No one with any real power to make meaningful change cares, because they’re benefiting personally.
They’re the ones silently benefiting?
Yeah, those guys.
This is kinda the message I’ve been tip toeing around but it’s hard. I see this woman, she doesn’t look like the people I know who are struggling. She may just put up a good front but you put a struggling single mom working 3 jobs to make the bills in her place and she would break down crying having to say these things.
So we need to add to the message, something that sinks in deep… most Americans are already MAGA. They turn their head, and plug their nose but in their heart of hearts they will accept MAGA government, they will accept MAGA rule, and they know when the killing starts they will accept that too. Otherwise, we would have been in the streets weeks ago.
Most Americans are already MAGA.
Most Americans are not MAGA.
Don’t forget, more people voted against Trump than for him.
Now is the time to build coalition. It starts with one person talking to one other.
There are people fighting. There are judges across the nation blocking the bullshit that they can. There are lawyers suing to stall and block what they can as well. That’s feet on the ground legal action. There are also federal employees refusing to leave their jobs.
Politicians are in a tough spot. Republicans control every branch of the government. But we both know if the Dems had this much control they wouldn’t be able to get anything passed, so i don’t really know.
Dems should be screaming bloody murder and pitchforking DC nonstop. Other than a very few of them i haven’t the foggiest what they’re spending their days doing.
Assuming you are American and are referring to the American government, here’s what I think:
What I will say may be polemical. Brace yourself. I understand if you accuse me of being naive, a puppet of the Illuminati, or blind. Here’s what I believe: the future is democratic.
How can I possibly say that when Trump is in power, destroying democratic institutions like a bull in a cybertruck store?
(you know cybertruck, the car that breaks easily and cooks its passengers)
It is evident that Trump is an authoritarian populist. <details> <summary> Here’s what I mean by that. </summary> Authoritarian because he disregards democratic processes. His supporters don’t care that he may shackle them and put his hand on their mouths to never speak again. They are fine with that, as long as he builds The Swamp of America, a land where people are obsessed with their own bellybuttons, where everyone works like robots that never question the dogma shoved into their throats, and where corporations can bulldoze and burn the planet and still receive a pat in the back from The Orange Swamp Man because ape see number go up.
And populist because Trump is an Olympic athlete in the highly-unpopular sport of Never Picking Up A Book. Sorry if you already know the rules, but I personally didn’t know them until gramps revealed them to me when he was practicing his TedX Talk, How to Burn Books Without Picking Them Up. The sport itself (Never Picking Up A Book) involves playing golf, watching Fox News, and doom-scrolling on Facebook. Those are the traditional rules, but the lack of viewership lead the international committee to update the rules in the mid 2010s. Under the new rules, extra points are awarded to athletes who insult anyone who knows what they’re talking about. As you can see, populism here means systematically disregarding and discrediting expert opinions, and instead do things so that the populists’ fragile ego is not hurt. </details>
And it is evident that America is currently experiencing a democratic backlash. There was too much freedom for people, too much freedom to choose who to be and what to do with their lives. People were questioning why things are the way they are. People were questioning why they have to slave away their lives paying college debt, medical debt, and mortgages. People were questioning why drunk Bezos, Musk, and Epstein tightly held the rail of their yacht while vomiting gold-infused vodka into The Swamp of America. The people who most extracted wealth from American people did not want to pay back or invest in its people.
Americans were ripped off by a swindler who sold them a beautiful knife. The knife itself wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the instructions were hard to follow. Americans have found it difficult to hold the smile on their face while stabbing themselves and twisting.
It’s important to note that not everyone bought the knife and stabbed themselves. Trump won by a slim margin and Trump is highly unpopular. Those of you who are still alive and well can do something about it. In fact, I’m willing to bet you will, because undemocratic governments do not survive democratic electorates.
How so? Imagine this scenario: Give a man a book and he may never pick it up. Teach a man to read and he’ll silently look around, noticing a lack of development and freedom. Teach men, women, children—everyone to read and you’ll have a bustling conversation. “Really? Is that fair?” “Why does the richest man on Earth not want to invest in the roads that his products use? Why does he not want to invest in the people that made him rich?” “My wife and I had bad accidents and we can’t work. Is our society so selfish that it doesn’t care about us?” This may seem cartoonish, but this is how people realize there’s a mismatch between the elite’s way of extracting and hoarding privileges and how everyday people see the situation.
Each critical thought, each enlightening conversation makes the pressure grow, like a balloon getting pregnant with air, ready to burst at any moment.
All of this language may seem allegorical, metaphorical, out of touch, and absurd. But it is based on decades of research on how democracies are formed and sustained. Check out this article and its cited literature if you’re interested: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/why-the-future-is-democratic/
As to what you can do, I’d recommend learning how to frame discussions. I am learning how to do it. It enables me to have conversations with people in such a way that they understand me, truly understand me, even if they were previously unable to because of Trump brainwashing. And it works https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12501 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337861541_Moral_reframing_A_technique_for_effective_and_persuasive_communication_across_political_divides (sorry for the paywal; you can usually email academics and they’ll send you the text, or you can find alternative texts or sources).
Вот сейчас вы нас поймёте
Technically speaking, you’re looking at what most voters thought they wanted. Seems like the people with the most means and influence are in favor of what’s happening too.
Are most voters easily conned? Sure. The NSDAP won its early seats freely until the other parties were outlawed.
You can at least take solace in that with the deconstruction of federal institutions, your state government and state institutions wield comparatively more power. Don’t live in a poor and/or conservative state I guess?
Not what most people* wanted. Thats why the US isnt a democracy
In this case, it is. The Republican candidate actually won the overall popular vote. Was this because of voter apathy? Probably. But we’re talking about “what the people who cared enough to vote” wanted.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election
Lots of people didn’t vote because there was no candidate for them on the ballot. That’s a failure of democracy, not the people
But sometimes you have to pick the least worst option. Or did they genuinely believe Harris would be worse?
In a democracy, you dont have to pick the least worst option. The US needs to fix their elections systems to become a democracy.
Blame the elections systems. Focus your energy on fixing that.
This might come across as dickish, but is intended sincerely: through what channels could they have an impact? Republicans now control literally every branch of government. The only things that I’d imagine MIGHT be effective enough:
1.) Military coup led by someone who could appeal to sense of duty and pull over a significant chunk of the military. Very unlikely, but theoretically effective.
2.) Very criminal actions that most people of means aren’t likely to entertain as failure means losing their lives one way or another.
3.) Disruptive, mass protests akin to the Arab Spring or similar for an extended period. Which Americans have never really done and which realistically probably just equates to civil war in the current environment.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t think there’s an easy solution, even for those of means actively in government in this moment. You could be a literal judge or Congressman and it would mean jack shit right now. I think #3 is the most likely to maybe eventually happen, if any, but it’ll take a loooooot to finally get enough of us there.
General strike
We literally dont have to do much. We have to stop doing things. They only make money because of us. Stop working and the power quickly becomes ours.
They only make money because of us.
Lemmy told me the other day that isn’t true. Apparently they’re so rich that their money keeps coming in without us because… Know what, the argument was so dumb I can’t articulate it.
We’ll never strike. Best these people can do is quiet quitting and mumbling about capitalism.
But yeah, a general strike is the most powerful tool I know of.
Apparently they’re so rich that their money keeps coming in without us because…
I mean, this is true. They can do nothing and probably make millions on interest. That said, it doesn’t mean a general strike wouldn’t be effective. While the normal person would be perfectly happy with millions coming in every year for doing literally nothing, these people aren’t satisfied unless they are making billions off the labor of others while they do nothing.
I cant tell you how much I support and love you. You have my complete admiration, I’m not joking. Anything you need and I’m there.
I just think there are lots of people that can speak on all of this intelligently and they feel no need to chime in. They are perfectly fine with the media circus and make no attempt to counter the idiot narratives.
I guess they obviously don’t exist, though. If they had the means and care they would have already appeared. 350 million people in the US and I’m all you got you poor souls.
When I worked in this stuff, I was personally aware of Republican members of Congress who saw what Trump was and were trying to stop it, back when he was first appearing on the scene. They all either crawled in bed with him once he won, got run out of DC, or sometimes both!
I worked for a law firm that handled relevant federal employee/whistleblower matters. And another organization that attempted to scream about what was happening at OMB, OPM, GSA, etc…etc…
Among the challenges faced by the law firm were the fact that Trump was intentionally gutting/paralyzing the various labor boards and other aspects of the civil service. It was very targeted and intentional. It was a purge, just not the killing part (yet). But as with those screamed warnings about OPM, OMB, etc… who on earth cares and was reading them? You start talking about the evil shit happening at the Office of Management and Budget and eyes instantly glaze over. Even in DC. Even with reporters. It’s too much to make bite sized and sexy. It doesn’t break through the fog/Grey zone shit.
So it runs in some shitty trade publication read by a few hundred people and they all already agree, but have the same response. “So what do we do!?” But the systems that were supposed to be there either aren’t there anymore, were already gutted while nobody was paying attention to the real, wonky, day to day business of running a government, or just don’t work in an otherwise corroded system. Hell, I personally made efforts and lost friends, family, and a career over this shit starting in like 2014. This has been coming for awhile. We’re officially in it until we’re not.
Sorry for being so hopeless and negative, but I feel pretty hopeless and negative right now.
How about this, George Soros me up and I’ll stir the shit for them.
The people with means think they will avoid being victims of the surveillance state
People didn’t care when Biden was funding genocide, this is just the inevitable next step. Your Democrat reps will send strongly-worded letters to let Republicans know how upset they are.
Do people care that trump will fund a genocide?
They would have it Democrats said they would stop unconditionally supporting Israel.
I mean yes. Gaza protests are still ongoing.
I’m talking more about trump stopping all aid to Ukraine
So first, that’s not funding a genocide unless he literally gives Russia money. Second, people also care about that, but he surprisingly hasn’t done it in between his destruction of America so I’m not sure what you want anyone to do here.
Do you know the name of the member of your state’s House of Representatives that represents your district? When was the last time you spoke to your federal representative? Do he/she not answer your calls because they have to many constituents? Talk to people in your neighborhood about the need for more representatives in the house.
All sovereign power comes from the people. Read: you are that guy.
I can be polite and wont ham fist political conversations but yeah, don’t give me an opening, I’ll drive the knife in.
No we are not. Our “representatives” listen to their corporate masters, the ones who line their pockets and fund their campaigns. They don’t listen to us.
This is a great way to deflect legitimate blame from the Democratic party representatives and operatives who actually deserve it, as if it isn’t their goddamn job to listen to voters.
Yeah, that person’s comment reads like a corporation blaming the individual because they don’t recycle enough, as if the individual’s recycling habits are in any way comparable to the widespread pollution corporations create.
Unless you’re a billionaire or willing to go player 2, you have no meaningful power to change any of this. What you do have the power to do is make your own little corner of the world slightly better, and everyone should.
How can they listen to the voters if the voters never speak to them. My comment was not on the DNC or RNC but on the core of all forms of representative democracies.
Also, those same fucking voters keep electing the same decrepit representatives, so why should they (the reps) be expected to rock their money boat?
Have you tried enacting change and getting third party elected? Are you seriously blaming the voters as if they ever had more than 2 choices?
Yes I have. I’ve worked to get progressives elected. I’ve walked precincts to encourage people to vote. I did that shit for decades. And shit just got worse. What I see, over and over, is fuckers bitching about 2 choices who never even bothered to vote in the primaries, you know, when you usually actually have a choice. Complaints about 2 party system, first past the post, etc. are absolutely legitimate, but it comes down to the fact that these people are elected. So yes, I am blaming the voters. A little less than 50% of the stupid fuckers still think shit-for-brains trump is doing a great job.
They’re busy failing to uphold their oaths as we lose our democracy because they live in comfort without fear.
We should change that.
You have more power than you realize, but not alone. Organize.
The younger generation has a problem with externalizing their issues to others without feeling responsible for these issues themselves.
There is always some other party with influence and power who should take care of them like a parent and when they don’t, everything is the fault of that “parent”.
For example, it’s the “DNCs fault” we’re in the state we’re in apparently even though a lot of people didn’t vote and encouraged others not to vote. The democrat party is not some nebulous nefarious entity that exists to cater to your whims. It’s made up of people. People like you who got together with other people to try to enact their views and vision for the country.
If you don’t like that vision, you need to get with other people who share your vision, start from the ground up, win local elections and start changing the party bit by bit. But this is hard work and much more difficult than screaming that the octogenarian politicians are ruining your life when nobody your age is actually doing anything to replace them because no younger people want to become career politicians.
Except when Democrats look at things their people want like universal healthcare or people they support like Bernie and just refuse to do them.
Sounds like the point went completely over your head.
My friend, you deserve (I don’t know) some money or maybe a cupcake with like really nice frosting for this comment.
The younger generation has a problem with making or receiving phone calls. I wouldn’t look to them to organize a D&D game.
You’re just not reading any news at all, huh?
