7 ms·

A lot of people are very concerned about it. but what am I supposed to do about it? I voted, canvassed, and donated as hard as I could already. and I lost.

kjkjadksj 2y ago
We wait for the order for the general strike, and then we do our part.
- EForEndeavour 2y ago
  I'm not being facetious but genuinely curious: who would issue such an order with enough authority for you to follow it?
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    Not OP, but someone with a significant national platform and an explicit call (dates, details, support from other prominent folks), not a generic "we should do something!" hint. I'd find calls from, say, AOC or Taylor Swift more interesting than rando red rose LARPers.
    - rsanek 2y ago
      Swift? i don't think we should be looking to entertainers for political leadership, that's just following in the footsteps of how we got Trump.
      - ceejayoz 2y ago
        You're not gonna get a general strike without people with significant national influence pushing for it, and it's not gonna be Chuck Schumer.
        anigbrowl 2y ago
        They're not gonna push for it without grassroots organization, which means doing things at the local and online level to get the idea in wide circulation. It's not a startup. Absent this, people will get more and more frustrated which will eventually manifest as riots as it did in 2020. So if you prefer a more peaceable outcome, I think it's better to talk up the idea of a general strike rather than talk it down.
    - morkalork 2y ago
      It could get blown out like occupy wallstreet, or, if a natural leader arises to keep momentum focused, they could end up like MLK...
    - lm28469 2y ago
      If you wait for someone else to do the hard work nothing will happen, look at the French yellow vests, it started from nothing, and the causes were laughable compared to what the US is going through now https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests
- anigbrowl 2y ago
  You do not wait for an order, because there is no central authority for a general strike. That's what gives it legitimacy.. You canvass, wheatpaste, recruit or whatever sort of political organizing/agitating you find appropriate. You have to meme it into existence.
neutrinobro 2y ago
[flagged]
mostlysimilar 2y ago
Call your senator. Republican or Democrat or Independent or whatever. Call them, tell them you expect them to cease all routine business in the senate until accountability is restored. They do listen, it does matter.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- residentraspber 2y ago
  As somebody who has never done this before, how do I go about this (past Googling their phone number)? I remember a while back with SOAP and PIPA there were templates you could read, do those exist for this case?
  - mostlysimilar 2y ago
    https://5calls.org https://5calls.org I know using the phone can be uncomfortable if you don't do it often and that's okay. It gets easier the more you do it, and you don't need to word everything perfectly. The important thing is that you get your point across. "My name is x, I live in county y, and I'm calling to say I expect a yes/no vote on issue z."
  - bens74 2y ago
    I just did this for the first time, I found all three of mine had websites with a form to fill in which I used to leave my message. I hope filling in the form counts as much as a phone call? I left one a phone message too, but do kind of hate calling people...
    - mostlysimilar 2y ago
      Email is NOT as good! Phone calls are the most effective means by far. I know it's uncomfortable, it is for me too, but you need to power through that feeling. It gets easier the more you do it. I called and kept calling until I got through. There were busy signals for 30 minutes before I got in. Be persistent. Keep trying!
atoav 2y ago
Protest. Or how do you think your ancestors got democracy and kept it in the first place?
eCa 2y ago
> what am I supposed to do about it? Watching from Europe, I think you are getting close to the point where 75 million people need to hit the streets (preferably in DC). It appears they are trying to beat the 53 days record.
- pastureofplenty 2y ago
  If those people hit the streets they'll be hit by chemical weapons (i.e. tear gas) that are illegal for our government to use in war but perfectly legal to use on peaceful protesters. Just something to keep in mind in case anyone is wondering why Americans don't really protest.
  - torben-friis 2y ago
    I keep reading this as if it was not the case for most major protests and riots around the world.
  - BryantD 2y ago
    French police use tear gas on protestors, and in 1980, the South Korean government fired on and killed protestors. I don't think it's just the tear gas; I think it has more to do with the fact that we're way more distributed (it's very practical for most French people to descend on Paris than it is for US residents to descend on DC) and culturally not in the habit.
  - barnas2 2y ago
    Tear gas is illegal to use in war because of a fear of escalation/retaliatory strikes due to an enemy thinking you're using other more dangerous chemical/biological weapons (chlorine, sarin, mustard, phosgene, etc). It's not banned in war because it's as dangerous as chemical weapons, it's banned in war so people don't think you're using chemical weapons.
    - tekknik 2y ago
      I’d also add that in basic training you’re hit with tear gas so you know what it’s like and learn to trust your equipment. They don’t do that unless there’s a chance you may encounter it.
lm28469 2y ago
Wherever you are, find friends, bring family, go to the closest government building, camp in front of it. Block the main street of your city, block highways, block ports, &c. It really isn't rocket science, German hardcore ecologists put more efforts on a random Tuesday morning than Americans during a coup, it's mind boggling. They gave you an online "public square" so that you can all scream in its void, get the fuck out and protect what's yours
- foxyv 2y ago
  Sounds like a great way to volunteer yourself and your family to assemble Herman Miller furniture for $1/hour.
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    What's the alternative at this rate? If you want to flee the country then you better get started now. It'll only get worse from here. I'd rather stay and fight.
    - tekknik 2y ago
      This sounds oddly familiar to the last time Trump was president, with people claiming the world is over and so on. Huge hint, the other party always thinks the world is over if they lose. This is more of that overreaction that got him elected again.
      - foxyv 2y ago
        I would say that there are concerning new developments to the Republican strategy that were not present in his original term.
        tekknik 2y ago
        Such as? He seems to have been very clear about his agenda during the run up.
anigbrowl 2y ago
A general strike is a worthwhile outlet. Electoralism is notthe only form of political activity.
tayo42 2y ago
And lost with a popular vote. We can't convince the other half that wants this...
- rcpt 2y ago
  Not sure everyone is still happy about their vote. Also DT had a minority of the popular vote after you account for 3rd party.
- kccoder 2y ago
  I'd wager a solid 20%-30% of the people who voted for Trump were poorly informed, or deliberately misinformed, and simply wanted "change" because they weren't pleased with the current state of their life / country. Unfortunately they didn't take the time to appropriately attribute the cause of their ills and made the grave mistake of thinking Trump and his administration would do anything at all to help them and their kind, not recognizing the narcissistic sociopath in front of them, and realizing that such people are wholly incapable of caring about any other person, under any circumstance. They were conned by a lifetime expert conman. Sad!
  - CrimsonRain 2y ago
    What is the percentage of poorly informed people who voted non-trump in your opinion?
  - tekknik 2y ago
    Or maybe you’re just upset because your candidate lost and now you’re looking for a narcissistic way to justify your own beliefs to avoid your world view from crashing?
latentcall 2y ago
Probably this at this point: https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/ https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/ Organize into a political party. Spread pro worker information and convince the working class to join. Democratic Party is not it, in my opinion.
spacemanspiff01 2y ago
I am moving my money out of the US stock market. Maybe most people don't care, but I want to live and invest in a functional democracy. If enough people do it, maybe MAGA 401ks going down will make people care.
- tekknik 2y ago
  If a majority of people voted for this, and you are attempting to override their will, what does that make you?

kjkjadksj 2y ago

We wait for the order for the general strike, and then we do our part.

EForEndeavour 2y ago
I'm not being facetious but genuinely curious: who would issue such an order with enough authority for you to follow it?
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  Not OP, but someone with a significant national platform and an explicit call (dates, details, support from other prominent folks), not a generic "we should do something!" hint. I'd find calls from, say, AOC or Taylor Swift more interesting than rando red rose LARPers.
  - rsanek 2y ago
    Swift? i don't think we should be looking to entertainers for political leadership, that's just following in the footsteps of how we got Trump.
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      You're not gonna get a general strike without people with significant national influence pushing for it, and it's not gonna be Chuck Schumer.
      - anigbrowl 2y ago
        They're not gonna push for it without grassroots organization, which means doing things at the local and online level to get the idea in wide circulation. It's not a startup. Absent this, people will get more and more frustrated which will eventually manifest as riots as it did in 2020. So if you prefer a more peaceable outcome, I think it's better to talk up the idea of a general strike rather than talk it down.
  - morkalork 2y ago
    It could get blown out like occupy wallstreet, or, if a natural leader arises to keep momentum focused, they could end up like MLK...
  - lm28469 2y ago
    If you wait for someone else to do the hard work nothing will happen, look at the French yellow vests, it started from nothing, and the causes were laughable compared to what the US is going through now https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests
anigbrowl 2y ago
You do not wait for an order, because there is no central authority for a general strike. That's what gives it legitimacy.. You canvass, wheatpaste, recruit or whatever sort of political organizing/agitating you find appropriate. You have to meme it into existence.

neutrinobro 2y ago

[flagged]

mostlysimilar 2y ago

Call your senator. Republican or Democrat or Independent or whatever. Call them, tell them you expect them to cease all routine business in the senate until accountability is restored. They do listen, it does matter.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
residentraspber 2y ago
As somebody who has never done this before, how do I go about this (past Googling their phone number)? I remember a while back with SOAP and PIPA there were templates you could read, do those exist for this case?
- mostlysimilar 2y ago
  https://5calls.org https://5calls.org I know using the phone can be uncomfortable if you don't do it often and that's okay. It gets easier the more you do it, and you don't need to word everything perfectly. The important thing is that you get your point across. "My name is x, I live in county y, and I'm calling to say I expect a yes/no vote on issue z."
- bens74 2y ago
  I just did this for the first time, I found all three of mine had websites with a form to fill in which I used to leave my message. I hope filling in the form counts as much as a phone call? I left one a phone message too, but do kind of hate calling people...
  - mostlysimilar 2y ago
    Email is NOT as good! Phone calls are the most effective means by far. I know it's uncomfortable, it is for me too, but you need to power through that feeling. It gets easier the more you do it. I called and kept calling until I got through. There were busy signals for 30 minutes before I got in. Be persistent. Keep trying!

atoav 2y ago

Protest. Or how do you think your ancestors got democracy and kept it in the first place?

eCa 2y ago

> what am I supposed to do about it? Watching from Europe, I think you are getting close to the point where 75 million people need to hit the streets (preferably in DC). It appears they are trying to beat the 53 days record.

pastureofplenty 2y ago
If those people hit the streets they'll be hit by chemical weapons (i.e. tear gas) that are illegal for our government to use in war but perfectly legal to use on peaceful protesters. Just something to keep in mind in case anyone is wondering why Americans don't really protest.
- torben-friis 2y ago
  I keep reading this as if it was not the case for most major protests and riots around the world.
- BryantD 2y ago
  French police use tear gas on protestors, and in 1980, the South Korean government fired on and killed protestors. I don't think it's just the tear gas; I think it has more to do with the fact that we're way more distributed (it's very practical for most French people to descend on Paris than it is for US residents to descend on DC) and culturally not in the habit.
- barnas2 2y ago
  Tear gas is illegal to use in war because of a fear of escalation/retaliatory strikes due to an enemy thinking you're using other more dangerous chemical/biological weapons (chlorine, sarin, mustard, phosgene, etc). It's not banned in war because it's as dangerous as chemical weapons, it's banned in war so people don't think you're using chemical weapons.
  - tekknik 2y ago
    I’d also add that in basic training you’re hit with tear gas so you know what it’s like and learn to trust your equipment. They don’t do that unless there’s a chance you may encounter it.

lm28469 2y ago

Wherever you are, find friends, bring family, go to the closest government building, camp in front of it. Block the main street of your city, block highways, block ports, &c. It really isn't rocket science, German hardcore ecologists put more efforts on a random Tuesday morning than Americans during a coup, it's mind boggling. They gave you an online "public square" so that you can all scream in its void, get the fuck out and protect what's yours

foxyv 2y ago
Sounds like a great way to volunteer yourself and your family to assemble Herman Miller furniture for $1/hour.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  What's the alternative at this rate? If you want to flee the country then you better get started now. It'll only get worse from here. I'd rather stay and fight.
  - tekknik 2y ago
    This sounds oddly familiar to the last time Trump was president, with people claiming the world is over and so on. Huge hint, the other party always thinks the world is over if they lose. This is more of that overreaction that got him elected again.
    - foxyv 2y ago
      I would say that there are concerning new developments to the Republican strategy that were not present in his original term.
      - tekknik 2y ago
        Such as? He seems to have been very clear about his agenda during the run up.

anigbrowl 2y ago

A general strike is a worthwhile outlet. Electoralism is notthe only form of political activity.

tayo42 2y ago

And lost with a popular vote. We can't convince the other half that wants this...

rcpt 2y ago
Not sure everyone is still happy about their vote. Also DT had a minority of the popular vote after you account for 3rd party.
kccoder 2y ago
I'd wager a solid 20%-30% of the people who voted for Trump were poorly informed, or deliberately misinformed, and simply wanted "change" because they weren't pleased with the current state of their life / country. Unfortunately they didn't take the time to appropriately attribute the cause of their ills and made the grave mistake of thinking Trump and his administration would do anything at all to help them and their kind, not recognizing the narcissistic sociopath in front of them, and realizing that such people are wholly incapable of caring about any other person, under any circumstance. They were conned by a lifetime expert conman. Sad!
- CrimsonRain 2y ago
  What is the percentage of poorly informed people who voted non-trump in your opinion?
- tekknik 2y ago
  Or maybe you’re just upset because your candidate lost and now you’re looking for a narcissistic way to justify your own beliefs to avoid your world view from crashing?

latentcall 2y ago

Probably this at this point: https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/ https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/ Organize into a political party. Spread pro worker information and convince the working class to join. Democratic Party is not it, in my opinion.

spacemanspiff01 2y ago

I am moving my money out of the US stock market. Maybe most people don't care, but I want to live and invest in a functional democracy. If enough people do it, maybe MAGA 401ks going down will make people care.

tekknik 2y ago
If a majority of people voted for this, and you are attempting to override their will, what does that make you?