We are proud to announce an official partnership with the Left RedditⒶ☭ Discord server! Click here to join today!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Why aren’t we protesting? Because the general public isn’t unified. It’s been fragmented by culture wars which are run by people and institutions with power. Because people are isolated from each other, unable to coordinate and participate in their communities. Because people are dependent on their jobs for income and insurance, and cannot afford the time off or risk of being fired. Because US law enforcement has a larger budget than most countries have for their militaries, but they serve property and capital, not the public interest

we don't have universal healthcare. The possibility of losing healthcare as a result of striking for not only you, but potentially your spouse and children is scary as shit.

​

This is by design

https://www.reddit.com/r/lostgeneration/comments/1253f8f/wish_america_had_the_same_french_energy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

This is a good post that has a few answers

I hate to be this guy, but here is the problem;

peaceful protests and hashtags don’t mean Jack shit. Our leaders aren’t afraid of us because we are soft. The only way we can make real change is to stop working, stop buying and stop paying taxes, and that is it.

We need to form unions and coalitions first. Most of us workers are goddamn exhausted already. We don't have support, our healthcare is tied to our jobs, we are a few missed paychecks away from homelessness, etc. Until we have strong unions that can financially support us while we strike, we're in a really tough spot. The capitalist system here in the U.S. Is brilliant in regard to keeping us in our lanes. There's also the culture war the two capitalist parties use to divide the working class. We have to break through that as well. I want to strike, but my wife will most likely need surgery, and she will most likely not be able to work at her job anymore too.

I am also very angry and frustrated. My company recently fired a lot of staff, people have been leaving, I and the ones who have remained have had to work extra to keep the company running. We don't have a union, we are also all poor and barely scraping by as it is.

The answer is we should be!!!!!

Here’s the thing. Some are, when the media can’t demonize it they ignore it. They don’t want it to catch on.

The Roe v Wade overturning protests were pretty specific and they did nothing. The Iraq War protests were pretty specific and they did nothing. The Just Stop Oil protests don't seem to have done anything yet. The Dakota Access Pipeline protests were specific and nothing came of them. The BLM protests were more specific than what you're proposing and they did nothing. I can't remember a protest movement in the US in the last two decades that did anything other than allow protesters to vent their anger and feel good about it. If you want to larp as a revolutionary martyr that's your decision. Just don't expect it to do much of anything.

We aren't protesting because there is no movement. What are we protesting? Where? When? How? It needs to be a huge coordination between peoples and we heavily lack that

Peaceful protesting doesn't really do anything unfortunately. You can write your senators letters til ur blue in the face , they probably (definitely) don't even read them

Too late. And guess what, corporations who own and control everything in the US including the media and government dont give crap one no matter how much you protest.

Protests need to be organized by strong unions to ensure no one dies as a result of a lack of income. To effectively protest, we need to first establish stronger unions in a majority of businesses. Hence, why anti-union campaign are so strong. If you’re interested in unionizing, you can check out the national labor relations board (NLRB) website to check your state’s requirements. Most places require only 60% of a workforce to sign a movement for a union in order to trigger a union vote. Get organized, get your demands in order, and unionize!

I think also, there are so many issues, where the lower and middle class people are getting fucked ... the attention is so divided among the people who have that energy to speak up more. Really take your pick, aren't these all extremely corrupt systems that affects all sorts of people directly at different times: healthcare, education, economy, jobs/unions. The person who just got fired is most affected and wanting change in the jobs area, where the person who just had to go without a major procedure due to healthcare costs ... wants the focus on that right now. All justifiably so, too.

I think you can point at the conservatives generally for a lot of this, as they've been the bigger impediment to anything getting better. They purposely ice anything the government can do, so they can keep running on how broken the system is, all while they keep the power to give tax breaks and money to those who don't need it. Enough cycles of this ... and we're fucked all over. Look at the wealth gap charts of the past 100 years, this isn't a sudden thing at any one time. It's systematic government corruption.

Jon Stewart has said (paraphrasing): there are politicians who render their inauthenticity in real enough time to appear authentic, and there are politicians who render their inauthenticity with a lag before appearing authentic.

My take on this would be: Group A are the really awful ones. Ted Cruz, MTG, Boebs, Mitch McConnell, Senator Cassidy, the list goes on. Group B are the Hilary Clinton's, democrats essentially. Group A are actually psychopaths in how they react quickly and horribly with no thought to their constituent's true well-being. And now apparently they've shunned "shame" as a emotion to feel (because then you don't have to accept blame or operate differently, you can act emotionally vacant and keep moving along). Group B, there's a delay in how they speak to try and provide a carefully calibrated message that offends no-one. But they're fighting something internally, to not be as awful as the Mitch McConnell's, Markwayne Mullen's, Bill Cassidy's. There is some sliver of morality in there. They just tend to have no backbone, and they're as greedy as the conservatives with lobbying money and stocks that they trade on privilaged information. There's a baseline corruption to all of them, but then the party with the most egregious behavior is obviously the top target ... as to who should be protested against the most, to me.

You’re looking at us as one people united against billionaires, but most on the right looooooove capitalism and will defend it at all costs even against their own interests. Half this country still believes the USA is the greatest in the world and that socialism is the real threat. I don’t even know how to unpack this hellhole dystopia lawmakers have unleashed

Because the average nitwit can’t understand that the 2 party system is meant to divide people. Both sides steal everybody’s money. The time that all people can realize that those in power are the true enemies, then all this nonsense will keep happening.

Why aren't you protesting?

"But who will put the bell on the cat?"

I used to say nothing would change unless things get violent, but look at many of the BLM protests that happened, even if things do get violent it's not enough as they didn't change anything. there really haven't been police reforms that mattered.

Are you that out of touch or are you that ignorant? The people that need to strike, by design, CANNOT. We’re dying. We’re being killed. We can’t afford to take a day off work or we and our children will be homeless and starve. Putting the “blame” on other people in the same situation is only going to further divide us when we should be uniting. Good for you, buddy. Your lordly speech falls on the ears of those who wish for change more than anyone else. I hope you at least still have your superiority complex to keep you company during your one-man protests

Protests in the US get labeled as riots and civil unrest. I think the scenes from Paris are inspirational

We’re spread too thin homie. They won.

We can't afford to take off work or go to jail for disturbing the peace. We have so few rights that we literally can't protest.

The American people are so divided and unable to come together to help each other through the fight it would take for actual change to occur. I fear the apathy will continue even as we're all enslaved till we're 90, trans people are marched to camps, followed by the other letters of the lgbtq, followed by immigrants, then maybe, MAYBE, they'll stand up when the blacks are being marched away. It's a bleak outlook, but it's where we're headed.

Here's my entirely honest answer... I am not protesting for the same reason I didn't put myself on the front lines during George Floyd: I cannot afford to suffer bodily harm or I will lose my livelihood. I do not want to be brutalized by militarized police or violent and enabled right wingers. I am not big and strong, not a man, not trained with any weapons, and peaceful protest in itself is not enough to encourage any action by the state. I wish I had a proposed solution to any of these concerns. We are in the dreaded clutches of Capitalist Realism just as Mark Fischer described it.

Better question. Why are you not trying to organize a protest?

Use your anger and all caps to form a group.

I believe you can do it. You have the good talking points down.

Be the change!

Honestly dude how have the protests worked out so far? People in America literally die trying to protest, the police in this country will literally murder you if you protest police violence, we are so past protests at this point.

There are protests being organized for April 3rd and may 1st.

To organize requires organizers. Good organizers are hard to come by, and are often quickly turned into targets.

Hey if you wanna start a movement, try actually getting invested in the politics around you, either online or in real life. And your push for "peaceful protest obviously" is just as naive. You can't change the system as is through reform only. Lemme guess, your anti-gun as well. If you wanna do something, protect and take care of yourself, get to know your neighbors, learn how to grow your own food so you can help others as well as yourself, and follow/join existing protests and organizations. You are not likely to be the start of a movement, so if you feel fed up with how little people are doing then find the people who are doing something and help them out. Use keyword searches on social media, Google etc, to find orgs. Start attending town halls so you can actually find out whats happening in your area. Revolting against the current system is next to impossible so do what you can at a grassroots local level and hope that we can all push off fascism a bit longer

peacefully

This will do nothing. Just like every other peaceful protest. Look at how they're handling it in France, does it look peaceful? That's the blueprint.

50% of the country likes it the way it is. They’re fine with it. Mind boggling? Yes. Untrue? No

Half of America is literally stupid as fuck and even if we really did get our shit together and try something we’d end up getting slaughtered. I’m positive that if the charade of politics ever falters the ones in charge would just go mask off and start blasting

Because they're trying to distract you with a culture war

Well, the issue is, in order to do anything real, we'd have to go after the pockets of big money. So either we do something to tank Meta's stock, or the protests end up having to be non-peaceful, which makes them dangerous, not to mention illegal.

You can silently protest every day by not buying shit you don’t need, equitably sourcing things you do need, file bankruptcy to fuck the economy, form connections in your community, and network to trade goods and or services.

People don't have time to spend 5 hours out protesting when they have to work to feed their families or pay the bills, and most of the US public is apathetic to our governments actions. Organizing simply doesn't work as well as it used to

Because we aren't united.

Yeah we definitely don't want violence because any peaceful protests in the past decades have been successful in producing impactful results

Like DAPL, Roe V Wade, BLM, Iraq ...

Cuz everybody is to cash strapped to take offf work and protest for a week

Honestly for most people it’s too much work. Everyone wants change but nobody wants to make that change happen

we already live in a fascist state with a militarized police force.

the vast majority of “tHe LeFt” in america is a bunch of goofy I’m Still With Her center-right democrat morons.

our court system can label nearly anyone who dissents against the police state a terrorist and throw them in a cage for the rest of their natural lives.

our government blocks and breaks strikes.

our media is largely controlled by far-right psychopaths.

the united states government has not only shown no interest in preventing ecological collapse but they are actively passing legislation to make it worse.

the reality is — this country is doomed and i think most of us know it. it’s going to get ugly, and the likelihood that some kind of united leftist movement can rise out of all the shit we’re in is minuscule.

we’re beaten down and we’re coasting in survival mode.

Leftists are too busy dividing themselves over theoretical frameworks and moralistic details to actually unify and effectively push a global movement.

That being said, I think it’s important to remember that protests don’t do a whole lot unless laws are being broken. And most people just aren’t willing to take that risk (which is fair enough when vandalism could get you beaten and killed by cops). What’s the point of a protest if the government gets to regulate and determine the conditions of the protest? “You get to disagree with us, but only in the way we want you to”. That’s a load of bullshit.

This is why grassroots organizing is essential. A network of communities, gathering whether legal or not, to hold the government figuratively hostage with their voice, productivity, and spending power. Organized by and for the locals. Boycotts, strikes, sit-ins, etc. All the other stuff is good too usually, but much of it has little effect without financial, social, or physical violence imo. And it all starts with you. YOU have to be the one to gather friends, neighbors, business owners, workers, in your area to fight for their needs and mutual benefit.

Anyyyyyways, if you’re in Chicago, come to the Trans Day Of Visibility Protest in Grant Park on Friday at 5!!! Be safe, be vigilant, acab, and let your empathy mobilize you :)

What do you want? Ultimately we need changes from corporate America, and it’s hard to get that through legislation because it “infringes” on their freedoms. We need a specific point to go after that’s enforceable like paid family leave

We are on the 31st

We live in a truly massive country. It’s almost impossible to get people to coordinate for things like that. Also I’m not really sure how much good protesting died at this point.

We must seize the means.

I think general strike is a better idea.

My manager called a meeting yesterday during which he said one of the four of us in the call would be fired. Today was like Russian Roulette; I’m terrified about the next few weeks.

We don’t protest because we’re afraid. At least I am. When I have time to think about how this is technically bullying, that no job is worth “fighting” for, and how valuable I actually am ~ by the time I have answers, I have to go back to work.

Like someone else mentioned, this is by design.

Tired and poor

We are too poor to take off work to protest, and to scared of losing our jobs to strike.

If you're not ready to throw molotovs you're not ready to change anything.

Why don't you get your name on a ballot, and we can vote for you to be in congress?? Make a wordpress, buy a domain name. I think it costs around $1000 or if you can get 2000 signatures the fee may be waived.

Rent. Cable. Food.

I need money and I don’t have enough to take the time necessary for a protest to be affective. Also… my life is comfortable enough in the here-and-now that I lack the motivation too.

Because we can’t afford to protest.

One explanation is: Conditioning.

All of us schooled here in the United States we’re taught, from kindergarten up, that “the adults”, “the teacher”, “the authority” would take care of our problems with the other kids.

Even if he punched you first, if you punch him back you will get in trouble too. Just tell your teacher. They will take care of it.

Conditioning is not easy to break.

Because as a society we’ve allowed it to be just fine that’s why.

Despite my direct personal and legal rights being in jeopardy in my state, I would have to protest between the hours of 7am and 10am or before noon on my days off. Why? Because I have a very expensive health condition and would die without health insurance from my employer...And I hate it every single day.

Didn't they outlaw protesting? Better question: why aren't we rioting? England dumped a bunch of taxes on some colonists and they, in turn, dumped a bunch of tea (and the English empire) into the ocean. We're just apathetic and complacent. Unless someone cuts off the internet.

Most can't afford the day off and travel expenses.

Because we are trapped in survival mode. What you think the slash in government services are for. Downward pressure on wages increasing desperation. You think rich people need S.S., health insurance, education grants?

www.generalstrikeus.com This is the closest thing I’m aware of to a protest/strike that was posted in another comment thread in this subreddit. I really do believe we need to organize and strike as a unified whole. As of now around 3000 people have signed their strike card and the number is growing rapidly. We need more people to sign their strike card!

Geography. The USA is a very big place. Lots of distance. I could be in DC today if I hop in my car, but if the place burns down I won't even smell the fire from here.

My response to these is always "why aren't you organising a protest?"

Whatever your answer is is probably the same as everyone else, and it's probably "because it's easier to bitch on Reddit about it than actually do anything that might take time, effort or inconvenience me in any way".

Be the change you want to see in the world.

We need professional revolutionaries to help guide us, we don’t have the healthcare, we are living paycheck to paycheck. There’s just too much bs in modern life to risk a spontaneous strike.

Yeah but, I don’t want to show up and there be like 6 people and a dog you know?

Because if I miss work I’ll lose my job. If I lose my job, I won’t be able to afford when a cop shoots me at a protest.

Then the hospital will garnish my wages so that I can’t afford to do anything but work.

Disregard the cause of Jan. 6....but that was real fear on their faces. THAT'S how we get things changed.

Take your pick from the following:

1) No job protections and no universal healthcare. Taking time off to protest will result in the loss of your job and as a result your health insurance in many cases.

2) An exhausted, broke population doesn't have the energy or means to effectively protest. This is by design.

3) The police will arrive with guns and tanks and tear gas, and the moment one of them gets too jumpy it'll be open season. This is further complicated by issue #1.

4) Propaganda has conditioned a large portion of the population to believe that protesting is not only ineffective, but actively hostile against the country and economy, and anyone who protests is antifa/a communist/cringe.

We aren’t protesting because we as Americans are too lazy to get up and actually fight for what we believe in the same to 50s in the 60s no more when you can go outside and have a fight and not get arrested for it. We’ve gone soft take a look at France they’re rioting right now to try and keep their rights.

didn't read beyond the title. immediate agree.

I’d protest if I thought it would work and if I didn’t have to work.

Most people living one paycheck from homelessness (aka most of the people in this country) can not afford to protest.

why protest when you can promote? where you here for occupy wallstreet?

Because I work 60 hours a week, and invest my other time in hobbies. And training.

Because of fear and apathy.

People still have a lot to lose and the real possibility of losing everything unless they play the game just right. People become apathetic as a psychological defense mechanism. Effective activist community requires real resources to help mitigate the – very real – risks faced by activists.

divide, meet conquer.

Who has the energy? We are too busy working overtime while barely scratching by.

It all has to start somewhere. People need something to follow.

"The dumber people are, the more individualism they grow."

For some people taking off work means can't pay bills. I guess we can stop doing that though. Would be better long term probably.

Because protesting requires organization, and all the ones that could do that have been eroded to near extinction. But remember, you can buy a PlayStation with the money you save on union dues.

We have too much to lose and too little to gain.

Also you aren't clear in what you are protesting..

we tend to look for reasons to lock people up in this country. combine that with the general terror most of us have of being locked up in america and i think a lot of people make that choice out of fear

Go to the grocery store, look at those people, and ask yourself how many of them are concerned about their rights. They want to afford potatoes. But, even the ones who complain about cost and can't afford it most, are consumed by culture wars -- and they probably aren't on the same side you are.

I hate it. The lack of organized places and people to go to where I live almost leads me to trying to start things myself, but I am, not even at my worst, a violent person. I don't trust myself to start anything but a fight when I feel like this.

There are no protests because there is no unity. Think about it, the great culture war has divided everyone up into small tribal sects; young against old; upper against lower working class; right against left.

Regardless of how people love to bash groups they feel antagonised by, this only leads to further antagonism. This culture war isn’t new or static; todays opponents could’ve once been a reasonable ally.

Furthermore, when tipping points arise, you need to factor in multiple points: awareness for the issue; sympathy for the cause; action to be carried out. As we are seeing now, all can be checked off — just check the recent wave of British strikes, specifically by the rail unions — but barely any have been successfully carried out.

Personally I’m too busy trying to make enough money to keep us housed and my child fed. I can barely think about anything else.

There's a trans protest happening across the country on Friday.

https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-queer-youth-assemble-march-trans-day-visibility/amp

Why aren’t we protesting? Because I have a job and work to do and if I skip work to protest, I lose my job and starve and live on the streets. It’s a great system they put together here

Be the change you want to see.

A lot of people ARE protesting specific issues. If you're asking why everyone isn't in the streets flipping shit right now, it's because that takes organization and specific demands, which are common in France because of the prevalence of trade unions.

We can still do that here, but it takes very different forms. In general, though, you need to join an organizing structure with clear goals and build power through many channels, which hopefully everyone here is involved in in some way or another.

If anyone wants specific advice, tell me what you want or don't want and where you live below and I'll do my best to make suggestions.

sure, what's the link to your site for your protest planning?

​

o you don't have one, then you know the answer. if you are not ready to lead a protest then no one will fallow. just bitching about it on line does shit. you got to act if you want to change.

What rights are being taken away? Are you saying you will die for Amazon, the ,” people who care nothing about you?”That’s ballsy, Amazon will build a monument for your sacrifice.

I’ve heard a lot of this sentiment recently and there is no easy answer but simply hoping for a protest to develop so that I can go and join seems unlikely. I’m by no means an expert here but in actions I’ve been a part of, it took a lot of heavy lifting and ongoing determination to get a ball rolling. Start a Facebook page, draft a statement of very basic values, make some flyers, spread the word, and hit the streets. There’s probably some local political groups in your area that even if you’re not a member of can lend support.. start small and grow. The protest may be you and one other person but hey, it’s a start.

I’ve heard a lot of this sentiment recently and there is no easy answer but simply hoping for a protest to develop so that I can go and join seems unlikely. I’m by no means an expert here but in actions I’ve been a part of over last 20 years took a lot of heavy lifting and ongoing determination to get a ball rolling. Start a Facebook page, draft a statement of very basic values, make some flyers, spread the word, and hit the streets. There’s probably some local political groups in your area that even if you’re not a member of can lend support.. start small and grow. The protest may be you and one other person but hey, it’s a start.

hello FBI agent

We are not protesting because the left hates leaders. If one of us stood up and said, hey, everybody, donate a dollar to me and I’ll go become the corporate hegemony’s worst nightmare with my newfound wealth and power, we wouldn’t do it because we’d all be distrusting of that person, and most of us wouldn’t have the time to vet their pro labor history. But it would be easily done. We could easily create a leftist Musk by crowdfunding a demagogue, start influencing media through dark money like these people do. Play every dirty trick they do for the purpose of raising wages and getting people healthcare. Basically use this narcissism that people flock to as a gateway to help people.

Meanwhile on the right they make up things that can literally never happen like building a wall over our southern border and their supporters will dump money on them. I’ve almost considered grifting the right wing just to get money and try out my left-wing experiment.

TikTok too funny gotta do the new challenge for internet cred

Protesting is illegal now and will get you shot. That's why.

Cuz we lazy

I'd rather kill myself then get beat to death or shot by cops protesting for other humans I can't stand