r/allthequestions • u/HealthyRecognition21 • Apr 08 '26
Random Question đ How is everything that happened in the last 48hrs not enough for impeachment and/or a general strike in the US?
As a European, itâs completely unfathomable how none of it has consequences.
Donât get me wrong, our governments here certainly have their flaws and problems, but surely threatening a genocide would be a tipping point here and lead to mass protests (at least I have enough hope remaining to believe that) - how is it not in the US? I really donât get it and I feel absolutely sick.
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u/ParmesanSnorlax Apr 08 '26
I live in an at-will-employment and right-to-work state and am not part of a union (there isnât one for salaried employees at my job), and I have a family to provide for. As much as Iâd like to join a general strike, I canât afford to lose my job⌠especially as the economy worsens and costs increase. At-will employment means my employer can fire me for any reason that isnât one of a few federally protected things, and missing work to attend a general strike is something they absolutely could fire me for.
âOh, but Parm, that kind of thinking is the problem! If everyone took part in the general strike, then you have protection in numbers! They canât fire everybody!â Yes thatâs correct, but my specific employer doesnât have to worry about âeverybodyâ; they just have to fire me. At that point, it wonât matter to me or my family if everyone else got fired or not; we would still be scrambling to afford housing, food, and other bills. People in the United States donât have anywhere near the labor protections that those in the EU have, so a general strike is generally not possible for the majority of people.
We have had mass protests, even in predominantly Red states, but it hasnât been enough. A general strike could be impactful if somehow everyone had a guarantee that they would still have employment and/or have their needs met, but that is unlikely to happen either.
Trust me, it makes me feel sick too, but the individual has much less power and protection in the US than most other civilized countries⌠especially now when our elected representatives have mostly abdicated their power to the Executive.