General Strike

[Peloso]

I've been hearing talk of a general strike as a way to protest everything from trump's tariffs to his administration in general. My initial thoughts were that Americans are too prissy and selfish to do things like cancel Netflix and forego buying those cute shoes with the reinforced heels so you don't have to suffer the soul crushing agony of using your fingers as a shoehorn.

But the success of the Disney boycott impressed me, assuming the numbers are correct, which these days is anyone's guess.

How bad do you think things will have to get before Americans get onboard with a strike like this? Would you participate?

I would. I'm too poor to buy anything other than necessities, I'm barely able to work, plus I have a cat and a pile of unread books. Not a problem for me.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

The call went out over the summer for individuals and organizations across the nation to coordinate their activities to merge into "No Kings 2.0" set for 18 October 2025.

 

[Peloso]

^ Hopefully it will be bigger than last June.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

^ Hopefully it will be bigger than last June.

It's shaping up to be quite a day as so many groups and organizations didn't get the memo for the June event.

 

[rareboy]

It isn't a strike though. It is a protest. On a Saturday. That will, in large part, only be successful if the weather is good.

People in the US won't go out on a general strike...they have been conditioned into seeing it as a gateway to communism and anarchy based on what they have been told over and over again. And what they see in France. Or Italy. Where it is usually the socialists calling for a shutdown over something or other.

The thing with a fascist state is that it relies on a middle class afraid and unwilling to risk anything, because they have been promised security and some of the spoils of taking from the poor.

 

[Araucaria]

I agree that considering the dire situation we are in with the expanding fascist takeover, that a general strike which forces people in government out or a complete change of action by the government is the only solution I see. But the American public is just not there. In the first place I don't hear many people talking about one, so it's not on people's minds. In the second place, most Americans are too distracted by their creature comforts, entertainment, and toys to be bothered to actually do anything. And yes, a general strike would require great personal sacrifice and a general sense among the public that "we're all in this together." That might mean refusing to go to work for weeks, and refusing to pay your bills or buy anything-- all things which would have serious consequences for individuals. It would be a waiting game, since the general public would have to be determined to outlast the resistance and intransigence of the government and those in power to break the strike.

And as much as I applaud actions such as No Kings Day and other protests, all that will do is to make us feel good about making ourselves heard, while it will have no effect on government and policy. The bastards will just keep on doing what they've been doing, because there is nothing that can really stop them.

 

[NotHardUp1]

You're missing the simple fact that, in the regions where the left is in the minority, there is no right to work law, and you can be fired at will.

A strike is only a tool when you a) have a union, and b) when your employer must deal with your union.

If you don't think the lackeys out here in middle American won't fire a bunch of lefties to curry favor with the Miller crowd, guess again.

We're going to see multiple cycles of mutual masturbation feel-good No Kings rallies, and then we're going to see some kind of national crisis, protest rallies met with force, and then riots, possibly martial law, then civil war.

From a practical standpoint, it's academic how the GOP plans to stifle the midterms. They will. And they'll use illegal means to do so. At that time, we will either rise to fight the Insurrectionists in power, or we'll whimper and live in the shadow of who we were. I hope we'll die before giving up. We'll see soon.

 

[cityboy-stl]

It doesn't have to be a general strike. It just has to be the right people with the will and determination and courage. Will they? Probably not.

As far as the shutdown, the air traffic controllers could do it. They are working without pay now. For instance, "Figure this out by Wednesday, or we will ground the country".

 

[NotHardUp1]

^ Hopefully it will be bigger than last June.

I looked in my region, and the major cities that held them in June are NOT scheduled for now: not Huntsville and not Nashville.

I have the choice of joining tiny Athens, AL only 15 minutes drive from me, or Chattanooga, TN some two hours away, or Birmingham a siimilar distance.

Going local makes more sense, as it will make a greater showing in this region. Speak. Strike. Redress.

 

[rareboy]

Kind of related to this is the government's own general strike.

Want to know which services and employees are not essential to the GQP?

Here's the cut sheet.

 

[rareboy]