How do survive as a political dissident and still be able to speak your mind. In other words, how to live very cheaply. This is a good essay for no further reason than for being a good object lesson in living cheaply for whatever reason you wish or need. I’ve had to learn how to do this. It’s not a lot of fun, but it’s better than being homeless.
Adopting a Minimalist Lifestyle For Maximum Political Autonomy
Ellsworth Kelly – Blue and Orange, 1965
In many parts of Europe you can be jailed for speaking out on certain topics. In the US however, the government pretty much lets people say whatever they want with the exception of promoting violence and a few other caveats which are deemed off limits. The primary avenues of suppression of speech here are through corporations, academic institutions and social ostracization. The threat of being fired and thus unable to support yourself or family financially, potentially being thrown out of school and diminishing prospects for the future (or having your fraternity group or school club banned), and just general exclusion from various social circles.
There are many strategies to overcoming these obstacles. One of them is of course to play along and keep your mouth shut, climb the corporate ladder as a secret agent and leverage your influence later on when you’re too powerful to bring down easily. This was basically what many of the neoreactionaries advocated. Not everyone is suited for this role though.
Some people have no interest in infiltrating the rat race or spending their lives with their lips zipped. They want to get up in the mix or just be free to say what they want and are not content to just grin in bear it through every employee “diversity training” seminar. So if you’re not rich or planning to be for the forseeable future and don’t have any people depending on you, (wife, kids etc) then adopting a minimalist lifestyle can give you the personal autonomy to engage in activism and withstand the negative consequences for perpetuating thought crime.
Here are some steps to consider and potential lifestyle changes you can implement:
1. First, save up some money. This may mean working a shitty wagecuck job for a few months to a year and keeping your mouth shut. Save as much money as possible during this time, plan for a day when you are going to quit, and most importantly stick to it. That few months can turn into many years of wagecuckery if you can’t work up the nerve to leave (especially if you start to get too cozy and comfortable, which is what they want.)
2. Keep your mandatory living expenses as minimal as possible. I can’t stress this enough. A huge mortgage, rent payment or car payment can make it impossible to speak your mind because you’re too dependent on the system and its institutions for the revenue to sustain yourself in the financial hole you’ve dug, let alone climb out of it. They know this and will relish the chance to bury you as an example if you say something that threatens the PC narrative.
There are many ways to reduce your rent. Get a cheap studio apartment. Move in with a relative that has an extra room. People can make fun of you for living in your aunt’s basement all they want, and their insults may sting, but you won’t get kicked out for offending anyone except her. Find a girlfriend and get her to move into your cheap tiny apartment with you as opposed to getting a giant apartment together (this is what I did.) I had a friend who lived rent free for many years just squatting abandoned houses and traveling. It’s a tough way to live, but if you prioritize your ability to speak freely, then it’s a paradise in its own way. The bottom line is that you want to keep your rent as low as possible, like really low…a few hundred bucks a month or less, zero dollars even.
3. Cut out most unnecessary forms of entertainment, especially ones that directly propagandize against you like sportsball and (((mainstream movies.))) In many cases you are actually paying for a form of entertainment which antagonizes and taunts you while you watch it and uses the money it generates from you to support causes hostile to your interests.
“Insert a dollar into this vending machine to watch an entertaining commercial tell you why you shouldn’t advocate for your own interests”
Don’t pay for (((cable.))) Turn off your TV if you can. To the extent you interact with normie or corporate entertainment, it should be a clinical interaction, where you’re analyzing and dissecting it as a means of the opposition disseminating enemy propaganda and developing effective strategies for countering it. You don’t have to forsake all movies or TV shows. I’d recommend watching older movies and TV shows from an era where media entertainment was less politicized and PC. If you can’t live without sports, you’re better off buying some DVD’s of old football games from the 70’s and 80’s. There are thousands and thousands of enjoyable old games you’ve never seen, and you won’t feel like you’re watching a bunch of subhumans chimping out or being subjected to Black Panther performance art
If possible, focus on entertaining/amusing yourself in ways that improve you in some way. Self teach yourself a new language. Read books that instruct you about how basic electronics work. Play chess and other games that deal with strategy.
4. Learn to eat cheaply. Instead of going out for expensive meals every meal of the day, start buying groceries and eating like you’re living in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 3. Buy things like rice, ramen, and soup. Make peanut butter sandwiches. I won’t dwell much on this because there are whole books written about this kind of thing. I’m also not very good at this one. I eat out a lot of the time due to some digestion and health issues, and I have higher calorie requirements than most people due to my metabolism. However, low calorie diets have show to increase lifespans and have other health benefits. Learn to eat cheaply, and learn to eat less.You want to live like a lean and mean disciplined operative, not a fatass neckbeard.
5. Find alternative sources of revenue. Work odd temporary jobs at festivals to sustain yourself. Do freelance social media work. Sell stuff from thrift stores on ebay or etsy. Offer gigs for money on Fiverr based on whatever skills you have. Beg for donations on your blog. Sell plasma, sell sperm. Learn a trade where you’re able to be self-employed, like handyman or electrician. Become a daytrader. Entire books are available on creating revenue streams. Many of them are written by hucksters and contain useless information, but you can find plenty of free ideas just poking around online. When all else fails, use your imagination.
6. Don’t be a hoarder. Material possessions will only weigh you down. Other than a few mementos, sentimental attachment to personal objects should be discouraged. As a political dissident it’s essential to be as portable as possible. When you’ve got nothing, they’ve got nothing they can take away from you. Keep it simple. All you really need is a laptop, a phone, and a couple of stylish outfits to give your views a worthy aesthetic.
7. Even if you’re anonymous, always live according to the realization that you could be doxed at anytime. You’ve heard the phrase “Live like you’re going to die tomorrow?” Well in this case it’s “Live like you’ve been doxed yesterday and thousands of busybodies are out to ruin your livelihood.” Brace for impact.
8. Have no shame. However “horrible” a person someone tries to tell you that you are because of your “xenophobic” opinions, it shouldn’t affect you as long as you believe your perspective is valid and correct. Sometimes it’s necessary to get nasty and insult your enemies, so don’t feel bad about it. Your enemies don’t care about you and don’t play fair. Remember, their social shaming tactics only work on people that have shame. Have no shame.
9. Most importantly, learn to live with being on your own. Public expression of political opinions that fall outside the Overton window will inevitably lead to losing friends. People you’ve known for many years and even family members may decide never to speak to you ever again. Friends and acquaintances will banish you from their social circles and delete and block you on social media. Assume that you’re on your own and learn to deal with it.
It sounds bleak, but the good news is that being able to stand alone for your beliefs is a quality that people will admire in you. You may find friends in places you didn’t know you had them. The friends and family that accept you are the only ones that matter. Incorporating a minimalist lifestyle isn’t simply a matter of throwing excess jetsam overboard that’s weighing down the ship, it’s also about freeing yourself from the people in your life trying to make your tugboat sink.
Conclusion: That’s it so far. I might write more on this topic later (I haven’t even covered the sexual considerations in this article) or expand it into a shill-able ebook. For now though, go ahead and get on your way. Adopt a minimalist lifestyle today, and you can tell your enemies to fuck off, with impunity…tomorrow.
