Are you an angry American who is disillusioned by American politics? Depressed even? Here are some ways to take action.
Join the DSA #
If you’re a fan of Burnie Sanders or AOC, you should join the DSA and participate in your local chapter.
In light of how poorly the Democratic party is handling Trump’s second term, you should join an organization that is actually fighting against tyranny and oppression.
The Democratic Socialists of America is that organization.
MAGA emerged from the cesspool of dark internet societies and swallowed up large swathes of the population with dog-whistles and memes alone. Leftists need their own grassroots movement focused solely on supporting the working class.
Do you work for a living? Yes? Then you should embrace your fellow workers.
Labor in the US is isolated, fractured, weak and decentralized. We need to rebuild our social protections by taking the smallest, simplest, most important actions first: signing up.
There is strength in numbers.
Plan and Practice your Talking Points #
Talking to people in real life is essential. What are you going to say?
Despite what some liberals believe, red-state Trump supporters are not idiots. They are very capable, industrious, and even morally conscious people.
However, on mass, they are non-critical media consumers. They consume media emotionally, and at face value. They are drawn to showmanship and performance.
They are swayed by Pathos first, Ethos and Logos are distantly ignored. These (very human) tendencies have been exploited by fascist extremists and the oligarchy to shape their beliefs.
We should meet the working class conservatives where they are: right in front of us.
When your neighbor starts spouting his right wing talking points, hit him with an even juicier, even more tantalizing left wing talking point:
Example Rebuttals
- Trump is doing great things? Trump is crashing the economy so he can manipulate the stock market.
- Elon is fixing stuff? Elon is manipulating the bidding process so Starlink and Space-X can win large government contracts.
- Abortion / DEI / LGBT mentioned? Rich people don’t care about these issues because they aren’t affected by them. The rich use these issues to divide Americans and make them fight each other.
Cause significant doubt with few words, and always repeat the theme: They aren’t fighting for you.
If you can shoot down conservatives with your own zingers, you’ll be doing more than most people. Combat the rightwing spin.
We must de-normailize fascism!
Make Nonviolent Protests and Disruptive Actions #
- Make a sign and stand on a street corner. Or outside a popular business. Or outside your congressman’s office. Bonus points if your friends join in.
- Write letters to your local and state representatives. Better yet, buy envelopes and and print tons of them, plus stamps, and sit outside a grocery store offering to let people sign them. It’s a pain in the ass to write a letter. Make it easier for working people to help.
- Participate in labor strikes, debt strikes, boycotts, and corporate pressure. Schedule these on your calendar and participate, and invite your friends with plenty of notice.
- Make stickers and pamphlets. Distribute them in little libraries, coffeeshops, and common places.
- Start a discord chat at work. Invite your coworkers, but not your managers. Post memes about your job and pro-worker content. Friends radicalize friends.
- Don’t ignore the basics! Vote! Donate! Talk about how great NPR is! Read the news!
Tips #
- In general, any activity that brings workers together in person is good activity. People are social, and so are effective democracies. Social media companies and scrolling culture are tools of the wealthy to separate and distract the working class. Isolation makes people weak.
- Use parody as your shield. Even if your content is not satirical, say it’s satirical. This blog post is satirical. I was just joking. If Donald Trump is allowed to double-speak from the oval office and people give him a pass for “riling up the libs” you can do the same on main street.
- Take pictures of your protest. Send them to news orgs, social media, and your elected representatives.
- Do a little bit every day. Trump has four years to try and erode American norms and establish his fascist legacy. But the revolution we need won’t end with Trump’s removal. It will end when the workers have the power.