“No Kings is a non-violent movement that continues to rise stronger, and we’re uniting once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people.”
“No Kings is a non-violent movement that continues to rise stronger, and we’re uniting once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people.”
I went to the last Chicago one… And while there is some solace in the feeling of being there and seeing a massive crowd of others opposing this fascist movement, I really couldn’t shake the feeling that it feels like a glorified parade.
The route is planned out, the police cooperate to close the roads, everyone marches together and chants and then goes home.
Peaceful is one thing but a planned out disruption that’s barely a disruption is just… Are we honestly doing much?
The point of these protests is networking. They’re not supposed to solve the problem, they’re supposed to connect you with like-minded people so you can organize actually meaningful actions like sabotage a la Palestine Action.
Resistance is hard work, you don’t get to just show up and light some shit on fire and expect the fascists to go home.
Well, what would you do if you didn’t go? If the answer is nothing, then yes. You are achieving far more attending, and showing the world just how many people oppose this evil regime.
But sure, go start a riot instead. I’m sure that won’t backfire during a time when Trump is painting blue cities and people as violent and in need of his authoritarian intervention.
Protests are an opportunity to engage people in deeper activism. Any org worth its salt will be there trying to recruit people to get them involved in stuff that actually matters.
It’s a relief valve.
You go out, accomplish nothing, get a warm fuzzy feeling, and then you won’t do anything “crazy” that might actually enable change
i disagree. i think connecting people is by far the most important function of protests like these. you can find all sorts of groups doing real work on the ground, both in opposition to the current regime & for the good of their local communities. events like protests bring them together to help them recruit, cross-pollinate, and share ideas and resources.
if you’re just going to protests and leaving without interacting with anybody then yeah it’s not gonna be an effective use of your time.
At least where I’m from, most people treat it as a mix between tailgating and a parade…
Which is fine and all, it is pretty fun.
But anyone who tells you it’s productive, is at best ignorant. And if they’re on TV they’re likely paid by billionaires to manufacturere an environment where the worst that happens to billionaires is their drone employees are mildly inconvenienced.
last i checked i was on lemmy, not tv. and like i said, it’s as productive as you make it. if you just wanna have a good time and shoot the shit then good on you. if you’re pissed off and you want to do something about the current situation, then there’s no better place to meet people who are in the same boat and are trying to band together.
…
Welp, thanks for trying I guess.
But clearly this isn’t productive
maybe don’t raise irrelevant strawmen if you don’t want them summarily dismissed? idk bud it’s a shame to hear political activity isn’t working for you.
I’m not surprised it feels that way in a liberal city, but we elsewhere in the United States really do look at numbers from your large protests as a litmus of general disatisfaction and willingness to act. People are still taking about the collective size of the first round of protests that happened.
Anyway, I went last Saturday and handed out tiny flyers with info on the gen strike. That felt productive.
to hit capitalism, you have to stop the flow of money upwards and have immediate demands.
something like the railroad strike could have been it, for example.
You’re not doing anything except making friends