That counts on the national leaders deciding not to massacre the citizens.
In 1989, East Germany was run by people who had grown up under the system, and we’re just doing their jobs. They weren’t true believers since East Germany was forced on them, and NONE of the founders were ever true believers. They weren’t about to lay down their lives to defend a country that isn’t even theirs, against their own countrymen who want to end it.
But MAGA is new, and it is still being run by MAGA zealots, who are still in the midst of achieving their dream. They won’t give up so easily, and since they believe they have ALL the power, politically and militarily, they will deploy that power before they surrender, especially since they know that surrender is likely to be accompanied by very harsh consequences.
I don’t WANT it, but I have a degree in history, and have studied this stuff a lot, and the window for peaceful resolution is closing quickly.
We have one, perhaps two more chances to get out of this with minimal violence, and those are the next two elections, and we only get the second chance if survive the first one, this November.
There is no way the Midterms go off without MAGA Molestation. Even if the Dems manage to come out of it with at least one chamber flip, MAGA will REFUSE to acknowledge or accept it, Johnson will refuse to swear them in, and after all this talk about Constitutional Crisis, we will have a real one.
And even if we get past this one, it will just kick the can down to a bigger battle in 2028. These people threw a violent Insurrection when the weak Biden administration was coming in to do nothing. Now MAGA knows for sure that the Dems won’t squander the next opportunity. Their freedom DEFINITELY is on the line, and for some of them, perhaps even their lives.
They have access to the biggest military the world has ever known, and they are already threatening to use them on us. They already have paramilitary Death Squads roaming the streets, breaking out into spontaneous firing squads and executing innocent Americans. We are already having a violent revolution, and it will get far worse before it gets better.
I highly disagree with the people saying peaceful protest is working.
It’s not fucking working you goddamn idiots. Look around in the cities where ICE is deployed. Sure they’re being harassed and getting annoyed about having to be there, but holy shit you do not want to frustrate someone with such little impulse control as these fascist fucktards. They’re still going around beating innocent civilians, kidnapping them from their homes and right off the fucking street when they leave work; they’re going around shooting people in the back for trying to administer aid to another insured person.
Holy shit how can they still be this fucking dense?
It absolutely is! And we haven’t even tried our most powerful non-violent tactic yet: a proper, long-term, nation wide General Strike.
The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor, allowing us to simply ignore the democrats and their lack of spine, and instead demand real changes (abolishing ICE should be towards the top of the list).
That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would’ve had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.
There are some concrete steps all of us can take toward enacting that hard-core general strike to make it more viable and bearable for us all. (the titles below expand if you click them).
Learn First Aid! ⛑️
As we’re seeing, deadly violence is being used against us and it will only continue. It extremely important to have the skills to be able to keep yourself and others alive if they get hurt.
Tacticool Girlfriend provides a great introduction to building a personal first aid kit, called an IFAK, which can deal with things like bullet wounds and other serious bleeding wounds. I also want to emphasize her recommendation of only buying medical gear from reputable sources (not Amazon!), such as North American Rescue to avoid fakes that could cost you your life.
But you’ll need to learn how to use that equipment, too. The best resource for that is to take a local Stop The Bleed class, which are pretty widely available in most places. They may cost a small fee, but can also sometimes be free. Alternatively, if you cannot access a local class, this video by PrepMedic will give you a solid understanding of how to use Tourniquets and Gauze for wound packing.
Injuries are less harmful if they are tended to early. Learning first aid can help conserve resources when healthcare becomes unaffordable. Having several medics in case of harm by police is an extremely powerful morale booster during a protest that may become a police riot. When you become comfortable with the basics of first aid, riot medicine is the next suggested step.
Establish or join local Mutual Aid networks ✊
If you haven’t already, get to know your neighbors. Mutual aid is a willingness to support and grow your community. This can include informal networks through friends, tenant/renter organizations, solidarity groups, and industrial unions.
These are groups using direct action to solve each other’s problems. Building strong communities makes it difficult for fascism to take root. The actions of the government are going to hit every community hard, and the ones who build trust in each other and work together are most likely to survive. We’ve been building a list of resources in !inperson@slrpnk.net to help you on your way. Also check out this handy guide to find existing groups in your area.
This isn’t only for your own community protection. Your ability to organize today will change the political landscape tomorrow. When revolution occurs, the social organizations that show the greatest resilience through the regime are the ones typically calling the shots when the dust settles. When it comes to elections, get out the vote drives are useless if most of the voters are fascists. At some point, you have to do grassroots political education if you don’t want fascist candidates winning elections. Mutual aid networks are excellent forums not only for teaching each other good political ideas, but demonstrating them in practice.
Join a Union and Prepare for an even longer General Strike! 💪
If you aren’t in a union (or even if you are, it’s worth dual-carding), consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you’ll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike). A General Strike is officially planned by the UAW for May 1st 2028, but it was planned before Trump was elected, and by then may be too late, so prepare now for one that may start sooner.
And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn’t listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they’ll help you set up a new local branch.
Sometimes benign seeming efforts can turn into unexpected personal data collecting traps. Like an obscure website for exchanging contact info with other students turning into a global ad-tech surveillance network (Facebook), or innocent seeming online personality tests being use to harvest character profiles. Even Etsy, Reddit, Tinder, and Duolingo are feeding information to US Government Agencies like ICE.
Security culture is commonly used to describe the general awareness of such potential traps and how it can affect groups or entire communities. This goes beyond mere individual privacy efforts, as without joint efforts these often fail to work.
Especially in activist circles, security culture is paramount. For opsec reasons not everyone in the group might be aware of what clandestine efforts others are involved in, but with a general security culture many potential data leaks can be avoided.
Movements are made by the volume of their participants, and the easier and less dangerous it is to participate, the more people will get involved. As more people get involved, individual involvement becomes even less dangerous, creating a virtuous cycle.
We’ll start it off with some General Advice:
Mentally wall off personal uniquely identifying info from your online presence, actively build a habit of opsec so that withholding information is your default mental state
Be careful about who you meet online
Use different, unrelated usernames, passwords & emails for every account. And try not to connect to those accounts with your real IP address (use Tor or a VPN)
Be mindful that anything done online leaves a trail
agents provocateurs may seek to find patsies willing to perform an ill-advised illegal activity in order to legitimize police repression. If someone is trying to pressure you, especially if you don’t have a long and proven history with them, be extremely wary.
For a full guide on what encrypted communications platforms to use, and how to stay off the radar, read the Digital Camouflage section within the Monthly Meta post here (you’ll need to scroll down. I’d add it here, but it won’t fit in this comment).
Peaceful revolution is not possible if the people being revolted against don’t understand or accept that violent revolution is a possible escalation. MLK was only successful because Malcom X was the alternative.
And MLK was assassinated, and Malcom X were assassinated. There is suspicion that the US government knew there were credible threats against Malcom X and did nothing. FBI Actively harassed MLK.
No, it isn’t. There is no world where fascists with nukes go peacefully. You can only conjure narratives that manipulate what constitutes violence and when the “revolution” is contained to perpetuate the liberal myth that imperialism can somehow be reformed into something righteous and non-violent.
Foundationally, the United States is the most destructive, brutal empire the world has ever seen even if just by merit of the technological moment it has existed in. People have fought it and died in the millions – whether in the imperial periphery or in the metropole – and the consequences of a world battered by its interests will be incalculable. If tomorrow the fascists and capitalists gave up for no reason and went “peacefully,” the process leading up that would still be the most violent in history.
Liberals will call tree spiking violence when the only consequence is a damaged logcutter and an invasion peaceful so long as it abides by their interests. Violence was indispensable in the production of every device that would be used during a “peaceful” revolution in the US, and I doubt people who want a peaceful revolution in the US would fight and die for forced labourers anywhere in the global south who certainly don’t have peace as a vector of resistance.
None of this is suddenly peaceful because white people are threatened more than they used to be and now have to worry about having to fight for themselves. I am so goddamn tired of seeing liberals show up to antifascist resistance acting like they know better.
Yeah, as much as I think that the events unfolding requires guillotines and a revolution, it’s clear that Trump is trying to provoke the people to invoke the Insurrection Act. I don’t want to say do not be afraid to start one, if it weren’t for the fact that the opposition is not united and unprepared for a potential conflict. It’s going to be like the Spanish Civil War, where the factions of anti-fascists-- the liberals, socialists, anarchists and communists-- were too busy shooting at each other than at fascists, which made Franco won the civil war and ushered in 40 years of totalitarianism.
The American left really needs to think about the possibility of a civil war if electoralism fails. Who’s going to organise and lead the opposition? Trump is Franco who has the military and support of Russia should it come to it. The American anti-fascists may not have one.
Don’t let the cynics and idiots get to you. You are right.
I remind people here, often to their irritation, that Mussolini was not defeated and dragged out of his headquarters by a plucky band of diverse rebels with a vibrant mix of skillsets… he was arrested and handed over to the opposition party by his own king and the Italian government. While a lot of that had to do with the allies rampaging across occupied Europe, it also came from a lot of internal pressure and the existing government knowing that their situation was unsustainable.
Nobody wants to rebuild a government, it’s not that fucking easy, no matter how many utterly childish lemmy kids and redditors scream and rant about “revolutions” we still have hundreds of millions of Americans who are comfortable and uninterested in going out and getting shot for abstract reasons.
Please remember that a Peaceful Revolution is possible.
That counts on the national leaders deciding not to massacre the citizens.
In 1989, East Germany was run by people who had grown up under the system, and we’re just doing their jobs. They weren’t true believers since East Germany was forced on them, and NONE of the founders were ever true believers. They weren’t about to lay down their lives to defend a country that isn’t even theirs, against their own countrymen who want to end it.
But MAGA is new, and it is still being run by MAGA zealots, who are still in the midst of achieving their dream. They won’t give up so easily, and since they believe they have ALL the power, politically and militarily, they will deploy that power before they surrender, especially since they know that surrender is likely to be accompanied by very harsh consequences.
This won’t be peaceful.
We are still far from widespread social disruption, as much as a weird number of people think they want that outcome.
I don’t WANT it, but I have a degree in history, and have studied this stuff a lot, and the window for peaceful resolution is closing quickly.
We have one, perhaps two more chances to get out of this with minimal violence, and those are the next two elections, and we only get the second chance if survive the first one, this November.
There is no way the Midterms go off without MAGA Molestation. Even if the Dems manage to come out of it with at least one chamber flip, MAGA will REFUSE to acknowledge or accept it, Johnson will refuse to swear them in, and after all this talk about Constitutional Crisis, we will have a real one.
And even if we get past this one, it will just kick the can down to a bigger battle in 2028. These people threw a violent Insurrection when the weak Biden administration was coming in to do nothing. Now MAGA knows for sure that the Dems won’t squander the next opportunity. Their freedom DEFINITELY is on the line, and for some of them, perhaps even their lives.
They have access to the biggest military the world has ever known, and they are already threatening to use them on us. They already have paramilitary Death Squads roaming the streets, breaking out into spontaneous firing squads and executing innocent Americans. We are already having a violent revolution, and it will get far worse before it gets better.
I highly disagree with the people saying peaceful protest is working.
It’s not fucking working you goddamn idiots. Look around in the cities where ICE is deployed. Sure they’re being harassed and getting annoyed about having to be there, but holy shit you do not want to frustrate someone with such little impulse control as these fascist fucktards. They’re still going around beating innocent civilians, kidnapping them from their homes and right off the fucking street when they leave work; they’re going around shooting people in the back for trying to administer aid to another insured person.
Holy shit how can they still be this fucking dense?
It absolutely is! And we haven’t even tried our most powerful non-violent tactic yet: a proper, long-term, nation wide General Strike.
The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor, allowing us to simply ignore the democrats and their lack of spine, and instead demand real changes (abolishing ICE should be towards the top of the list).
That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would’ve had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.
There are some concrete steps all of us can take toward enacting that hard-core general strike to make it more viable and bearable for us all. (the titles below expand if you click them).
Learn First Aid! ⛑️
As we’re seeing, deadly violence is being used against us and it will only continue. It extremely important to have the skills to be able to keep yourself and others alive if they get hurt.
Tacticool Girlfriend provides a great introduction to building a personal first aid kit, called an IFAK, which can deal with things like bullet wounds and other serious bleeding wounds. I also want to emphasize her recommendation of only buying medical gear from reputable sources (not Amazon!), such as North American Rescue to avoid fakes that could cost you your life.
But you’ll need to learn how to use that equipment, too. The best resource for that is to take a local Stop The Bleed class, which are pretty widely available in most places. They may cost a small fee, but can also sometimes be free. Alternatively, if you cannot access a local class, this video by PrepMedic will give you a solid understanding of how to use Tourniquets and Gauze for wound packing.
Injuries are less harmful if they are tended to early. Learning first aid can help conserve resources when healthcare becomes unaffordable. Having several medics in case of harm by police is an extremely powerful morale booster during a protest that may become a police riot. When you become comfortable with the basics of first aid, riot medicine is the next suggested step.
Establish or join local Mutual Aid networks ✊
If you haven’t already, get to know your neighbors. Mutual aid is a willingness to support and grow your community. This can include informal networks through friends, tenant/renter organizations, solidarity groups, and industrial unions.
These are groups using direct action to solve each other’s problems. Building strong communities makes it difficult for fascism to take root. The actions of the government are going to hit every community hard, and the ones who build trust in each other and work together are most likely to survive. We’ve been building a list of resources in !inperson@slrpnk.net to help you on your way. Also check out this handy guide to find existing groups in your area.
This isn’t only for your own community protection. Your ability to organize today will change the political landscape tomorrow. When revolution occurs, the social organizations that show the greatest resilience through the regime are the ones typically calling the shots when the dust settles. When it comes to elections, get out the vote drives are useless if most of the voters are fascists. At some point, you have to do grassroots political education if you don’t want fascist candidates winning elections. Mutual aid networks are excellent forums not only for teaching each other good political ideas, but demonstrating them in practice.
Join a Union and Prepare for an even longer General Strike! 💪
If you aren’t in a union (or even if you are, it’s worth dual-carding), consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you’ll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike). A General Strike is officially planned by the UAW for May 1st 2028, but it was planned before Trump was elected, and by then may be too late, so prepare now for one that may start sooner.
And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn’t listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they’ll help you set up a new local branch.
Adopt Security Culture and Digital Camouflage 🛡️
Sometimes benign seeming efforts can turn into unexpected personal data collecting traps. Like an obscure website for exchanging contact info with other students turning into a global ad-tech surveillance network (Facebook), or innocent seeming online personality tests being use to harvest character profiles. Even Etsy, Reddit, Tinder, and Duolingo are feeding information to US Government Agencies like ICE.
Security culture is commonly used to describe the general awareness of such potential traps and how it can affect groups or entire communities. This goes beyond mere individual privacy efforts, as without joint efforts these often fail to work.
Especially in activist circles, security culture is paramount. For opsec reasons not everyone in the group might be aware of what clandestine efforts others are involved in, but with a general security culture many potential data leaks can be avoided.
Movements are made by the volume of their participants, and the easier and less dangerous it is to participate, the more people will get involved. As more people get involved, individual involvement becomes even less dangerous, creating a virtuous cycle.
We’ll start it off with some General Advice:
For a full guide on what encrypted communications platforms to use, and how to stay off the radar, read the Digital Camouflage section within the Monthly Meta post here (you’ll need to scroll down. I’d add it here, but it won’t fit in this comment).
I’d also highly recommend Full Spectrum Resistance to anyone who wants further info on how to resist (audiobook version here).
Peaceful revolution is not possible if the people being revolted against don’t understand or accept that violent revolution is a possible escalation. MLK was only successful because Malcom X was the alternative.
And MLK was assassinated, and Malcom X were assassinated. There is suspicion that the US government knew there were credible threats against Malcom X and did nothing. FBI Actively harassed MLK.
No, it isn’t. There is no world where fascists with nukes go peacefully. You can only conjure narratives that manipulate what constitutes violence and when the “revolution” is contained to perpetuate the liberal myth that imperialism can somehow be reformed into something righteous and non-violent.
Foundationally, the United States is the most destructive, brutal empire the world has ever seen even if just by merit of the technological moment it has existed in. People have fought it and died in the millions – whether in the imperial periphery or in the metropole – and the consequences of a world battered by its interests will be incalculable. If tomorrow the fascists and capitalists gave up for no reason and went “peacefully,” the process leading up that would still be the most violent in history.
Liberals will call tree spiking violence when the only consequence is a damaged logcutter and an invasion peaceful so long as it abides by their interests. Violence was indispensable in the production of every device that would be used during a “peaceful” revolution in the US, and I doubt people who want a peaceful revolution in the US would fight and die for forced labourers anywhere in the global south who certainly don’t have peace as a vector of resistance.
None of this is suddenly peaceful because white people are threatened more than they used to be and now have to worry about having to fight for themselves. I am so goddamn tired of seeing liberals show up to antifascist resistance acting like they know better.
Yeah, as much as I think that the events unfolding requires guillotines and a revolution, it’s clear that Trump is trying to provoke the people to invoke the Insurrection Act. I don’t want to say do not be afraid to start one, if it weren’t for the fact that the opposition is not united and unprepared for a potential conflict. It’s going to be like the Spanish Civil War, where the factions of anti-fascists-- the liberals, socialists, anarchists and communists-- were too busy shooting at each other than at fascists, which made Franco won the civil war and ushered in 40 years of totalitarianism.
The American left really needs to think about the possibility of a civil war if electoralism fails. Who’s going to organise and lead the opposition? Trump is Franco who has the military and support of Russia should it come to it. The American anti-fascists may not have one.
Don’t let the cynics and idiots get to you. You are right.
I remind people here, often to their irritation, that Mussolini was not defeated and dragged out of his headquarters by a plucky band of diverse rebels with a vibrant mix of skillsets… he was arrested and handed over to the opposition party by his own king and the Italian government. While a lot of that had to do with the allies rampaging across occupied Europe, it also came from a lot of internal pressure and the existing government knowing that their situation was unsustainable.
Nobody wants to rebuild a government, it’s not that fucking easy, no matter how many utterly childish lemmy kids and redditors scream and rant about “revolutions” we still have hundreds of millions of Americans who are comfortable and uninterested in going out and getting shot for abstract reasons.