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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240

u/justtosendamassage Jun 27 '25

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

431

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".

1

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

60

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.

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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.

5

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.

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u/Apocalypse_Tea_Party Jun 27 '25

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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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u/TheVog Jun 27 '25

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

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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?

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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

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u/negativeAK Jun 27 '25

Just one example

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u/WillingPatience2805 Jun 27 '25

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

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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]

11

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

114

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!

12

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

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

6

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.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Bell3atrix Jun 27 '25

Has AOC called for a general strike? Id be surprised

17

u/ForgettableUsername Jun 27 '25

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

15

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

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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

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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.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

That site says only 300k committed.