Yesterday I participated in a Zoom meeting with a thousand other concerned citizens and our two Democratic senators. I am proud to live in blue Minnesota, home of Tim Walz (the man so many wish was our VP right now), and I was encouraged by how many people were taking time out of their workday to participate in the call on short notice. Less encouraging, however, were some of the takeaways from the call.
Both senators basically said that they are doing all they could to slow and block cabinet nominations and they encouraged everyone to keep fighting and to report stories of how these decisions are impacting people to keep the pressure on and provide ample documentation for lawsuits. However, they (and their staff representatives) also admitted that they had limited control in stopping the chaos since the Republicans have a trifecta of power right now.
It’s clear by the comments posted in the chat that there are a lot of angry people who are feeling helpless to affect any kind of change. Too many of the questions coming from individuals were looking for a savior to get us out of this mess: “Why isn’t anyone stopping them? ““What are you doing about this?” “Who’s in charge of a strategy?”
Here’s the bad news: It’s up to us.
And here’s the good news: It’s up to us.
Nobody has to feel helpless, because we all have the ability to do SOMETHING and something imperfectly executed is far better than a well-planned NOTHING. There is no single “leader” in all of this. Everyone needs to step up as best they can and give others the grace to be imperfect. Time is of the essence—we can’t “wait” for things to get better. We need to do what we can now.
However, I firmly believe we need to focus our efforts a bit. First, I would stop making pleas to your MAGA acquaintances to have a little compassion. That train has left the station. They don’t care if trans people feel persecuted. They don’t care if immigrants are scared. The MAGA supporters have shown us that they don’t really care about other people and they’re going so far as to distort Christianity in order to justify their Christian Nationalist agenda.
Of course, it’s important for us to protect and help all of those coming under attack, but we shouldn’t waste our energy trying to persuade Trump supporters to do the same. Appealing to their better angels is useless as long as they are immersed in the MAGA cult. A far better alternative is to hit them where it hurts them personally—their income—which is why I think that those who are interested in protecting democracy should seriously consider participating in a GENERAL STRIKE.
What is a General Strike?
Basically, everyone who can refuses to go to work or to purchase anything for a period of time. This BBC article shows that it only takes 3.5% of the population (which would be 11 million Americans) to be successful. So, the greater the participation, the shorter the amount of time that would be needed to succeed. While these strikes are often combined with protests, I think that protests are not the best idea in the current environment (more on that below).
How can something this big get organized effectively?
The Women’s March in 2020 was a successful grassroots effort that came together by smaller groups and individuals aligning with the organizers. The same could happen in this instance if enough people put aside their individual ideas about how things “should” work and join onto the efforts of one common organizer. It’s not critical that everyone align on every single point. The important thing is to stop this illegal power grab and insist upon enforcing the constitutional process that is supposed to protect our democracy.
There is already a movement called generalstrikeus.com that is beginning to gather information on how to proceed. You can start by signing up there. I have no ties to this organization, but think it makes sense to leverage their infrastructure and website since it’s already in place. While their current list of demands is very broad (and in my mind, unrealistic), it was put together before this crisis and ultimately the various participating partner groups would have to work together to determine timing and demands.
What if I can’t afford to risk losing my job by not showing up?
This is the most common concern. First of all, we know that people have to provide for those who are dependent on them and some people have jobs that the public depends on (like an ER doctor). But oftentimes people have more leverage here than they think. Do you have sick time or vacation time you could use? Consider how difficult or easy it would be for your employer to replace you quickly. Also consider your employer’s/boss’s personal feelings about what is happening. They may be supportive of you striking because it may be the quickest solution to solving something that could have even longer-term economic impact for their business.
Likewise, think about the long-term economic impact of these illegal actions on your own personal finances. When you consider the financial burdens being created by tariffs; threats to health insurance and homeowner’s coverage; and the potential insolvency of social security, can you really afford not to participate?
After considering all of the above, if you decide you can’t personally afford to miss work, you can still help the cause by urging friends and family to participate and by promoting it on social media. Nearly everyone can participate by not buying anything (except absolute necessities) for the duration of the strike. Those who are unemployed or retired can help too, by spreading the word or offering childcare to essential workers (like emergency personnel).
How do I not buy anything?
Remember the impact of the early pandemic when businesses were shut down without notice? This had a hugely negative affect on businesses very quickly. Likewise, if a large number of us refraining from spending any money (going out to eat, buying non-necessities, etc.) will have the same effect. Nobody expects you to forego basic food or medicine, but limiting what’s purchased during the strike is important, so if you can prepare ahead of time for the necessities, that will help. (Important note: Preparing ahead of time doesn’t mean “stocking up” on a bunch of non-critical items—businesses need to see a DROP in overall income for a strike to be effective, not just a small cashflow/timing difference.)
The good news is, most of us already have experience with this due to surviving all the supply chain issues during the pandemic!
Why not protest?
Although there are lots of protests happening around the country, I think one very large protest would be detrimental to the overall cause for three reasons.
- It would bring out the extreme crazies who are looking for violence (Proud Boys, etc.)
- I firmly believe that Trump wouldn’t hesitate to declare martial law or to order the military or law enforcement to fire on civilians.
- It exposes immigrants to ICE arrests.
A general strike will have a similar impact of grinding things to a halt without putting any individual at risk of violence or deportation.
What about retaliation?
Being scared of retaliation is a real concern, but all I can do is urge everyone to rise above it. There IS strength in numbers and every time a single person raises their voice, it gives others courage to do the same. Don’t short-change the importance of that. Think of all the prominent people—actors, comedians, musicians, professional athletes—who have been very vocal in their opposition against Trump. These are people who have a lot to lose and are very visible in their dissent. If they can do it, so can you. We simply need to step up and be the heroes our children and grandchildren deserve.
The Big Win
I’m saving the best for last, and that’s the long-term impact of a general strike. Elon Musk is the richest and arguably most powerful person in the world right now. Yet, even he can’t singlehandedly keep millions of Americans in their place if we band together to do this. And when we succeed at stopping him in his tracks, it will PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL TO EVERYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE that average people, working together, wield the real power. This will be a critical moment in turning back the authoritarian tide that has been sweeping so many countries and will let oligarchs know that they can’t escape the law. And that’s when we can finally start making headway toward addressing climate change, equity for all, and global peace.
Please join the effort here: https://generalstrikeus.com
In addition, help spread the word…If you belong to any other groups on FB, Reddit, Discord, Bluesky, etc. where people are voicing concerns about what they can do, please share this. The more organizations that get on board quickly, the sooner we can stop the destruction.
point is, those achievements were the accumulation of MANY mundane steps, but by sticking with them and keeping my eye on the finish line, I got there. This same principle can be applied to so many things. As Woody Allen said, “80% of success is showing up.”
Easier Said Than Done 