In the light of comicsgate, magic-gate, and other social justice attacks, as well as them going after developers and artists for not clapping loudly enough, it’s worth looking at what we can do above and beyond supporting alt-tech.

One place to look at is the recent Freestartr for Will Calligan – where we were able to help an artist unfairly persecuted by not simply giving charity, but giving him the means to help build something worthwhile for our culture and myths.

Don’t just tear down – yes, we need to attack and mock our enemies, but we are not just oppositionally defiant children. We have our own things to do and build, territory to stake. Build yourself. Exercise, learn, become more fit in mind and body.

Find out what works – As Jeffro recently noted, while he was spot on on some things, he was wayyy off on others. It turns out that the traditional advice on self-promotion may not help aspiring indie authors:

Don’t just build, build well – learn to cultivate beauty. Beauty inspires.

Poetry – Seriously, read some poetry, and not modern beatnik or other crap. Whitman, Frost, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Kipling. Most importantly, read it out loud, not just in your head. Words are power, and the power of good poetry is as much in the rhythm and flow as anything else.

Learn some philosophy – I’ve yet to dig into Aristotle, but have read other oft-referenced works like C.S. Lewis (Abolition of Man), and spent a lot of time digging into Jordan Peterson, Stefan Molyneux, and the sources they reference. It’s nice to have someone like Peterson (or Vox Day) provide actionable advice based on rooted philosophy, but going back to the sources always helps.

Every little bit helps.