Small acts of resistance to a capitalist urgency economy
I’ve been experimenting with an autoresponder that people receive every time they email my personal Gmail. You may have seen it.
Here’s how it goes.
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Message received 💌
Thank you for your message! I check and tend to this inbox daily, but may take longer than is conventionally expected to reply (because, life).
If you sent something time-sensitive that you want to make sure I see asap, feel free to reply to this thread with your favorite emoji just so it floats the top of my email mountain.
In the meantime, I invite you to learn more about my forthcoming book here. I also invite you to take a nap, go for a nice walk, and/or eat your favorite food today (because, again, life).
Yours truly,
Jasmine
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The origin story here is that I try to be very intentional in my communications (shoutout to fellow writers + over-thinkers). That takes time and energy.
AND I know what it’s like to be saddled with shame for not being as responsive as I think I should be, especially as a financial activist striving to be accountable to social movements. I’m working with folks shifting money and power, to communities who have been pushed to the sidelines for way, way too long. Time is a form of capital.
So, can something as simple as a perpetual email autoresponder be an act of resistance to our capitalist urgency economy? I think so.
Here’s why I’m keeping it.
It’s automatic (obviously)
One and done. Every single person who emails me gets the same message. Every time. Because the message is true, every time — whether it’s for a high-influence CEO I’m doing business with or a local organizer I’m sharing resources with or a friend I’m swapping articles (and memes) with.
It’s my personal humble pie recipe for remembering I can’t realistically customize every communication, control how others perceive me, nor respond in 1-2 business days to every email that comes my way.
2. It’s authentic
Like many activists, I’ve had my fair share of near-burnout periods. As the Nap Bishop Trisha Hersey gifted us:
“You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect.
“[…] Our worth does not reside in how much we produce, especially not for a system that exploits and dehumanizes us. Rest, in its simplest form, becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it asserts our most basic humanity. We are enough. The systems cannot have us.”
A recovering perfectionist, I have to remind myself every day that rest is resistance. This autoresponder helps me live into that commitment a little deeper, and be authentic that I’m just a girl in my late twenties trying my best to navigate extractive capitalism (and help build something better).
3. It’s accessible
While it’s untraditional to use an autoresponder when you’re not “OOO” (for vacation, emergencies, giving birth to a literal baby, etc.), I wanted to model something anyone can adapt for their “personal” email, in every stage of life. Because the reality is so many of us have built lives that blend the professional and personal.
Also, it’s written in my voice. If you know me personally I hope you read it that way!
4. It’s affirming
I questioned whether people would find the autoresponder — i.e. me — annoying. And maybe some do.
But it makes my day and builds connection every time someone responds “YES naps” or “Whew, I needed this reminder.” I’ve found that simple acts of pausing to discern between what’s urgent and what has the illusion of urgency empower us to push back on a grind culture that doesn’t honor our humanity.
Plus, I love the emojis people choose when something is time-sensitive and needs to float to the top of my email mountain. It brightens and adds a sense of play to my inbox.
Similarly to this reflection that I posted on LinkedIn, there’s undoubtedly an irony to trying to embed “justice practices” into places that weren’t designed for social movements. But small acts add up. Culture change starts with narrative change, which starts at home. And in 2024, we get to build home wherever we find ourselves — including online.
Do you have an email autoresponder that you love? Are you thinking of one?
What other small acts of resistance to a capitalist urgency economy are you experimenting with?
Let me know at jasminerashid.personal@gmail.com (where yes, you’ll be greeted by my autoresponder before you hear from me directly). And if you want to make sure blog posts like this come directly to your inbox, you can add yourself to my mailing list community here.
