People here will literally tell you “I don’t want to hear about it” but then complain about the gas prices. It feels like a total Don’t Look Up moment.
Locking for rule 6.
Thats because Americans tend to be lazy, apathetic, and generally quite privileged. Most Americans dont want to think about their privilege nor about the suffering needed to perpetuate American dominance. They just want to live in comfort and thinking about these things make them deeply uncomfortable so most choose not to at all.
I think you put it perfectly
They’re like the rabbits in Watership Down who know they’re being farmed, but can’t admit it to themselves
I haven’t watched cnn for years but this weekend they started talking about “enemies of our country like Iran ….” where their starting assumption was that bombing Iran was a normal thing to do, so the rest of the newscast wasn’t worth listening to
Because there’s NOTHING we can do about it right now. Nothing.
they are in denial and don’t want to admit they made a mistake voting for trump.
As a foreigner witnessing my own people voting for some representatives that spread nothing but a desire to destroy all they can, here in France, the real question is: knowing what’s happening and if given a chance to travel back in time to change their vote, how many of them would still vote for the same candidate because they hate the other side more than they hate hurting themselves?
Too many, is the answer.
Base instincts to hurt others are just too strong.
If people are emotionally hurt, they abuse themself (throw themselves into work etc). What do you think would stop people from hurting/abusing others?
If people are emotionally hurt, they abuse themself (throw themselves into work etc). What do you think would stop people from hurting/abusing others?
That, I could not tell. What I can tell is that education was supposed to help fight that by helping all of us (not just ‘them’) learn to think more… adequately when faced with a problem. ie, to not decide on anything based only on…
Base instincts to hurt others are just too strong.
Here again, the only tool working against our instincts, all of them, is… education.
So, the failing of the public educative system that has been happening in the USA for the last few decades, a very similar failure to what is happening right here in France (since approx. the 70s-80s) and what is happening in way too many other democracies too, is the real issue.
At least, I think so. People not being educated in school is what’s making the situation real dramatic. And it could even be hopeless.
The school has been increasingly failing at teaching kids much of anything, and even less so how to properly think by not being taught:
- how to properly read books, aka being able to access and understand nuanced/complex information and ideas, and being to properly listen to people expressing nuanced ideas.
- how to write, aka how to properly express their own nuanced ideas and how to properly share them with one another.
- how to do math, even simple calculus, aka be able to manipulate basic logic and abstraction. Heck, how many kids are not even being taught how to properly read a clock anymore (the one with hands and numbers written all around… sorry, my English is really lacking here and I’m not sure what terms I should use) or even funnier how to read roman numerals on a clock? It’s obviously very symbolic but by not teaching kids how to read time on a clock, we’re kinda leaving left out of time trapping in an endless and formless present.
When you remove reading, writing, abstraction and thinking in a nuanced fashion from education, you stop creating citizens that will be able to manage living together in society, including with people they disagree with. All you’re left with are… basic instincts and gut feelings. And, like a wrote in another thread a few days ago: we all know that what usually come out of guts of our guts is not bright ideas, right?
Heck, I would even say that not properly teach them how to speak foreign languages we’re betraying kids. Including what we now wrongfully call dead language, Latin and Greek.
How many US citizens have no idea their precious Founding Fathers they’re so proud of were indeed real intellectual, real nerds that enjoyed books and could read them in a few languages, including Latin and Greek (including my own French, in which so many essential ideas were formalized around that time too, ideas that helped shape the revolutionaries ideals)?
Why is that not a requirement anymore? Do we really think we’re so much smarter than them, that they were too dumb to realize it was ‘a waste of their time’ to read dusty Latin and Greek, or some other language outside of English? Or can we start considering the idea that maybe, just maybe, they were reading those texts in the original, not in translation, because they realized it was giving them a direct, unmediated, unfiltered, uncensored access to essential ideas and thoughts that helped shape their own?
So to get back to your question, how could that trend change?
I have no certainty but I do think that if people started asking question about the failing of their public education, the damage that is being to their own kids. If they started investing their energy into educating again (there was a time back then when it meant something to get a diploma and, nope, it was not all about getting a better paying job). If they started doing that today, then in a few years maybe things could start moving in the right direction again.
But this would still take years and, what an odd coincidence, it happens we’re now being intensely educated to not tolerate being asked to wait a few days, or even a few instants, to get what we want. So, the idea of working for a few years without getting any immediate feedback is rather unlikely to happen, I’m afraid.
Meanwhile, while the public education, the one that is accessible to all kids no matter how wealth their family is, while this school is collapsing under its own and unprecedented level of stupidity, the private education system, the one that is accessible only to wealthy kids, is doing quite ok. But, obviously, than can only be another odd coincidence we should certainly not worry about: elites kids being properly educated while the wider population is being intensely un-educated.
I’m now waiting to see who will first explain it will be a good idea to suppress teacher’s jobs from the education as it will save so much money (like if school was supposed to be a business making money) and to replace them with AI… Another thing that is 100% owned by a handful of elites that will now also get to decide what and how kids will be educated… just not with their own kids, mind you, as those privileged few will keep on receiving proper education, aka human-made, in their fancy private schools.
So, putting books in the hands of kids. Even more so difficult books would be a good starting point.
Go read a biography of some of those founding fathers I mentioned, see what they were studying and reading when they were kids and compare that to the absolute garbage and pure non-sense today’s kids and teens are expected to… no even read anymore, because it’s too demanding to read. Well, it happens making a revolution (against the world first or second empire of back then, Britain), and creating a new republic based on democratic principle was a also quite demanding too. But here again, that is obviously just a mere coincidence and those people created the USA by sheer luck.
I think I agree with your points. The society today has become constrained that beyond work, there’s no reason to do any of this (enjoy reading books, talking in multiple languages, etc.) in adulthood.
How do people know to cherish this and train the next generation if they don’t do it in the first place?
How do people know to cherish this and train the next generation if they don’t do it in the first place?
Like with everything new: through trial and errors. Another essential thing our tech-ridden world tries so hard to make young people not realize: anything worth learning is hard work. Be it to ride a bike, to write and to read, to send a ship into space or to… walk.
Now, how is one to realize education is sorely lacking?
Imho, one needs to look at young generations and see how completely lost they feel and… act. My idea is that young people have not magically become dumber today than they were some 50 years ago. So, if they’re as smart as they used to, what else has changed that could explain that sad situation?
Quite obviously, the world around them has changed but fundamentals have not (people want food & shelter, sex and will work or do war to get that). Much more importantly imho, the real change happened between how people were educated back then and how they’re being educated today.
Why is that more important than any other change? Like I was saying earlier, education is what is supposed to help people think and be able to deal with problems, any type of problems. Give them a shitty education and they will deal with any problem in a shitty manner.
Right. This is exactly why I don’t talk to my family anymore.
Or that it was fine to not vote
Because they are directly responsible for it.
Republicans want whatever trump wants.
Centrist democrats want whatever netanyahu wants.
I’m on the left. What I want doesn’t matter and I’m tired of getting blamed because centrists have to pretend they don’t love everything turmp is doing.
For the Maga faithful its because they put so much of their identity into Trump and ignoring the othersides list of monsterous things him and his admin are doing.
For the rest of us its a matter of being informed and actually doing something. I find its better to focus on what you really know and care about and are willing to be invloved with, then trying to consume content about EVERY issue in the world.
They’re MAGA, and want to keep pretending that they haven’t broken the entire fucking world.
Trump is the kid that would come to your house to visit, and break YOUR toys.
The 1/3rd of eligible voters who didn’t vote in 2024 aren’t MAGA . They’re just some combination of dissolutioned and ignorant. They’re also not up to the task of navigating the pathetic state of the modern information environment.
If you didn’t vote, then you might as well be MAGA. American Democracy is literally on the line, no excuses accepted.
The US has never been a democracy
It’s about time we start having a war that affects us negatively even in a limited capacity. Honestly, I think the fact most USA citizens haven’t experienced war, especially as the being invaded side, makes them complacent and just war happy.
Congrats, now you know the situation in Russia regarding the Ukraine war.
People feel powerless, are swamped by trying to make a living (which is by design), and at the same time feel like this is all wrong and someone ought to do something about it, which leads to a sense of guilt and shame.
So they shield themselves from it and wait for it to pass.they also can’t do anything about it.
just like, you can’t do anything about your loved ones getting cancer or other misfortunes of life. And presuming that you can… is just going to destroy you emotionally. All you can do when subjected to forces beyond your control is just keep on moving on and accept it that you have no control over it.
I mean, who are you talking to…? The ones I talk to are going to protests. But also, I’m not hearing much about it because people are busy with their lives and are generally not very interested in talking about things they cant do anything about. Instead we talk about each others lives and goals, relationships, jobs, projects, hobbies, music.
If somebody came up to me and started trying to get me riled up about Iran, I would say “Yep, sure does suck. Can’t wait til somebody assassinates that sumbitch.” And that would be the end of the conversation.
Apathy is a powerful tool for fascist regimes. The same happened in Italy and Germany back in the day
no, you’re a Nazi!
Not really relevant to OP, but if you’re just talking to activists, you’re probably going to end up out of touch. It’s an extremely small minority.
Also true. But I wouldn’t categorize anyone I know as a serious activist. They are just the sort of people who will go to a protest if it fits into their lives
Have you already forgotten when the exact same people wanted to know why prices were going up but absolutely didn’t tolerate that anyone mentionned tariffs in their reply?
Fatigue. There’s just been so much and it’s kinda fucking draining if you stay plugged in to it all. It’s not like doomscrolling will make the situation any better either.
Also like, that was kind of the point of Don’t Look Up. People do just shut these things out. If you understood the movie you should know the answer to your question.
Actually doing something would make the situation better, but most people can’t be bothered. I’m sorry, if you didn’t vote or go to demonstrations (unless you have a very good reason) , I’m not feeling sorry for you. You’re obviously not bothered enough.
What kind of ‘something’ do you want me to do?
@AskewLord@piefed.social @FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
If you’d like some suggestions and a plan of action:
The protests are good ways of meeting like-minded people in your community to form connections, as well as spreading awareness of local mutual aid groups so more can join or form ICE resistance groups who can join an encrypted chat to coordinate, alert neighbors, and talk strategy. It also is a good place for unions or union members to encourage others to unionize their workplaces, which can also ultimately work toward a national general strike: our most tangible and powerful collective action.
The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor, allowing us to directly demand real changes (Ending the war in Iran, stopping the genocide of Gaza, and Abolishing ICE should be towards the top of the list).
The General Strike 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! ⛑️
Violence is being used against those who resist 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.
There’s also some projects you can do that help build community (and can be fun in themselves!), for more info, go here, and scroll down to the “Fun Projects to Build Community) section”
Join a Union to help prepare for a 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 make a general strike possible.
Once you are in a union you and your coworkers will need to pressure your leadership to prepare for a general strike, as well as pressure them to organize with other unions to enact a general strike. This is especially true if you are in a more traditional union that isn’t the IWW. Your local shop may need to organize directly with other unions if your union leaders are too cowardly to do so.
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 will be too late, so prepare now for one that may start sooner.
You can contact the IWW with the link below:
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:
- 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).
I’d also highly recommend Full Spectrum Resistance to anyone who wants further info on how to resist (audiobook version here).
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. None of this will work to move the nation. Maybe it worked in Chile, but Chile isn’t made up of 50 different countries like the US is.
The only thing that will affect meaningful change on a national scale is a massive cultural change. I think that reinstating the draft could do it, but we’ll see.
I do think that it’s important to do what you can at the local level though. The people still have a measure of power there.
All of what I suggested are local level tactics, the only thing that is of a national scale would be the unions organizing together, but all of those unions are made up of many thousands of small unionized shops at the local level, and even if that last stage of general strike doesn’t occur, all of those local tactics are still extremely beneficial.
The tactics that worked for Chile can also work at a town, city or state level, and if one does it, it can inspire more to follow.
Strike
make grandstanding statements on the internet, duh. like vaguely demanding others do something!
Oh and then if the person replies you call them names and tell them that they are a fascist/nazi/etc. because if you aren’t doing ‘something’ you are clearly assisting the bad people!!
These yokels just kinda ignore that unless you’re a federal legislator or a billionaire, you are utterly powerless to do anything meaningful about this beyond virtue signalling.
USians on Reddit were bitching for the past four years that Russians should’ve overthrown Putin if they didn’t want to have a war and be ostracized. So probably something of this kind.
Because don’t look up wasn’t about covid.
