I went looking for ways to give my energy, attention, and money to real people instead of billionaires.

To keep that money, energy, and attention in my community, rather than letting it be exported.

And ...

Well, I found some ways to do that! But they were small. I was still mostly dependent on Google or Netflix or fucking Amazon for entertainment (and even when no one was getting paid, I was giving my time and energy and attention to things that were produced to reinforce ideologies that I find repugnant. Copaganda is a problem, and it's everywhere!) I was still mostly dependent on some big box retailer for books. I was still eating at corporate owned restaurants.

It was hard.

So, you know, be the change you want to see in the world.

Now I run a bookstore, and I stock a ton of self published books (hell, I even published a few myself!) I run a record label, and I help people release music. (People like @DoctorDeathray who's music you should listen to), I make food for our community, I run a television network, and I make toys. I run a pottery studio, I host a market for local artists. I buy my stuff used when I can.

I do these things because it means that other people can spend their time and attention and energy and money on the things I help to release instead of enriching a billionaire or spreading their ideology.

(It's not perfect! Some of the things I use still come from billionaires. No ethical consumption under capitalism, right? But I'm doing my best to provide more ethical alternatives.)