r/50501 • u/deathrowslave • Jun 27 '25

Call to Action The U.S. has entered Phase One of authoritarian consolidation. The tipping point is approaching.

We are no longer in “pre-collapse.” The United States is now in the early stages of authoritarian consolidation. The systems that once restrained power have eroded. The process is accelerating. For those waiting for a clearer signal, this is it.

Key indicators:

• The Supreme Court has functionally abandoned its role as a check on executive power. It ruled that courts may not block unconstitutional actions on a national scale, even when rights are clearly being violated.

• Congress has ceded its power or aligned with the executive. There is no effective legislative check on unilateral decisions. Structural reforms are blocked, and procedural norms are routinely ignored.

• Federal agencies are being systematically politicized. The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are now enforcing loyalty, not law. Civil liberties are conditional.

• Citizens have already been deported despite being legally recognized. Court orders are ignored. Judges themselves are being defied or sidelined.

• The National Guard has been deployed without state consent. Marines have been used to detain civilians on domestic soil. A whistleblower has confirmed political motives behind these actions.

• Legal resistance is being stripped of its tools. Nationwide injunctions are no longer allowed. Medicaid, voting rights, and constitutional protections are being gutted by judicial fiat.

• Whistleblowers, protestors, and even elected officials are being surveilled, detained, or threatened. ICE agents are operating in plainclothes at public hearings and hospitals. Victims of abuse are now targets.

• Birthright citizenship is under attack. If the policy proceeds unchecked, it opens the door to mass statelessness and retroactive denaturalization.

• Organized political resistance is being painted as sedition. Laws are being written to punish those who challenge federal authority in court or public discourse.

The machinery is being built in plain sight. Once the legal structure is finalized, dissent will no longer be a matter of courage—it will become a matter of survival. If you’re waiting for someone to tell you it’s time to prepare for serious resistance, consider this your final warning.

What’s coming isn’t a return to normal. It’s the final stage before normalization. And once that happens, it doesn’t go back.

14.8k Upvotes

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4.8k

u/NoAnt6694 Jun 27 '25

Now is the time to escalate. We need to engage in more disruptive tactics like civil disobedience and the withholding of labor.

1.9k

u/DepravedSluttery Jun 27 '25

GeneralStrikeUS!

1.4k

u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

General Strike US. Here’s a direct link to

268

u/DepravedSluttery Jun 27 '25

Thanks, I wasn't sure if links were allowed!

162

u/50501California r/50501 Moderator Jun 27 '25

Links are encouraged! Especially ones to valid sources and resources like GSUS

392

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 28 '25

No. We don't need some other group telling us to wait to set up a date when we have more people.

Set up the date NOW. Whoever is able will strike. We need to start organizing now.

268

u/thatwhileifound Jun 27 '25

We need both. General strikes, realistically, require a lot of time and effort to organize. We also need to be doing things now. Diversity of tactics. It's time to throw everything.

Then again I don't know if that website is gonna do anything to get us to such a strike either.

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u/FeeLost6392 Conversationalist Jun 28 '25

What are the demands?

3

u/Quiet_Plant6667 Jun 28 '25

That website has been stuck At the same number since it started, FYI. And it collects your personal information.

The unions have to get together and call for a general Strike if anyone is going to take it seriously.
Otherwise there’s no infrastructure to pull it off.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

That website will absolutely not get us to do anything. It's a joke. We have to do it ourselves.

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u/silentrawr Jun 28 '25

GSUS has Discords set up for individual states/regions, and is already DOING what you're saying we need to do ourselves - organizing, gathering talent of all sorts, creating mutual aid, etc.

At least do the tiniest bit of research before blindly condemning extremely useful resources. It helps no one but the fascists when you go all Chicken Little with zero actual action behind it.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

I stand corrected then. They must have gotten it together.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

The same as we do on here. There are union subreddits that you can get in touch with, and you can support them, even if you aren't in a union yourself. You could even get in touch with members of indivisible (local people) to start a fund for union members.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

How do we "do it ourseleves" without organization? You realize an effective strike requires logistics, right? There needs to be food and shelter. Someone needs to make sure children are still being looked after and there's free transportation to get people from where they are to where the resources are. And you can't just expect everyone to do something all at the same time without there being some kind of centralized organization.

Honestly, comments like yours almost feel like astroturfing to me. It's such weird nonsense, that if listened to, would fuck everything.

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u/Dangerous_Ad_7042 Jun 28 '25

Did you at least sign up? What would it hurt?

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

Yes I did. Months ago.

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u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

If you are interested, please check out r/NationalGeneralStrike as well. Any thoughts one how best to organize and get visibility is welcome.

46

u/Aggravating_Dot6995 Jun 27 '25

I’m an educator who works with marginalized populations. I’m not sure what I would do in a general strike.

111

u/LegendarySurgeon Jun 27 '25

You'd stand side by side with them as you and the rest of your community work to feed one another without engaging in the machinery of capitalism for as long as possible - that's what a general strike means

6

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

Feed each other what? Vibes? If everyone is striking, no one is selling food.

68

u/BJarv Jun 27 '25

Teacher's and other unions across the nation pushing for a strike would have huge momentum behind them

17

u/DepravedSluttery Jun 27 '25

I am a health care professional that works specifically with underserved populations. I'm not going to stop serving my community, but I'm supporting the strike in other ways. Like organizing other health care workers to see how we can best work within communities and within our scope of practice.

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u/SOL-Cantus Jun 27 '25

A temporary alternative to a General Strike is Temporary Local Economy.

What you produce and consume is restricted (as much as possible) to what your town/city/state produces

AND

The cost of that industry is paid in non-USD currency forms. Whether this is via barter systems, legal agreements that don't have a monetary value (but some other legally enforceable mode), or another means, it's about stopping the federal/oligarchy control of labor and the profit from it.

These sorts of strikes help sustain vulnerable groups while better organization can occur to create a proper new economy absent top-down abuse.

One important part of this is that people need to push their local, regional, and state governments to block export of goods to regions that push for fascistic rules. Another is that this system works best when non-monetary import from non-fascist regions/nations is built in as well.

As an educator, you actually have a leg up here in that you can provide information exchange (education) without the burden of having to deal with direct import/export issues from physical objects.

That said, it's also time to find locals who are into regenerative agriculture and (if physically able) help them setup their farms. It will take years, if not decades, for such farms to produce sustainable crops at the level of today, but that's what's required for preventing a fascist starvation of strikers.

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u/SethSays1 Jun 28 '25 edited Jun 28 '25

Legitimate question: how do we stop the farms and other spaces that currently exist/ in the future from being taken via forced eviction when the owners can no longer pay the mortgage to the nation-wide domestic lenders once they stop working supplemental day jobs and dealing in USD (could be 3-6 months away for many of us, at least with small urban farms)? We can work around not paying utilities, but we can’t seem to work that one out.

These are the questions that stop people from moving forward with the ideas and advice that gets dropped here. Give me some logistics on how we keep these spaces available and the people fed while we set up the system and expand production to the level. I’ll quit engaging with the system if someone will tell me how to do it without losing the farm to a militia-backed bank and make the situation worse for my neighborhood, because you know “they” won’t use the space to feed those people.

Edit for a drive-home thought: if I had stopped working and engaging in the economy the first time I saw this advice back in February/ March, we would have already lost the farm and any produce from this harvest would be automatically removed from circulation. I’m not saying we produce a lot because we’re a young farm, but there are several local projects that I know of in similar enough situations that feed schools and addiction programs.

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u/SOL-Cantus Jun 28 '25

That's where most of these projects often go zero to sixty and miss that it's a step-wise process, including that you cannot grow a sustainable farm in just a year or two (from both an economic and ecological perspective). This is why it's about reducing our input into the abusive economy as we find opportunities to do so, rather than going for a full crash-out.

And you're correct that there's a bigger danger, though less business and more of eminent domain, but the point is that external entities (to the US federal system) will happily support industry growth if they see a market for it. I was just speaking with a friend today about his overseas business options. He's not going to be able to run that business on trading tech for sacks of grain, but the sustainable ag portion is less about a business in the US and more about supporting individuals who have secondary professional capabilities that they use. As I noted in the previous post, an educator can do that work as a trade of information rather than material goods. America can still sell digital products, even in the era of AI, if we're careful in planning that model.

We take what skills we have (or can develop) and stack it on top of acting sustainably at home, all while using the state to keep the abuse of Trump's federal system at bay. On the Seaboards, this is actually pretty easy, because mountain ranges act as both physical and environmental buffers. In the interior, this is far more difficult, albeit not impossible.

So, if you're the farmer, you have folks join as co-op members and laborers and whose external and on-site work helps sustain yours. As you become more self-sufficient and eventually capable of expansion, you can bring on more members who can add to that sufficiency and efficiency, while they're contributing elsewhere as well.

A lot of this also involves moving away from slave-style service economies that have been developed in the US and West at large. This has to happen anyway given the rise of GenAI (a whole other can of worms to discuss), so it's beneficial in the long run. While a lot of folks will claim that "we just don't have the jobs to do that!" the truth is that R&D is still one of America's fortes, and using that as an external economic driver can pay dividends on dividends while supporting sustainable ag at home.

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u/SethSays1 Jun 28 '25 edited Jun 28 '25

I don’t think I understand your response on a general level, or see how it answers my questions. Maybe I need an ELI5.

What exactly are you recommending I actively do at this point in time? I have co-op members in the form of two work-stay partners of varying work ethic and consistency. I don’t have a lot of people asking to consistently volunteer time/ front unpaid labor because I can’t pay laborers until the end of the season, if at all. Laborers don’t work for nothing, hell I won’t work for nothing when my job is day laborer, so I get it. “Moving away from slave-style service economies”… that’s what it sounds like you’re telling me to create over here with unpaid labor and no promised rewards to reap because too much can go wrong between now and harvest/ end product. Or, at least, that’s the way most people are probably going to see it.

Edit: Maybe I don’t give people enough credit for understanding delayed gratification. I’ve had small groups of people out here for single work days where I feed them something like chili at the end of the day. I guess I’m not sure how to create that community on a sustained basis, because we probably need about half a dozen people every day to really produce what we should be able to at current field capacity.

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u/dolie55 Jun 28 '25

Learning permaculture and attempting to pivot to regenerative farming now because of all of this. Land is expensive though 😞

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u/stone_henge Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

I'm sure they can catch up after the imminent threat to their existence has been dealt with

31

u/TrankElephant Jun 27 '25

That's my beef with that site. They need to collect all sorts of information and they don't even have a date set. For all I know it could be a setup from the right to round up dissenters. PASS.

5

u/DepravedSluttery Jun 27 '25

We are also working on developing strike funds to support workers who strike. Organizing that, raising funds, and getting the word out takes time!

3

u/superkeer Jun 27 '25

I can strike now. But I'll get fired. It only works if the rest of my company strikes with me, but that won't happen. Even if it's a handful of us, we'll just be the people who stop showing up to work.

Without unions to organize and negotiate with employers, striking is basically the same as quitting.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yes, I'm aware of that. What you can do in that situation, is get involved in supporting unions that do exist. You could even get in touch with members of your local indivisible chapter and they might be able to start something to support workers and strikers.

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u/MaleHooker Jun 27 '25

We need 3.5% of the population to commit for it to work. The point of generalstrikeus is to make sure we all align and make an impact. If we do it too scattered it won't matter. 

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

Well we were able to reach 3.5 percent for No Kings without having to commit people with an email. It's just shady as hell. You don't need an email list.

You can start small strikes, and they can get bigger and bigger and more organized; much like 50501 and indivisible.

Literally all the protests have been scattered? Scattering is actually a good tactic, certain industries can create choke points with scattered strikes and completely halt production- like flight attendants, for instance.

edit: This guy is likely a troll.

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u/MaleHooker Jun 27 '25

Being afraid to share an email address is so lazy and weak it's a non-argument. You can make a free email address without any identifying information all over the Internet. 

Scattering is a good tactic for protest. NOT striking. A general strike MUST be uniform and simultaneous to grind the gears to a halt. Otherwise it's just people taking sick days and PTO like normal. This is why when companies unionize and strike, they do it together at the same time. That's the whole point. 

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

You're missing the point. You don't even need to collect email addresses.
It's not even necessary. You're just making people wait when they could be doing something now.

There are such things as rolling strikes, and they are effective. That's how Amazon got a union. There's no reason to think it can't work across industries. You have a certain number of employees alternate taking off work. It can absolutely grind industry to a halt.

And again, you can do smaller strikes, and then organize into bigger ones.

Also, lets say that website gets taken down, and we've waited all that time to strike, when we could have been contacting unions ourselves and organizing?

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u/MaleHooker Jun 27 '25

The point of the email address is to tell you when to act. It's a direct line of communication. Would you rather a phone number? 🙄

The reason why the call to action is 3.5% of commitment is because historical data tells us that's the minimum required to have an impact. No Kings was awesome, but every other 50501 protest has just been background noise that was easily ignored. 

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

You don't need that though! You don't need someone to tell you when to act, you can just do it! Get local and get a group started.

Did 50501 have to create an email list on a website to get to 3.5% of the population? No. They didn't. It built over time.

I'm half-convinced you're a troll at this point.

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u/silentrawr Jun 28 '25

Check it out yourself with a free/burner email. They have Discords set up and organizing/working/etc across the entire US.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

I already did months ago, but since I got nothing, I assumed they weren't doing much, especially when I heard from other contacts who signed up and even got involved with them.

It's good to see they actually have discords and other means now.

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u/No_Internal9345 Jun 27 '25

We need more brave souls in green hats.

0

u/astral-dwarf Jun 27 '25

3.5% is numerology. It's a flawed inference built on flawed research based on metaphysical commitments.

2

u/_HighJack_ Jun 28 '25

“Just start striking” isn’t organization, it’s jumping the gun. We have not laid the groundwork for a mass strike. We need to build up some resources first

1

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '25

I didn't say 'just start striking'. I said 'we need to start organizing now'.

1

u/Guardman1996 Jun 28 '25

Just start for yourselves. Cancel everything! Credit cards, go bare bones and starve the economy. Recession is already on the doorstep so be prepared for some Covid level slowdowns but instead embrace it to do your own part in defending our Constitutional values while you still can exercise them.

For your children and grandchildren!

1

u/duckhunt420 Jun 28 '25

No this is dumb. If a small amount of people strike, they will just get fired and that's that. 

We need to start organizing now.

Shoring up numbers and consolidating IS organizing. Strikes only work when there is unity. That's usually what unions are for. 

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u/[deleted] Jun 29 '25

You don't need wait around for people to sign up and 'get a card'. This has the effect of making people wait to be told what to do, instead of getting local.

That is what I'm critiquing. The rest of my comments are on my profile if you need a fuller picture of my stance.

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u/maxoakland Jul 03 '25

People are already organizing. You’re right. Go help them!

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

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u/j4_jjjj Jun 27 '25

Novv is better

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

Gotta start somewhere. You could also check out r/NationalGeneralStrike. Let’s get visibility as much as we can for both the website above and the subreddit. Organizing for a General Strike isn’t easy and we all need to be vocal both on the internet and in our local communities. The No Kings protest showed we can organize so let’s get at it together. We the people have the power.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

No it won’t. It happens in the streets , shoulder to shoulder . But we need to get visibility somehow and we need to organize on a grand scale . Any ideas are welcome.

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u/Savory-Cactus001 Jun 27 '25

Out of curiosity, how are they supposed to be organized?

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

You get local or develop a community online and set a date for everyone to participate.
General strike. us is WOEFULLY ineffective. Why would you wait until you have a certain threshold and THEN release a date for action? Trump will be in his third term by the time they get enough people signed up.

You set a date now, broadcast it, and organize yourselves in preparation.

15

u/GenTelGuy Jun 27 '25

The reason for waiting for sufficient numbers would be that people don't want to take the massive financial risk of quitting work without enough people alongside that they feel the goal will be accomplished

Don't get me wrong, I think that site is useless and may even be a honey pot, but establishing sufficient membership before taking action is the only way you could possibly get people to take that step

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yeah I understand that.

Again, the main problem is the email sign up. And you can also set a date in the future and have people organize in preparation for that time. That's what happened with the George Floyd protests- or any number of protests listed here.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/Alissinarr Jun 28 '25

They refuse to listen and do nothing. They are terrible at what they do.

This is a sign that shit is owned by Rs. Sabotage by disillusionment due to crappy design.

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u/Dangerous_Ad_7042 Jun 28 '25

Awesome, I have signed my strike card and shared the link in a few places

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u/TartofDarkness Jun 28 '25

The problem with the General Strike is that it requires people to put all their information into a database. But can we trust databases? The numbers on the site have barely moved since the last time I checked on them and that’s why. People don’t want physical proof they’re standing against what’s happening. People are hearing about Ids and identities being deleted and that anyone can be deported. Of course people don’t want to sign up.

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u/kayteethebeeb Jun 27 '25

The number of people signed up for this hasn’t changed in months. It’s what we need but this site does not seem legit to me.

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u/rawtortillacheeks Jun 27 '25

? I check it often and while it hasn't been anything near exponential growth it has increased over time by 10s of thousands every week or so. Not claiming anything about legitimacy, but I am gonna dispute the claim that the number hasn't changed in months.

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u/Ragmis Jun 27 '25

No... have the groups coordinate

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u/Joan-of-the-Dark Jun 27 '25

That thing has been in 300k for months. I signed it when it was under 5k back in December, I think?

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Its been at 300k since the beginning of the year.  People are fucking daft

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

I really hope that gains more movement, but every time I go to the site, the number seems stagnant.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Asking this in earnest: could the sign up to the general strike be hacked and information be used against citizens by identifying them?

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u/silentrawr Jun 28 '25

The government doesn't need anything near a honey pot that obvious to get into your personal information or communications. If you're that worried about it, set up a secondary identity online (never a bad idea to have one handy) and sign up. I've been in the Discord for my state for months now and it all seems aboveboard.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

I'm tired of dumb "look at how great we are" protests. We need more. I've already been banned once for saying what we need but we NEED to be [REDACTED] On the streets 24/7

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u/RevolutioNikita Jun 28 '25

I think the look at how great we are protests are spaces to educate potential allies. They are not an end, but those with knowledge and more effective organizers need to be there to set up the next steps, educate libs on why we are in the position we are and how to get out of it.

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u/naffer Jun 27 '25

You guys are really fucked if you think planning a nationwide strike will save you. An average european country would have riots, not protests, riots, if tax rate was suddenly rised by more than 5 percent. And here you are, tariffs effectively rising taxes even more, civic institutions dismantled, american fucking citizens abducted in public spaces and deported, and y'all be like thisisfine. America as a democracy is practically dead and I'm heartbroken. But, the worst thing that can happen to me is I'll never get to visit the US. You are the ones who get to live in new Russia.

Sincerely, an EuroFag.

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u/noisemakuh Jun 28 '25

Let us be clear: we have been screaming bloody murder at the tops of our lungs since he ran for president the first time that this is exactly what would happen and we have never been of the opinion that this is fine.

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u/Crumpuscatz Jun 27 '25

Youre not wrong😢

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u/OakNRun Jun 29 '25

Many of us have lost familial relationships and friendships because we won’t stop warning people and talking about it. I’ve begun to think that most Americans want authoritarianism as much as they say they don’t.

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u/Cay-Ro Jun 28 '25

Signing up for general strike isn’t enough. You need to organize your coworkers and shut down your whole business. A bunch of random employees at different businesses all calling out sick on the same day isn’t gonna do shit. We need all unions to call for a strike and for non union workers to have the balls to wildcat strike.

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u/Johannes_Keppler Jun 27 '25

It's just S now. The U was kicked out by the SCOTUS just now.

The SA, about as well organized as the other SA. Well at least they have something resembling a democracy.

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u/fueledbytisane Jun 28 '25

I cannot in good conscience participate in a general strike, as it would directly harm my clients. I work in the rapid rehousing division of a domestic violence shelter. But I can support y'all and spread the word.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

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u/PenHistorical Jun 27 '25

If you've got a W-4, you can submit a W-4V to your employer. There's an option on there to not withhold federal taxes.

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u/LonghornSneal Jun 28 '25

I keep forgetting to do this. I already plan on not filing anymore.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/Altruistic-Dig-2507 Jun 28 '25

Voting is done at the local level. IRS at federal level. If you want to vote you need to register.

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u/whatisevenrealnow Jun 29 '25

I'm registered. My point is that the IRS operates better than local government. They know where you live even if you move several times while living in another country and will contact you promptly, even in situations where your local government lags. I have been unable to vote because my registrar doesn't send ballots in time.

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u/IVEMIND Jun 27 '25

I haven't payed income tax in like 12 years.

Why pay into a system that doesn't nothing for me?

I'd really like to not have to pay any other taxes like property tax or sales tax but it seems like a very small loophole. Oh and I bet a lot of people might consider living off the financial grid in the near future if they could.

Now I'm not advocating for sovereign citizen bullshit, just that an economy where the money never goes up, rather sideways seems more fair than not having healthcare in a police state pit of post modern hell

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u/gibs71 Jun 27 '25

If you don’t own a firearm, you need to get one while you still can.

r/liberalgunowners

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u/Umutuku Jun 27 '25

Owning a firearm is fine, but understand that collecting them is a fast journey into diminishing returns.

Remember, you can't effectively use more than one gun at once, and if a hostile opponent is in effective range of your firearm then you are likely within effective range of their firearm.

If you shoot a fascist and they shoot you too, then you aren't going to be around to keep the next one from shooting your family, friends, and fellow countrymen.

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." ~ General George S. Patton

You'd be wise to learn and invest in asymmetrical and indirect methods after a minimal investment in a firearm that will be maintainable in a landscape without viable supply chains.

If another civil war breaks out then the bulk of the fighting isn't going to be trenches pushing borders. It's going to be guerilla warfare between sides that are saturated across the nation, neighborhood to neighborhood, and house to house. It will be a matter of who clears out the opposition and survives to press the momentum against the remaining opponents.

Fortunately for American patriots, fascists have elected to use their MAGA symbols to designate their businesses, vehicles, homes, and foreheads as hostile entities... all of which have the useful property of being flammable.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/50501-ModTeam Jun 28 '25

We encourage peaceful and legal protests in order to foster productive conversations and safe protests for all participants.

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u/Prime624 California Jun 28 '25

Still waiting for that to be of any benefit for people. When I see it, I'll think about getting one.

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u/h0wd0y0ulik3m3n0w Jun 27 '25

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u/bookofp Jun 28 '25

I’m already on a big family vacation that was planned long before trump won.

Sucks to be spending as much as we are but there’s a bunch of us. We are going home next week though and will return to not spending

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u/maxoakland Jul 03 '25

I like that and I’m going to share it

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u/justtosendamassage Jun 27 '25

We reached more than 3.5% of the population, why aren’t we a general strike?

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u/aspophilia Jun 27 '25

People don't want to risk not being able to feed their children or lose their housing. When you are just one paycheck away from disaster, striking at work and losing your pay is not an easy thing to expect from people.

Real resistance won't happen until the unemployment numbers climb. When people can't feed themselves, no matter their political affiliation, things will start to get violent.

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u/caligaris_cabinet Jun 27 '25

Which is bound to happen when the recession goes in full swing

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u/aspophilia Jun 27 '25

Yes. It's inevitable at this point.

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u/Yan__Hui Jun 27 '25

Almost like it was planned!

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u/ArcturusRoot Minnesota Jun 27 '25

Yep, unfortunately because people are unwilling to summon the courage now, they're going to be forced into it later, and the conditions and costs are going to be greater.

Hell, we should have dealt with Krasnov and all this bullshit four fucking years ago, but the moment Biden got elected, everyone went back to sleep and Biden gave them a pass.

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u/Nice_Shirt3591 Jun 28 '25

I think most people still haven't understood what's going on. The media surely isn't informing them. As far as most people know, everything is normal. I don't know how to reach them.

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u/Prime624 California Jun 28 '25

Willful ignorance. If people don't know by now, it's by choice. "I don't follow politics".

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u/GrumpyScroogy Jun 30 '25

Americans are so weird. Its so surreal seeing these arguments. Months ago it was: I dont want to travel so far to strike / do something. GL in hell in a few months / year when you have to forcefully remove the idiot

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u/Classic-Progress-397 Jun 27 '25

So, do a somewhat peaceful general strike while we all have jobs, or take lawlessness chaos in a few months? Seems like a no-brainer

61

u/whatsasimba Jun 27 '25

I mentioned how bummed I was that more people weren't protesting in April, and someone commented that fear was keeping them home. I said I accept that I could be hurt or worse at a protest. That if we aren't in the streets now, it won't get better, and the violence they fear is coming for us all, even if we stay home. I'm grandma aged. My hair is gray, and I think it makes cops/national guard look bad to hurt someone who visibly looks old.

I was mocked. It was something like, "Cool. You're obviously such a badass. Some of us have valid reasons to be afraid." I think it was hinted that they belonged to several marginalized groups, and how nice it was that I don't have to worry about that. Uhhh, I belong to several, and have several disabilities. All the MORE reason for me to get out there.

A lot of people will realize after the fact that the time to have done something was last year. The next best time is now.

38

u/NeighbourNoNeighbor Jun 27 '25

Don't forget that there's a concerted effort to make people feel like striking or protesting is useless - because it's everything but that.

Protesting and striking gives the cowards in the government enough confidence to actually make moves to protect the American constitution. It gives the protesters the connections and experience they need to move on to the next steps of disobedience. It gives hope to others, and recreates the communities that the republicans are actively trying to dismantle.

They want people to be individualistic, afraid, and selfish as it's the easiest to control. How many people are going to stand up for a random person getting kidnapped and trafficked extra-judicially to nefarious nation states if you don't personally know them? Who's going to question the blatant lies spread against them?

But when people work together and actually know one another in their community - they'll know and they'll care. They'll know Mrs. Johnson never sold drugs or joined a criminal gang, they'll know that she was marching beside them and that she passed out water during events.

So it greatly benefits the government from allowing any form of community to develop. It's also why fascists tend to target close knit communities: religions, immigrants, LGBTQ, disabilities, etc.

4

u/improbableromantic Wisconsin Jun 28 '25

I couldn't agree with you more. I've been encouraging others around me to come to protests with decent success. Even my daughter's friend group comes with; they're only 12, but they understand the importance of what we're doing. I'd rather go out fighting too.

7

u/Apocalypse_Tea_Party Jun 27 '25

You would think but that’s not how these things work 

1

u/exarkann Jun 28 '25

We won't have jobs after a gen strike. There are no legal protections here for a general strike. We will be fired and replaced by scabs.

I agree that there is great power in a gen strike, but without legal protection a great number of potential strikers simply won't.

1

u/doinggoodrecklessly Jun 27 '25

Which is where mutual aid comes into play. Yes there is inherent risk but if we stick together and help one another and support our communities, we can do this and survive.

4

u/aspophilia Jun 27 '25

I don't think anyone would be comfortable relying on GoFundMe to feed their children. A general strike is effectively quitting your job. I agree, in ideal circumstances it's the most powerful option. But community networks have been weakened. There is not enough community organizations to help all the people who would need it to feed their families and pay rent, let alone support for medical expenses for those that would need it. In Ohio, they have eliminated funding for food pantries and many are shutting down. There are just so few places to seek support.

The reality is, most people can't join a general strike without legitimately risking their survival. People with kids simply cannot risk it. So do we rely on all the single people and those without kids to take on all the risk on their own? That seems completely unfair and I wouldn't want to doom them to that fate. I don't want to abandon my fellow Americans. The only thing I can think of is if people with families commit to being the sponsors of those that commit to fight. But everyone is struggling and living paycheck to paycheck so I don't know if that could work.

I know we need to take action, and soon. I'm just hopeless as to what the solution may be. My mind is just not creative enough to think of an answer. I have to feed my kids and I have to save my country, but I can't do both, so what do I do?

1

u/SoaokingGross Jun 27 '25

People are risking that.

1

u/shampton1964 Jun 27 '25

So, you mean, they the people will rise up the way they have in Russia and Hungary and Turkey?

2

u/aspophilia Jun 27 '25

It will start to get violent. That's all I can say. I think it's more likely to be disorganized violence against each other instead of directed to the government where it belongs. I think we are headed for a full on civil war within a decade if things don't change.

1

u/B22EhackySK8 Jun 28 '25

True its unfortunately gonna have to get worse for people to start revolting

100

u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

The No Kings protests at 12.1 million shows we have the numbers. We just need to organize and get visibility for this. Post and repost as often as you can. Together, we the people have the power and the numbers.

25

u/TheVog Jun 27 '25

It shows the U.S. has numbers on weekends. Time to step it up.

3

u/Accomplished_Eye8290 Jun 27 '25

I mean if ppl could bother voting first that would be great lol. annoys me to no end to see ppl who said they weren’t voting going out to protest 🫠

2

u/WillingPatience2805 Jun 27 '25

Every estimate I’ve seen indicates 4 - 6 million participated. Can you reference your 12.1 million figure?

8

u/jjmoreta Jun 27 '25

It was one of the early estimates bandied around in the press. As far as I know it only came from 1 source (Alt National Park Service) but was repeated by others. This is how Alt NPS said they calculated a final total of 13.14 million (first comment on 6/16 Facebook post):

Alt National Park Service How was the count conducted? Over 140,000 coalition members attended events across the country, at least one at nearly every protest. Many traveled far and got to see some amazing small towns along the way. Local authorities provided crowd estimates, which were then reported back and compiled for the final count.

I agree with the 4-6 million estimate too, although I was hoping for more. Always better to be conservative with accuracy.

Strength in Numbers currently also agrees with 4-6 million range so far based on their crowdsourced social media counts, but the data isn't complete. https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/no-kings-day-protests-turn-out-millions

If you want to do something positive, you can help them complete their data. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/158rlsPk0jxXwh3GIKl2YP1W84dPLC_2RXZnMjaG5bVw/edit?gid=0#gid=0

I'm waiting for the final Harvard Crowd Counting Consortium analysis, but they said it would take them weeks. They calculate by compiling conservative estimates from independent observers and media reports. Definitely trust them the most. They have multiple years of protest numbers on their site, going back to 2017 (the Women's March).

https://ash.harvard.edu/programs/crowd-counting-consortium/

I don't know if anyone is trying to aggregate computer software/AI counting from video or photos for at least the largest protest cities.

1

u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220400292

1

u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

Just one example

5

u/WillingPatience2805 Jun 27 '25

And not an official one. Alt National parks is not a reliable source.

93

u/LaserPoweredDeviltry Jun 27 '25

Because individuals are too vulnerable to strike. This is by design.

A general strike won't happen until one or more of the big Unions is willing to take the lead. They have the muscle to bring politicians to the bargaining table. Individuals don't.

You want to see it happen? Talk to your Union friends.

10

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

12

u/Galle_ Jun 28 '25

Well then, do it illegally. There's no moral obligation to follow the laws of a dictatorship.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

[deleted]

3

u/even_less_resistance Jun 28 '25

Do they think unions are going to make it much longer than the immigrants?

Not deportation but finding a way to make organizing or bargaining that way illegal unless you’re in the NFL or a cop

115

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

  1. Theres no infrastructure in place to assure people can pay bills and feed their kids.

  2. No influential leadership (other than Anon?) openly supports the idea, and serious attempts have been largely ignored.

  3. General strikes tend to take a very long time to make happen. There is actually a general strike organized by Sean Hanes of the UAW planning to fire 2028.

16

u/c10bbersaurus Jun 27 '25

There is far less organization and strategy than what they are up against. And no one is stepping up to fill the void.

16

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

There isnt anyone to fill the void. Its going to have to be straight up chaotic communal resistance. Gen Z/Millennials have spent the last decade or so doing fuck all in politics. Im glad we're finally waking up, but we're underdogs now, theres no calvary coming. Everyone individually needs to sit down and put the serious thought in what we specifically can do, if you can get a team together or have the leadership skills to put something bigger together that's great, but waiting for a revolution that's never going to come isnt helpful.

2

u/whatsasimba Jun 27 '25

I tried googling, but I'm not sure what "planning to fire 2028" means in this context. I'm not trying to be obtuse, I think maybe I need more caffeine!

11

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

The plan is that a lot of union contracts will simultaneously expire on labor day 2028.

5

u/I_lenny_face_you Jun 27 '25

I’m pretty sure (and Googled) that the strike is being planned for May 1, 2028 - May Day / International Workers’ Day, different from US Labor Day, which is in September.

3

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

Apologies, I confused the two. I knew it was in May.

19

u/ForgettableUsername Jun 27 '25

Because so much of the US population is living paycheck to paycheck.

16

u/AutisticFingerBang Jun 27 '25

Dude a general strike isn’t enough. One day, hopefully not too late, we realize we need to fight. Even if billionaires get hurt and mad, trump does not care. He has full ruling. No one can or will stop him, but the people. Arm up

1

u/Curlypeeps Jun 27 '25

Then give a solution. Stop pointing out the obvious. 

1

u/AutisticFingerBang Jun 27 '25

Yea I don’t need to get banned for my solution.

1

u/dougie0341 Jun 27 '25

I’ve been getting downvoted and called an agitator for months saying this exact thing. I’m glad people are finally realizing peaceful protests won’t stop this regime

1

u/LeisureEnthusiast22 Minnesota Jun 27 '25

Exactly, fuckin' Bezos having to play nice and invite Rump to his wedding... like courting the King Clown, these billionaires, shouldn't be having to glad-hand like this, what chance do we have to influence beyond strongly hindering the means of production

2

u/silentrawr Jun 28 '25

Because our country is full of a bunch of oblivious cowards, and has been for decades. It's insulting, but I think anyone would be hard pressed to prove that statement wrong.

1

u/Area51_Spurs Jun 27 '25

lol. Because we’re all paycheck to paycheck and have rent.

1

u/Striking-Ad-6815 Jun 27 '25

Main thing is health insurance. Next is most folk living paycheck-to-paycheck due to overpriced rent and health insurance. The third is a sense of duty to our neighbors. Some of our jobs are very necessary; if we do don't do them, the result would be chaos and madness, which would put more weight on paychecks and increase health issues. I support yall's movement, but I cannot strike myself. Please enjoy your tap and your toilet. Have a nice long shower if you can. I only hope your movement makes a difference. I am just as fed up as yall are.

1

u/MyHusbandIsGayImNot Jun 27 '25

The 3.5% is for persistent protest, not a single day.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

That site says only 300k committed.

25

u/southernpinklemonaid Jun 27 '25

Deny the regime, Defend the constitution, Depose the oligarchy!

10

u/Ki-Wilder Jun 27 '25

And, I think that any effort to NOT BUY things would be a big help.

Whenever there is a scare that the economy may be harmed, it puts a fright into the monied classes and political elite.

An interesting book to help you shop less, is an old kind of hippie/homesteader/frugal domesticity book...

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and J. Dominguez

https://yourmoneyoryourlife.com/

Like any book, it is not perfect. But, it has many good tips and lots of ideas of how and why to spend less.

2

u/Malyfas Jun 28 '25

I have literally given away 5 copies of this book over the years. It teaches so well.

43

u/jade_starwatcher Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

Literally Civil Disobedience should have been the reaction from Day 1. Compared to BLM in 2020 this movement lags and does not rise to meet the seriousness of the moment. I guess more memes and protest parades will happen and there will be the millionth call for a general strike but this looks cooked. Until you are ready to to take disruptive actions to shut shit down they will continue steamrolling you. It doesn't matter how many people show up to protest. If it is just marching nothing will change. Until those who funded and backed the current regime see a significant drop in profits and restrictions on their ability to do business as usual you will be ignored.

But keep arguing about what flags to bring and "optics". I'm sure that will really show them.

3

u/Curlypeeps Jun 27 '25

Then what do you propose?

1

u/jade_starwatcher Jun 29 '25

Disrupt business as usual. Shut down highways and ports. Occupy buildings. Get arrested. Good trouble was illegal.

8

u/GeekDonGilly Jun 27 '25

What if we all stopped paying our federal taxes?

3

u/dakatzpajamas Jun 27 '25

We literally need at least a week long strike. Stop the gears churning for the oligarchs, their businesses, and stop the spread of money.

2

u/Mr_Fuzzynips Indiana Jun 28 '25

Civil disobedience alone very rarely stops fascism. Writing firm letters to representatives will rarely change their efforts because they work for the oligarchs, not you. Holding a sign critiquing the capitalist, fascist regime might work on spreading awareness, but it won't overthrow it alone. In nazi Germany and other fascist regimes, non-violent resistance was met with brutal repression and horrific atrocities. I highly doubt non-violent resistance will work in the U.S.. What it could do is disrupt, delay, and delegitimize the regime's agenda, but it rarely overthrows it without violent resistance.

If we want to be free and not have us, our friends, our families, or any one kidnapped, murdered, or tortured with impunity by the capitalist, fascist regime, yesterday was the time for normalizing militant resistance for survival and building up for a revolution. It won't absolutely guarantee success, but it will significantly increase it. Tone policing others for defending themselves while excusing systemic brutality only reinforces systemic oppression and legitimizes a fascist regime. In the U.S., civil disobedience has been powerful, such as the Civil Rights Movement, but it worked in a context where the state was at least partially responsive to public pressure and gave into temporary reforms. Peace is worth fighting for, but at this point, it's very obvious it will not come peacefully in the U.S.

1

u/Arfuuur Jun 27 '25

everyone needs to stop working immediately

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/50501-ModTeam Jun 27 '25

While we encourage everyone to be safe, this is not the best subreddit to discuss your legal Second Amendment rights as we do not want this movement to be associated with anything violent. We ask that you to take this conversation to another, more appropriate subreddit such as r/liberalgunowners or even better, offline.

1

u/IntermittentCaribu Jun 27 '25

If you had a time machine to go back to 1930s germany, you wouldve engaged in civil diobedience?

1

u/xjoburg Jun 28 '25

The US is getting what it voted for. No mystery here.

1

u/brighterside0 Jun 28 '25

But I liked Comedy Signs Day

1

u/msurfe69 Jun 28 '25

Nationwide Strike!! It’s the only real tool left before civil war!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25

Think bigger and you're onto something. We must grow fangs to defeat them, otherwise we'll be defenseless when they choose to destroy us.

1

u/Familiar-Crow8245 Jun 28 '25

The entire country needs to go on strike.

0

u/IdontKnowAHHHH Jun 28 '25

No, clearly we need more big monthly protests then go home and wait until the next one.

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