When I first came to this specific place almost 6 years ago, I too thought I could make a difference. I dug through a few dumpsters around and removed the most amazing things that had been lying there for years - I found a whole horse harness, with the wooden wagon bars, bathroom curtains, rugs, clothes, shoes, expired medicine, etc. I cleaned the street in front of the house every few days of cigarette butts, bottles and all kinds of household rubbish. However, one day I realized that there was no change. One particular spot at the end of the street always filled up with trash shortly after I cleaned it. It was like it was on purpose. It's as if these people here don't want to be clean, they can't stand cleanliness. Of course, that's not exactly the case, they're not doing it on purpose, or so I hope. They are simply used to throwing and dirtying, and cleanliness does not make an impression on them. I even called the garbage company that left bins for grass, leaves and branches, because those bins were always full of nylons and plastic. I thought we could do something. But it turned out we couldn't. (That was last year.)
Guess if I keep doing that this year too. It turns out that I did it for 5 years. It also turns out that I am a very stubborn and persistent person. But there comes a point where my batteries overheat or die. And I feel like a toy whose battery is damaged or dead but can no longer be replaced. And this toy is no longer able to make a single movement anymore.
This is just one small example. It's the same with job hunting. For a year and a half I've been getting last minute rejections or no response or offers for shit jobs. Not specifically here, but for the whole country, because I'm looking for a remote job. I think any reasonable person will understand that there is no point in this going on, all the efforts wasted are pointless. My battery is dead here too. Because it has reached the limit of reasonableness.
In short, I understand your strategy of small steps, but they don't work here. I have to take one big step, little ones don't help.😃