska motor vehicle taxes are, am I right?!)
Once again, thank you to Sarah Caruso who has let our family use her vehicle during this season.
Principles
Yesterday, February 28th, was a proposed economic blackout where people were not supposed to spend money to challenge the country’s current policies. The below links take you to sites documenting the problems with the company/product.
Amazon takes advantage of its workers. Never mind how their business submarines local/small businesses and bookstores. Their founder/owner, Jeff Bezos, curtails objective journalism, at The Washington Post, in the Trump administration.
Walmart is anti-union and leverages SNAP and Medicaid so they don’t have to pay their employees as much.
Apple contracts out the assembly of its products and these factories have been depicted of having sweatshop-like conditions and have led to suicides.
Meta (Facebook & Instagram) has suspended content moderation and in the past seen its platforms used by governments and organizations to spread disinformation. It’s targeted teens in harmful ways. Because of an unknown Facebook friend at the time, my account data was accessed and collected illegally in 2016 due to Facebook security.
TikTok was good, then bad, then good, then bad, then…I don’t know at the moment.
Spotify pays not even pennies on the dollar to artists’ who host their music there and has platformed individuals who spread hate and conspiracies.
Wells Fargo took advantage of their customers raking in millions of dollars.
Substack, which yours truly uses, platforms white supremacists.
The NFL blackballing Collin Kaepernick and their history of covering up the concussion epidemic.
Most chocolate is made possible through the exploitation of children.
Don’t get me started on the Church. You have Catholicism, Southern Baptists and its coverup of abuse, Hillsong, and even the denomination I’m a licensed pastor within, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, allowed systemic child abuse at a missionary kids school, did not hold Ravi Zacharias accountable for his sexual misconduct and lies, and allows NDAs to be a standard protocol towards church staff who leave their roles within the district I served.
We can go on and on and on, and then there is Twitter/X.
Back in 2008 I opened a Twitter account. It’s been a mainstay in my life for most of that time. I had fun interactions with people, connected with people everywhere, and I stayed up-to-date with the news. I remember showing my coworkers the tweet that had a picture of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. When severe weather happened locally, I could go on Twitter for up-to-the-second information.
Since the first Trump administration I’ve slowly scaled my back my use on the platform. Since Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform, and the subsequent decline in quality engagement and truth, I’ve stopped using the platform for periods of time. It disgusts me to see how Elon has used the platform to spread hate, lies, and threats to further his own agenda.
I don’t want to support such a platform.
I’ve tried using other platforms that are similar to Twitter. Bluesky is one I enjoy now. However, it does not seem possible to recapture what once made Twitter the global town square. As much as I like Bluesky, it has a fraction of the users that Twitter has. (It is growing its user base.)
As most national and local news outlets prioritize clicks over content, and access by curtailing investigative journalistic pieces, I’m spending more time than I should be looking for objective news and information that affects my world. This means following various accounts on different social media platforms. For example, I never thought I’d be following multiple licensed medical professionals because I can’t wholly trust the US government information which has Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a known anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist, heading up Health and Human Services.
While trying to keep up with friends and others, I am visiting multiple social media platforms. It’s tiring, especially at this stage of life. I can’t do it if I want to live my life and be present for my family of six.
Which brings me back to Twitter/X.
A voice I appreciate on Omaha politics is Dr. Erin Feichtinger’s. She has informed thoughts about local politics, particularly the minutiae of laws and procedures that disproportionately affect those on the margins. I hear from her and stay informed when she addresses Omaha City Council meetings or eviction court hearings through Twitter. When I was pastoring, she helped me in a few situations where I was aiding people in the community facing eviction. She posts primarily on Twitter/X.
Who is the audience we are trying to reach with our social media? What are we trying to accomplish? It may feel nice to “stick it to the man”, but if no one is hearing our message or being influenced by our words are we simply shouting to no one and patting ourselves on the back for our principled purity?
Back in 2019, some conservatives were trying to undermine Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign by trying to bait her into a discussion around banning plastic straws. Senator Warren would redirect the discussion into the bigger issue, the fossil fuel industry affecting the environment at an exponential rate. That has more of an impact than banning plastic straws, and she made sure to hammer the point. The plastic straw ban is a nice gesture, and perhaps a good place to start for some being environmentally conscious, but in the grand scheme of things Senator Warren focused on the real issue.
I don’t like what Elon Musk is doing at the moment as he is empowered by the Trump administration. His actions are hurting millions of people around the world. I am not paying for my Twitter account financially, but do I want to keep giving it my time? Do I want to use a service that extremists weaponize for harm, misinformation, and injustice?
What principles do we practice when it comes to the products we consume and the people with engage with daily? As well, social media can be detrimental to one’s own holistic health. How do we balance it?
If people I respect, like Dr. Feichtinger, are continuing to use Twitter/X for good, then I’ll keep checking in on the platform. If I want to interact with the students I coach and community-at-large, shouldn’t I have a presence where they are online? If people are hearing me on Twitter and nowhere else, is it worthwhile for me to post my content there that is against what Elon is doing at the moment? Maybe so.
Your mileage may vary.
Yesterday, February 28, there are a lot of people advocating for an economic blackout. It’s supposed to target Amazon, Walmart, Target, and more. It’s a nice gesture, and again maybe it is a start for some people to be more engaged and thoughtful with how they use their money. Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture, though. In the end, if it’s just a symbolic gesture what change is happening? If we go back to Amazon, Walmart, and Target tomorrow with our purchasing dollars, what really occurred beyond social media likes and Internet clicks?
I think most of our purchases fail these “purity tests”, but we do our best within our contexts. We stay mindful about it and do the best we can within our financial situations. Last year, we switched from Spotify to Apple with our streaming music. Partly due to the monthly cost, but also partly due to Apple paying artists more. We have been shopping at Costco more. Partly due to savings, but also partly due to taking a stand for DEI practices when places like Target are changing their position depending on which way the wind is blowing.
The economic blackout may not have had the impact people hoped, but maybe it generates more effective ideas. We should keep trying different tacks. At the same time, the Montgomery bus boycott lasted over a year. If we want to bring about change with our economics we need to strap in, not lose sight of the big picture, be ready to feel the pinch with our finances, and keep moving forward.
Thanks
Thank you for reading. I know for many of you there is a lot going on in your lives. I appreciate you taking the time to read these posts.
This morning, I attended the RISE Appreciation Breakfast. RISE’s mission is to break the generational cycles of incarceration. It’s wonderful to hear from Jeremy Bouman and the team about the work and impact happening in and through RISE. It’s a great organization and I’d encourage you to check it out.