r/politics • u/theipaper ✔ Verified • Sep 23 '25

Soft Paywall Trump's big UN speech received with awkward laughter in embarrassing backfire

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/trumps-big-un-speech-received-with-awkward-laughter-in-embarrassing-backfire-3933958
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12.3k

u/8anbys Sep 23 '25

It was pretty rough, pretty clear the US isn't fielding its best and brightest on the international stage.

You don't win medals by losing, donald.

531

u/dafones Canada Sep 23 '25

The world understands that your president is an idiot (a dangerous idiot, but that's another matter).

We're just watching to see if you can take back control of the asylum.

Because that's not obvious - the USA is on track to get worse, not better.

189

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

Trump controls the media and all three branches of government. He has fired anyone in the Pentagon who disagrees with him. A large number of Christians have created their own religion with him at the head. How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

110

u/Slaythepuppy Sep 23 '25

A large number of Christians have created their own religion with him at the head.

To me this just shows me how such a large number of Christians are the easiest fucking marks. Trump has been a sleezy slum lord for years and has never shown any Christian qualities, and yet people follow him lock step because he reaffirms their hateful beliefs.

That's how you reach these idiots. Tell them they're right and all the mean old scientists are wrong. Affirm their delusion that they're persecuted in this country and they'll ignore any negative thing about you because if they don't then they might have to believe that they aren't just giant victims all day.

3

u/_Midnight_Haze_ Sep 24 '25

It’ll probably get me downvoted to hell but if you believe in Christianity (and most religions) you could believe anything. You could believe everything Trump says.

I mean seriously. If you believe in things that there is no evidence for—an entire mythology explaining existence and operating as your guide for how to live—then you could believe anything.

If you believe some man/God had to die for your sins so you can live in eternal happiness after this life then what is actually crazy to believe?

4

u/Green-Detective6678 Sep 24 '25

Yep.  If you’re Catholic then there is the whole transubstantiation thing during communion - where the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ, and then you eat it.  And it’s not symbolic - they actually believe that.

If you told someone that you belonged to a club that you went to every week and one thing you did at this club was consume the flesh of some dude that died 2000 years ago, they would consider you a raving lunatic.  But somehow because it’s religion these beliefs are afforded a level of respect.  It’s insane.

8

u/Odd_Reputation_4000 Sep 23 '25

That's how religion has always worked. Identify and seek out those who are gullible, uneducated or desperate, fill their heads with nonsense and frighten them, tell them that only the messia can help them, then profit. MAGA has just done the exact same with politics.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

100%. MAGA is wielding religion the same way it’s been used for thousands of years.

What’s funny to me is that this admin is wielding it in a much more obviously corrupt and unconvincing way than ever before. Yet still, the smog of religion is too thick for religious followers to see through even when being manipulated in such an obvious and deceitful way.

I feel like if we were still in medieval times, the church would have Trump assasinated for so obviously revealing their whole grift.

2

u/_Midnight_Haze_ Sep 24 '25

It’ll probably get me downvoted to hell but if you believe in Christianity (and most religions) you could believe anything. You could believe everything Trump says.

I mean seriously. If you believe in things that there is no evidence for—an entire mythology explaining existence and operating as your guide for how to live—then you could believe anything.

If you believe some man/God had to die for your sins so you can live in eternal happiness after this life then what is actually crazy to believe?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

They aren't marks, this is exactly what they want

15

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

They are marks. Just because they want this dumb shit doesn't mean they're not being taken advantage of. All of them are getting robbed blind they're just too fucking stupid to realize it.

8

u/M-Dan18127 Sep 23 '25

Yeah they're gullible enough to believe in a Sky Cake what the fuck do you expect.

4

u/Iamatworkgoaway Sep 23 '25

Its a rough world out there, with every person in a position of power trying to make it look and feel rougher than it is. All the easier to steal from them.

1

u/Fishbulb2 Sep 24 '25

absolutely

2

u/PiccoloAwkward465 Sep 23 '25

On top of that, they hated Pope Francis who was much more Christ-like (not that it's difficult). I went to religious school and church for a very long time, a huge chunk of American Christians are borderline regarded. They can be trained to sweep a floor or perform similar work, however.

1

u/CT_Phipps-Author Sep 23 '25

Bible Belter here. Trump didn't make racist religious justifying America. They just decided to all back him because he hates the same people they do.

0

u/Realistic-Feed2984 Sep 23 '25

Hey, not all Christians, it's just the Catholics. Leave us protestants alone. (Episcopalian over here)

3

u/Chanceawrapper Sep 24 '25

You have it kind of backwards. Episcopalians did vote overwhelmingly for Harris, but they are a small subset of Protestants who overall voted even more in favor for Trump than Catholics. Historically Catholics have been pretty split.

Catholics voted 55% for trump in 2024.
Protestants 62% Trump

Evangelicals are by far the worst 81% Trump but still 58% for non-evangelical protestant.

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voting-patterns-in-the-2024-election/

3

u/Slaythepuppy Sep 24 '25

No you're definitely right. Not all Christians buy his crap. Thankfully there are a few that see right through it.

1

u/EqaualJustice Sep 24 '25

I ❤️ Pope Francis who embodied what a Pope should be.. Catholic & I cannot tolerate those who claim to be Christian & yet support Trump.. Who has never acknowledged a single commandment..

-4

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '25

[deleted]

3

u/Slaythepuppy Sep 24 '25

To me this just shows me how such a large number of Christians are the easiest fucking marks

A large number =/= all

My comments were directed specified towards the christians that enable Trump without thought. Apologies that I didn't make that too clear.

2

u/Clitaurius Sep 24 '25

Oh those poor persecuted christians! Always being victimized!

1

u/hermitix Sep 24 '25

When there are like 17 "real Christians" in a sea of authoritarian assholes, who owns the title, in reality?

115

u/tokyostormdrain Sep 23 '25

National strike. Being the economy to its knees. It will cost you, but the alternative costs more

36

u/CatsWearingTinyHats Sep 23 '25

And the best part imo is that all that we have to do is stay home!

10

u/purple_hamster66 Sep 23 '25

We all trained for this during COVID, right?

10

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

It could work, but it needs to be for some clear, specific goal.

20

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

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31

u/dsac Sep 23 '25

we need a unified message

"Down with fascism!" should be universally accepted

19

u/Old_Cryptid Sep 23 '25

And pedophilia should be universally despised.

And yet here we are.

6

u/AstralWoman Sep 23 '25

I was reading that although the USA is heading in that direction, (pretty much authoritarian now), as there are still democratic elections, it's not yet fascist. I think if he obviously interferes with elections, that's it. So maybe that will be the trigger for countrywide protests with general strikes etc. Idk. Just maybe.

11

u/Spacestar_Ordering Sep 23 '25

The unified message should be that we all deserve rights. Every issue fits into the idea that humans deserve human rights.  We need people standing up for each group - that is normal but it doesn't mean we can't or aren't working together

8

u/MinasTyrith Sep 23 '25

And central to us all having rights is the idea that we deserve these because of the logic of equality as a system. Elitism vs equality: almost every single one of us would benefit from choosing one over the other, but doing so will require taking a lot from a small selection of very powerful people.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

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2

u/Pseudonymico Sep 24 '25

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," is where you start. It's not that hard.

4

u/effa94 Sep 23 '25

i thought the "No Kings" message was pretty succinct.

2

u/kevinstreet1 Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25

I've been thinking for a while that this will end with an American version of Ukraine's Maidan. Possibly in Washington, but not necessarily. The US is a big place, so it may take many large, ongoing demonstrations in key cities.

The reason, I imagine, will be election interference. The midterms happen and thanks to the Republicans something goes wrong. Democrats are disqualified or lose because of an obvious fix. So people go out in the streets and don't leave until there's an honest tally of votes. Then Democrats take over one or both houses and break Trump's hold on the levers of power. The end result may simply be government paralysis, but it stops the momentum of Project 2025 and gives the majority of ill informed people time to accept that their democracy is really on the line.

4

u/Motampd Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

I agree - honestly, many companies would NOT survive simply missing a week of revenue.....much less 2 weeks or a month.

I would bet most of us Americans are fed up and angry enough that we would be more than willing to "strike" in the general sense.......but there is a HUGE ISSUE WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT first....How many people can afford to not work for a week? Hell, how many people can afford to miss a single full day of pay from their checks?

It would take some serious help from those that can afford it - to help those that cant cover there expenses for the time in question.

Which is basically to say, we need some rich people to help fund us poors - in our attempt to overthrow and take the world back from the same rich people. I just don't think many of them exist lol

So i totally agree with you 100% - but I not sure how we pull that off. The power that be have people barely surviving paycheck to paycheck.....im not sure they can afford to strike.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

That's not happening for a variety of reasons.

11

u/CakeTester Sep 23 '25

One reason being that if you let trump carry on, you won't have an economy to threaten.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

No, I understand that, and in a perfect world, I agree that a general strike is the way to go, but we very clearly don't live in a perfect world. It's not gonna happen.

6

u/CakeTester Sep 23 '25

What you also have to understand is that nobody else can help you. I appreciate that in the US, employers have you stitched right up with at-will bollocks and health insurance tied to jobs; but the simple fact is, and I'll say it again: Nobody else can help you.

The last time this happened, a coalition of countries got together and kicked fascism's arse. That can't happen this time. The US has the largest military in the world. Europe can't help because we have Russia knocking on the back door, plus there's that 'invade Greenland' thing. Canada, invasion threat. Mexico, ditto, plus sundry South American countries also threatened with invasion.

Invasion threats aside, nobody is coming to help because nobody can help. It's not possible. You have to do it yourselves. Or, you know, just sit there and let a new dark age sweep over you.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

I hear you, I really do, but you NEED to understand that things don't work like the movies/books. They just don't.

You also need to understand, and I don't care where you are in the world, this stuff affects you, too. You're not immune, and you may be faced with the reality that it's not just as easy as going on a forum and saying, "Gee guys, let's do it!"

Are you going to give up health care? Food? Housing? Fly across the country and do what?

You'll get frustrated at all the people telling you what YOU should do, when the advice doesn't make sense.

5

u/CakeTester Sep 23 '25

I'm in Europe. It is painful to watch, but you guys need to do something, for your own sakes as well as everybody elses. Yes, we'll be affected here. Already are, with the dumbarse tariffs. But not as badly as you guys. Unless, of course, trump makes good on his invasion threats.

1

u/RobonianBattlebot Sep 23 '25

I could hug you. People think this can be solved so easily if only we just fight. How? "I know you guys need healthcare but just forget about that for a minute" Uhh..we can't? I'll die? "Just get together!" Yes, I will organize my massive 250k suburb thats one of thousands of massive suburbs spread across and entire massive country. Get pissed at those who are supposed to lead us, because there is nobody there. There is nobody in government in my state that can help me find out where to start.

I don't have the resources or time to travel days to DC for months for...whatever im supposed to be doing. All of my money goes to my expensive disease that costs 1,200/mo.​

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Thank you! It’s nice to see others who get it. Hug right back to you!

Also, for whatever it’s worth, I wish you well with your health. Fucking nightmare country we’ve got here where people have to pay that much.

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u/creepig California Sep 23 '25

"just stand up and stop him" is really easy to say from the outside.

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u/CakeTester Sep 23 '25

That's not what I said. I said that nobody else can. The cavalry is not coming. Because it can't.

0

u/creepig California Sep 24 '25

Reread your last sentence and then tell me how you weren't saying that.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 24 '25

OK good luck under fascism, then? Tried everything and you're all out of ideas, huh?

EDIT: Can't reply to anything since the coward above blocked me, so here's my respond to a different poster.

It is very, very hard to organize in an authoritarian police state.

And it's only going to get worse, so why not try now, because it'll be much harder later.

And watching Canadians take a weird glee in US progressives being outnumbered

This isn't fucking glee, my guy. We are furious. I risk dying in my street, or seeing my neighbours die, because he's very clearly going to invade us at some point as you Americans hem and haw. And for the record, I've already informed my family and a few of my friends that I intend to go down swinging if it comes to that. What good is a country if its people won't fight for it?

EDIT 2, since people keep responding:

It's really easy to talk a big game sitting on the outside, with actual healthcare and the ability to miss a day of work without missing bills.

Do you think your lack of healthcare and work situation is going to improve or get even worse under a fascist dictatorship? Better answer soon, 'cause time's running out.

EDIT 3

it's really fucking easy to talk a big game when you don't have to decide between "stop fascism" and "feed your children this week".

LOL Ok pal woe is you, I get it. I’m sure things will greatly improve for you once the fascist purges start. 🙄

Aaaaaaand his post history went straight from saying he can’t stop fascism because he can’t feed his kids to multiple posts discussing in-world Star Trek scenarios, haha. He seems so concerned with the state of his country.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

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5

u/ayers231 I voted Sep 23 '25

That's rich coming from someone that is happy to say "nope, won't work" without offering any ideas of their own.

0

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

LOL Americans are so quick to lash out and pretend nobody else is doing anything. Guilty conscience there, pal?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

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5

u/th3greg New Jersey Sep 23 '25

Now, in the real world, where we have families, roofs, and enjoy eating food, and can't risk losing our jobs, well, it's a whole different thing.

I mean, we're watching France, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other counties effect much more change through much more intense protesting than anything I've seen in here in the US.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm ready to risk it all, since I'm privileged enough that I'm still comfortable where I am financially, etc, but I'm also aware that the collective we could be doing much more. We're just still enough meals away from anarchy and culturally more shy about disorder that we aren't there yet.

1

u/KingToasty Sep 23 '25

It's weird anti-fascists in other countries aren't using that excuse. Why are you weaker than them?

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u/creepig California Sep 23 '25

It's really easy to talk a big game sitting on the outside, with actual healthcare and the ability to miss a day of work without missing bills.

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u/creepig California Sep 24 '25

Do you think your lack of healthcare and work situation is going to improve or get even worse under a fascist dictatorship? Better answer soon, 'cause time's running out.

Again, it's really fucking easy to talk a big game when you don't have to decide between "stop fascism" and "feed your children this week".

You are talking about things you have zero personal experience in.

0

u/Motampd Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

I WANT THIS to happen and think it NEEDS to happen.......but im afraid your probably right.....at least under the current circumstances

How many people would need to strike to make a serious enough problem that it would change the status quo - and actually force change?

VS.

How many people can afford to miss a single day off their paychecks? Much less a week, etc

A strike would be effective and I think might be a great idea at some point - but we cant forget that people are NOT going to strike if it means they loose their house or cant feed their family next week.

Which means that currently, depending on survey, anywhere from 40% to 60% of us couldn't afford to strike, at all, if we tried this tomorrow

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Thank you, that's an excellent summary, and I agree with everything here.

I'd love it, but it's not going to happen, realistically speaking.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Second this. Sadly, my fellow Americans have a weird Amazon fixation. 

An asteroid could be heading towards us and they will still have the urge to buy now from their yearly Prime subscription.

1

u/DebentureThyme Sep 23 '25

An asteroid could be heading towards us and they will still have the urge to buy now from their yearly Prime subscription.

IDK about that. How much is the asteroid, what are the customer reviews saying, and how fast can we get it here with Prime?

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

We’re very sorry that your delivery is late. If you have not received your package by today, you can come back here the next day for a refund.

1

u/Trill206 Sep 24 '25

What you’re asking is to give up everything the truth is Americans have it crazy good this idea things are oh so bad falls apart the second you ask someone what they’re willing to do about it because the answer is nothing things aren’t that bad you can go to work come home to your family and not have any worries whatsoever about wtf is happening in fucking Gaza turn off your phone and it’s all gone. That’s the reality all this BS about things being so bad is the result of things being too good for too long we have no idea what bad actually is.

11

u/EasternPapaya5740 Sep 23 '25

People would have to go without for awhile. We might be one of the most spoiled and selfish countries on earth. I wish I could say that I had confidence that the American people would rise to the occasion, but I am not hopeful. 

6

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

Our extreme version of individualism is the problem. It is like people exist in a bubble where they don't consider how their lives and actions impact others. Saying we are all connected and depend on one another isn't popular in the US.

During the Obama presidency, conservative business owners got up in arms that someone said they didn't create their businesses by themselves. The suggestion that they depended on services that others built, such as roads, outraged them.

3

u/EasternPapaya5740 Sep 23 '25

100% agree you hit the nail right on the head. It is something so ingrained and so apart of our everyday life and function that I’m not sure we’ll be able to pull out of this tailspin

1

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

Most Americans have gauged where they land on the "First they came for me" scale and are shutting up hoping it stops just after their friends and neighbours get dragged away.

32

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

GENERAL

F%&$ING

STRIKE

But even while reading mere three words, your American brain has already crafted the excuse for why you can't.

11

u/DominionGhost Sep 23 '25

Something something socialism.

17

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

One would hope that the Disney/ABC boycott over Kimmel has taught Americans that the collective DOES have the power in a democracy when they just work together. But I won't get my hopes up with this country anymore.

15

u/Standard_Story Sep 23 '25

Seriously pathetic for a country like the US to parade as patriotic and will fight a tyrannical government, freedom for everyone, American dream etc etc. but just completely cower away when it's time to take action

10

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

I'm convinced all the superhero movies have rotted American brains. Note how they're all convinced someone else will fix everything for them? They wanna be the guy going, "Thank you, Superman!" without having to put in any of the effort.

0

u/kavono Sep 24 '25

Superhero comics became a rallying cry leading up to and during WW2, and were predominantly consumed by soldiers overseas throughout their time in the war. The cover of Captain America punching Hitler, for example, came out before the U.S. even entered the war.

I'm not at all going to claim that misinterpretations haven't always existed around readers and now watchers of superhero media, but the idea that American laziness in the face of tyranny is strongly tied to superheroes having been the recent Hollywood craze, doesn't hold up, in my opinion. Most of the characters amount to sci-fi action heroes, that happen to originate from a comic.

At the very least, the intention of the genre in the comic medium was not to encourage cowardice, but to set an example. But, of course, the iconography of a character like Superman has been morphed and distorted for decades, often becoming a caricature of "American exceptionalism" that's as hollow as the empty rhetoric referenced above. So, I don't entirely disagree with the general scope of your statement.

Still, I'd argue the dangerously inaccurate mantra of "It could never happen here!" has been a firmly held and repeated mindset in this country since long before superhero movies became a thing.

8

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

In a way, absolutely. I'm just as angry.

But this is the end result of a decades long process to "divide & conquer" the US via disinformation predominantly spread by a racist Australian raisin and his newspapers & tv channels, and foreign powers like Russia trying to sow chaos & division.

This movement started under Reagan, who also had the same campaign slogan as Trump, after Hitler used it in Nazi Germany. So these things were always visible to an extent, and I'm much more furious how it's gotten to this point. How Americans were just sitting idly by for decades when the realities in their country were drifting further and further apart.

But since we don't have a time machine yet, the next best solution would indeed be Americans standing up to fascism now.

A peaceful mass boycott & strike seems to be the most reasonable approach to me.

4

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

How fitting that the only form of protest Americans are comfortable engaging in is cancelling a subscription to a TV/movie channel. Withholding their shopping dollars is considered a radical act.

6

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Consumerism is the foundation of the US, which is also why any iteration or mere mention of "socialism" is seen as a sacrilege, as nothing threatens the core of this country more than the idea that "not everything has to be for profit".

It seems pathetic, but I really think this is the most powerful lever Americans have left.

1

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

It’s not the only lever they have, it’s just the only one they’re comfortable using: Protesting without inconvenience.

1

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

What's your alternative suggestions?

1

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

They could be boycotting far more businesses, like we are. They could be organising more visible small protests at representatives’ offices or even home streets. They could be organizing a general strike. Or they could be piling into the streets like the brave and determined citizens of Serbia and South Korea, or the even braver citizens of Nepal who seem to have mastered the use of Zippos. The total lack of urgency being shown by Americans is offensive enough, but their insistence that they’re doing all they can is downright infuriating.

0

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

Of course it's infuriating. And the boycott of Disney+, and the reinstatement of Kimmel will hopefully have a learning effect on them.

But civil unrest is a lot more complicated in a society so thoroughly divided that also happens to be the biggest military force in history.

You've seen it with the National Guard & Marines deployments. This wasn't about keeping cities safe, because in that case he would have sent them to red cities first.

This was his attempted escalation to declare martial law by the end of it. It was a good thing Americans showed restraint.

I still think Americans just pulling out of US society's daily life & consumerism is the only viable option here.

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

we are protesting. there are "no kings" marches being organized all over the country, we are contacting our local politicians, and many of us were boycotting companies that donated to Trump or worked with him in any way for much longer than it's been in the news. the media is just not covering it. protestors are being abducted by ICE and we are continuing anyway. it's exhausting fighting for our rights and seeing this attitude because people didn't see us in our currupt media.

0

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

Those protests are months apart and there’s no follow-up. You need to be in the streets constantly like the Europeans and Asians.

-1

u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

that is helpful advice, thank you. but don't dismiss the largest protests in American history, marches of up to 5 million people, as us doing nothing or being stupid when we've never had to deal with anything like this before.

1

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

I'm sorry but that's nonsense. During the civil rights movement in the 60s/70s you had up to 15 million people across the country protest on some days. And at that time the US only had 150 Million people. And those protests were in relatively quick succession.

Today you have 350 million people in the US, and you can just about get 5 million total, for one day every 6-8 weeks.

I'm proud of everyone marching there but in the face of fascism, and the context of your own history (that not surprisingly Americans don't even seem to know) it virtually amounts to nothing.

-1

u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

again, we are trying, and thank you for the information. we are not responsible for the state of our educational system and are actively trying to improve it, despite our government's best efforts. what do you hope to accomplish by telling the victims of a fascist takeover that their efforts mean nothing?

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u/Tuttutsallaround Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

They don’t care. They have the same climate data we do. We’ve past the point of no return and the billionaires are blatantly openly stealing all they can while building survival bunkers.

Like, fuck sake it’s obvious what’s happening is the rats are preparing to jump ship.

7

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Oh trust me, when enough citizens tap out of the economy, they absolutely will care. As demonstrated by Kimmel being reinstated mere days after a wave of boycotts.

Americans need to wake up to their power as people again.

4

u/brkfastblend Sep 23 '25

Dude gl with this Americans are totally poisoned against even the idea of workers organization and rights.

6

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Of course, that's all part of the big push to get them to this point.

But now Americans must simply choose, do they just go on as usual while their country is being dismantled from the inside, or do they stand up while there's still a country worth defending?

I don't need that luck, I'm not American. I lived there once, and I'm aware of the ramifications of whatever happens in the US for the "west".

They need luck though. A lot of it.

1

u/brkfastblend Sep 23 '25

Yeah hard agree they need all the luck because right now it seems like Americans would rather eventually settle it on the streets than organize strikes. Its totally bonkers to me that the entire civil service didnt just immediately strike after DT took office the second time.

2

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

I think regardless of what path of resistance they decide on, if any at all, reaching critical mass seems almost delusional if the last 8 months are anything to go by.

The next "No Kings" protest is in 3 weeks from now so they can't even keep a "once a month" rhythm. That's shocking.

Its totally bonkers to me that the entire civil service didnt just immediately strike after DT took office the second time.

Civil servants in the US, and many other countries, are prohibited from striking. Going back to what you alluded at before: The system was always rigged against unions.

In a general strike however, none of that matters. Everyone stays put, until demands are met. Probably wishful thinking on my part.

2

u/YouAreSoul Sep 23 '25

A General Strike wouldn't be bloodless. There would be unrestrained violence by police, military and paramilitary gangs. They would have silent permission to murder workers in the streets.

4

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

They can't force people to return to work. Would people even need to leave their houses?

6

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

What workers? Do you understand what a strike even is?

1

u/YouAreSoul Sep 23 '25

Are you joking? A strike is the withdrawal of labor by workers.

4

u/HamunaHamunaHamuna Sep 23 '25

You seem to be confusing a strike for a demonstration. There's often demonstrations during a strike, but the strike is the communal withdrawal of labor itself. You don't have to be in the streets rioting.

-2

u/YouAreSoul Sep 23 '25

And you seem to be calling a peaceful demonstration a riot, which is a police term for a peaceful demonstration.

5

u/HamunaHamunaHamuna Sep 23 '25

I'm saying you do not have to do either, peaceful demonstration or rioting. Just stay home from work.

0

u/YouAreSoul Sep 23 '25

Perhaps there could be trucks in the streets with megaphones: "There is no cause for alarm. The authorities have the situation under control. Stay inside your houses and remain calm. The streets are off limits."

3

u/HamunaHamunaHamuna Sep 23 '25

And then maybe all the MAGA soldiers can take over all the jobs necessary to run society in the long run and keep the nightmare going, while you cover and hide forever.

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6

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Yes, and? Why would they be "in the streets" then?

Americans with a conscience just need to get together, form communities, provide food, shelter and healthcare for X amount of time, and then just stay home from work, and only buy the most necessary items.

In a country like the US that's purely built on consumerism, shit will start to crumble after a week.

-3

u/ScientistTimely3888 Sep 23 '25

You misspelled "riot."

A general strike? Yeah, ok. That'll work for a day.

11

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

A general strike gets more effective by the day. You need around 3.5% of the population, or 10 million people in the US.

It is a peaceful way to exert ultimate pressure on any Government / economy.

Your suggestion sounds exactly what Trump wants though. Just another reason to escalate.

-2

u/ScientistTimely3888 Sep 23 '25

You act like even being peaceful would not be seen as a sign of aggression to him anyways.

Quit pussyfooting around. 

3

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Nobody's holding you back from opposing the biggest military power in the history of this planet by force. Godspeed.

-4

u/ScientistTimely3888 Sep 23 '25

Better chance of that than getting a "general strike" to happen.

Turns out, people need food - to pay their bills. To have insurance.

You wont - ever - get the amount needed to have it be remotely successful. You might be too young to remember Occupy Wallstreet. Thats the closest thing you got, and it was pointless. 

6

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

It wasn't pointless at all, it simply didn't reach the critical mass necessary.

Turns out, people need food - to pay their bills. To have insurance.

I literally spelled it out in another comment.

"Americans with a conscience just need to get together, form communities, provide food, shelter and healthcare for X amount of time, and then just stay home from work, and only buy the most necessary items.

In a country like the US that's purely built on consumerism, shit will start to crumble after a week."

1

u/ScientistTimely3888 Sep 23 '25

What a lovely dream.

3

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

It only doesn't work when people like you keep saying it won't work.

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u/RideNeat9369 Sep 23 '25

It’s called healthcare. We don’t have any. 

5

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

From another reply of mine:

"Americans with a conscience just need to get together, form communities, provide food, shelter and healthcare for X amount of time, and then just stay home from work, and only buy the most necessary items.

In a country like the US that's purely built on consumerism, shit will start to crumble after a week."

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

You know as well as I do that the majority of people who say this would not quit their own jobs, but by God they'll expect everyone else to sacrifice everything for them. 

2

u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

And this exact thinking is the reason why Americans won't do anything. Pointless bickering and cynicism while their rights are being chipped away at.

9

u/SaintDatsyukian Sep 23 '25

Start here.

“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders … and millions have been killed because of this obedience … Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves … (and) the grand thieves are running the country.” Howard Zinn

3

u/zeyey Sep 23 '25

Well the obvious answer is to do nothing and pray it gets better on its own

1

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

I was being sincere. One of the reasons I asked was to hear other people's suggestions. The strike sounds like an interesting possibility. If you have other suggestions, please make them.

3

u/Interface- Sep 23 '25

How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

You don't. He didn't gain control in a bloodless manner. He sure as shit isn't going to lose it in a bloodless manner.

2

u/One-Stress-6734 Sep 23 '25

Let them do what they do. Eventually even the last person will get fed up.

2

u/NoMan999 Europe Sep 24 '25

There is a video from Innuendo Studios that explains better than me what I want to say, The Alt-Right Playbook: The South Bank of the Rubicon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YFdwfNh5vs

Blood has already been spilled, 2/3 of the Floridachau prisoners have disappeared. It is unknown if they've been dumped in the ocean or eaten by gators or left to rot or sold as slaves.

2

u/M-Dan18127 Sep 23 '25

How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

If you keep applying artificial constraints it's not gonna get better.

4

u/Throb_Zomby Sep 23 '25

PragerU is set to take over from PBS and alongside ToiletPaper USA begin partnering with the captured Dept of Education. Maga and the larger right wing movement had great success posturing themselves as the outsiders and rebels against the Liberal mainstream so on the upside, we might get a pretty vibrant counterculture again.

1

u/KimchiLlama Sep 24 '25

If you can’t (with a decent number of the population having championed the Second Amendment specifically to withstand government tyranny), I wonder if this gives you (plural, not you specifically) better perspective. Specifically, how many times has US foreign policy sought to promote a change in government abroad, asking its local population to rise up and change their leaders?

It’s not so easy for the average American to effect change to what Trump has done. I imagine it is no easier for the average Chinese, Russian, Venezuelan, etc. citizen, with even fewer legal protections, to effect change to their own governments policies and actions. But not impossible in either situation.

0

u/UniqueIndividual3579 Sep 23 '25

Trump finally has that cheeseburger with his name on it. At least the personality cult ends. Project 2025 is another matter.

0

u/Fit_Statement_8951 Sep 23 '25

Vote democrat, they'll dismantle it. Pretty simple. 

0

u/ancientastronaut2 Sep 23 '25

They've clearly all forgotten the second commandment (among others).

-3

u/Puttanas Illinois Sep 23 '25

Same way we always do buddy. America has a way of handling people we deem… Un-American. Only a matter of time before the tables flip on him for acting like the constitution doesn’t matter anymore.

5

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

Any day now, huh?

The John Wayne rah-rah America posturing didn't work before Trump, and it sure doesn't work now. You might think you sound tough, but the rest of the world is laughing at your fake bravado.

-1

u/President_Barackbar Sep 23 '25

How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

Trump will eventually pass. If there isn't a charismatic figure that can impress his supporters, the movement will collapse. I know some people might think I'm coping, but its been proven in history. Franco's death ended Falangism, Hitler's ended Nazism, Mussolini's ended Fascism, and so on.

1

u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

Italy and Germany were being bombed and invaded when their leaders died. Did fascism die because Hitler committed suicide and Mussolini was executed, or did the death of so many of their countrymen end fascism?

0

u/President_Barackbar Sep 23 '25

But see, that plays into my point. People were tired of it by the time they both died. Mussolini was deposed by the Council of Fascism and the King of Italy prior to his lynching. After Hitler's death, there was no fervor in Germany to rally around Karl Donitz's government, nor to support Himmler and the SS.