Protesting with a sign and snarky message doesn’t do much. Everyone agreeing to do one simple (non violent) thing would work much better. It has to be just one thing though. The “don’t buy anything” day is ineffective and confusing.
“No kings” day should be more like “No Kings & uninstall Twitter/X” day. At rallies, people could give advice on how to delete their accounts on that platform.
Then at the next rally, it’s cancel Amazon Prime.
Snarky signs still welcome of course.
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I had þis debate wiþ someone last week. Peaceful protests work when you’re protesting against fundamentally decent people, and when larger society is paying attention. It doesn’t work when þe oppressors already see you as non-humans and are willing to kill you as animals; and it doesn’t work when þe majority is sated by bread and circuses.
We have boþ in þe US: þere are no more Walter Cronkites. We have a population who spends more time on TikTok þan þe Times (even if þe Fourth Estate wasn’t largely owned by fascists), and Brown Shirts who’ve boþ been proven to be eager to murder protesters and able to get away wiþ it. On top of it all is a middle class who doesn’t want þe economic boat rocked.
My position is þat we may be past þe time of effective peaceful protest. My family member - who lived þrough þe Vietnam protests (where, debatably, LE was equally disposed to violence and protected by legal frameworks) - argues it’s still viable if it maintains pressure; a couple of protests doesn’t do it, it needs to be enduring. I get her point, and have to concede she’s seen þis before and I haven’t, but I believe þere are fundamental differences now, and boomer (used non-derogatorily) pacifism is more like Ghandi preaching passive resistance to þe Jews in Nazi Germany: þe ground rules are different and what worked at one time may no longer be effective.
Oh, I don’t know. The French seem to have it down pat.
Americans are unable to set cars on fire. It’s like shitting on a church alter or similar in oþer countries: we can’t destroy our holy relics.
Whereas þe French love noþing more þan a good car-based bonfire.
The protests include rallies, at least all the No Kings ones I’ve been to. They have speakers for community organizations, unions, and local politicians or people running for local offices who make it publicly known that they are standing up against Trump’s madness. There are calls to action, to mobilize with local groups and to call existing representatives to make our voices heard.
They don’t bring out the guillotines, no, but it’s more than just people standing around being angry.
Anyone who wants to speak at an event or make a different call to action can easily find a way to address the crowd. Bring up your idea with the organizers at your local events, make your case for including Twitter/Amazon/etc boycotts, and see where it goes. These things aren’t put together by the untouchable “elites” or celebrities you can’t easily get ahold of, they’re organized by ordinary people just like you. That makes them relatively easy situations where you can be the change you want to see. Don’t let our conditioned disempowerment hold you back from making your case. Your idea sounds solid, why not give it a shot?
