what I’m trying to say is that a general strike only works if the other side is negatively impacted by productivity loss.
the Trump administration not only doesn’t care if US operations cease functioning, they are willfully fueling it on multiple fronts. you could even say it’s their goal.
for an elected official to publicly call for a general strike, it means that either this is a poorly planned call to action or they are aiding the administration in accomplishing their goals. either way they are poor leaders that should probably be ignored.
there are better alternatives to strikes that don’t require the working class to take 100% of the risk.
continue protesting adding pressure at locations of where his cabinet members are, making it difficult for them to continue their crimes
reduced production, if you made 100 widgets last week for work, only make 75 this week, then 50 next week, and so on
degrade services to known sympathizers and administration cabinet members, you want your cheese Burger? no meat for you. want your oil changed? how about some transmission fluid instead of oil.
continue documenting ongoing crimes against the public by the administration, make them loud and public. name and shame the perpetrators if possible.
there’s so much more we can organize before we cut off the power we already have in our hands.
become ungovernable, don’t become ungoverned.
edit: to add, if we can delay their grab for power long enough it only helps us to come up with a solution to remove him and his cronies from power. as we have seen, these greedy fucks are constantly at each others throats. we may only need to delay them long enough to tear each other apart, or at the very least force their financial backers to pull out because their “investment” has soured. like any private equity investment, they want results no matter the actions to take but if the plans never work out they will do anything to cut their losses before they lose everything.
indirectly though. they won’t be jobless or without support immediately after doing any of the things I mentioned. it’s difference between turning off a light by switch or blowing out candles before the room goes dark.
so, if we do a general strike, what’s next? it’s not like we can go back to our jobs after four or five weeks and say, “sorry about that, I’ve come to work again. you can trust I won’t do that again.”
at least using the options I mentioned we can lead up to a general strike.
simplest way I can explain it is a general strike is like a bullet to our collective heads. calling for a general strike right now to this administration is like holding the gun to our head screaming “I’ll do it!” they don’t care, they want us to do it.
it’s not the time or place for it yet. if anything, it’s better to stay in the job you’re at and find a way to hurt the administration with the position and power you have.
but, if collectively we want to strike not much anyone like me can do to explain the negative impacts. knock yourself out. I’ll be keeping my job though, not because I disagree or lack faith in the cause but because I think I have far more value to the movement in my position. everyone has to make their own assessment of their own standing though.
it’s not like we can go back to our jobs after four or five weeks and say, “sorry about that, I’ve come to work again. you can trust I won’t do that again.”
Yes we can.
That’s how strikes work.
That’s exactly how strikes have always worked.
Buddy if I’m a mechanic and I put transmission fluid in the oil pan you think I’m going to still have a job after that? Your suggestions are not better. They’re petty and unrealistic to organize and explain to the individual. And they’re not very different from a general strike in the end.
what I’m trying to say is that a general strike only works if the other side is negatively impacted by productivity loss.
the Trump administration not only doesn’t care if US operations cease functioning, they are willfully fueling it on multiple fronts. you could even say it’s their goal.
for an elected official to publicly call for a general strike, it means that either this is a poorly planned call to action or they are aiding the administration in accomplishing their goals. either way they are poor leaders that should probably be ignored.
there are better alternatives to strikes that don’t require the working class to take 100% of the risk.
What are those alternatives?
there’s so much more we can organize before we cut off the power we already have in our hands.
become ungovernable, don’t become ungoverned.
edit: to add, if we can delay their grab for power long enough it only helps us to come up with a solution to remove him and his cronies from power. as we have seen, these greedy fucks are constantly at each others throats. we may only need to delay them long enough to tear each other apart, or at the very least force their financial backers to pull out because their “investment” has soured. like any private equity investment, they want results no matter the actions to take but if the plans never work out they will do anything to cut their losses before they lose everything.
Your alternatives to the working class taking 100% of the risk via a general strike are:
… Thank you for your contribution.
indirectly though. they won’t be jobless or without support immediately after doing any of the things I mentioned. it’s difference between turning off a light by switch or blowing out candles before the room goes dark.
so, if we do a general strike, what’s next? it’s not like we can go back to our jobs after four or five weeks and say, “sorry about that, I’ve come to work again. you can trust I won’t do that again.”
at least using the options I mentioned we can lead up to a general strike.
simplest way I can explain it is a general strike is like a bullet to our collective heads. calling for a general strike right now to this administration is like holding the gun to our head screaming “I’ll do it!” they don’t care, they want us to do it.
it’s not the time or place for it yet. if anything, it’s better to stay in the job you’re at and find a way to hurt the administration with the position and power you have.
but, if collectively we want to strike not much anyone like me can do to explain the negative impacts. knock yourself out. I’ll be keeping my job though, not because I disagree or lack faith in the cause but because I think I have far more value to the movement in my position. everyone has to make their own assessment of their own standing though.
Yes we can.
That’s how strikes work.
That’s exactly how strikes have always worked.
how’d that work out for those Starbucks or Amazon employees? or how about Ludlow?
it’s different this time. just because that something has “always” worked doesn’t mean it can’t stop working.
you have to look back at when strikes were successful and ask why it was, then ask why any of those reasons work today.
IMO I think we’re closer to Ludlow today than we have been in close to 70 years.
This is getting boring dude.
Worse than it did for the steel workers, the Writer’s Guild of America and UAW. All of which were far longer strikes than four weeks, incidentally.
Why?
Yes, please do that.
Okay.
cool. and here I thought we were having a civil discussion.
I would hate to bore you anymore, so I guess we can just agree to disagree on the impacts of a general strike.
Buddy if I’m a mechanic and I put transmission fluid in the oil pan you think I’m going to still have a job after that? Your suggestions are not better. They’re petty and unrealistic to organize and explain to the individual. And they’re not very different from a general strike in the end.
good luck with your strike.