Resistance

[MSC]

As a community, what can we do to protect ourselves and our fellow man in the rising face of technologically advanced neo-fascism and industrial feudalism? 

My biggest concern after the US election, is that we are reaching a scary tipping point where over half the population could become brainwashed to support people like Donald Trump, making louder calls for violence and stronger acts of it being more frequently perpetrated against anyone who is a threat to fascist strong men everywhere. Today it's the illegal immigrants, tomorrow it could be eliticide, professors, scientists, researchers, artists, teachers and one day common sense dissenters. 

Right now we are awaiting the chaos of "dictator on day one" with little hope that the Biden administration will make any sort of hail Mary run using the free pass from prosecution the supreme court just gave the office of the presidency. It will be a peaceful transfer of power into the hands of chaos. I hope that the guardrails of American democracy can withstand another 4 years of Trump, but how many are going to be hurt in the process? 

Maybe I'm just being a completely apocalyptic unreasonably? I don't know, but none of this feels right and I feel a storm coming for humanity in so many ways and all seemingly of our own making. 

This community genuinely has not only some of the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure and privilege to know, in more ways than one, but also some of the most hopeful and passionate. So as a group, of many brilliant diverse individuals, what can we do?

[zapatos]

25 minutes ago, MSC said:

what can we do?

I like the approach of Garrison Keillor, albeit one he proposed in 2016.

Quote

 

“We liberal elitists are now completely in the clear. The government is in Republican hands. Let them deal with him. Democrats can spend four years raising heirloom tomatoes, meditating, reading Jane Austen, traveling around the country, tasting artisan beers, and let the Republicans build the wall and carry on the trade war with China and deport the undocumented and deal with opioids and we Democrats can go for a long brisk walk and smell the roses….

 

America has a lot of inertia and it is difficult to move it in a completely new direction. We've survived plenty over the years, and while there are some scary MAGA proponents, I don't really believe that most voted for Trump due to brainwashing. Like has been happening since our inception, some people just need to be dragged into the future kicking and screaming, but each generation is better than the past. Just since my time on this site we've already dragged forward enough people to accept gay marriage that I don't ever see us 'making America great again' to the point where anyone makes a serious attempt to outlaw it. We'll be fine, IMHO.

[TheVat]

I like the Keillorian optimism, but would also suggest anyone who can could buy electric mowers, bikes, cars, and heat pumps.  IOW make market forces that run counter to MAGAs drillbabydrill agenda.

One power late stage capitalism gives we the peeps is to use our money to say no to Trump's "what global warming?" shtick.

[MSC]

11 hours ago, TheVat said:

I like the Keillorian optimism, but would also suggest anyone who can could buy electric mowers, bikes, cars, and heat pumps.  IOW make market forces that run counter to MAGAs drillbabydrill agenda.

One power late stage capitalism gives we the peeps is to use our money to say no to Trump's "what global warming?" shtick.

I kind of feel as if "buy electric" only really captures one aspect of the reasons to have very real and deep concerns about the future of the USA and this planet. It also doesn't help me because already done, I get around by ebike. Shirley you don't mean Tesla though? 

Unfortunately also due to late stage capitalism and a near monopolized market across most industries if not all, our dollar made choices are very low quality and low in quantity also. 

Renewable energy is awesome, until it's energizing a fascist regime. 

[exchemist]

I'm an outside observer from across the Atlantic but it seems to me the most vital thing is to be alert for and challenge attempts at state level to alter the electoral process and the electoral arithmetic by unfair means. And also to oppose by means of vigorous campaigning any whisper of attempts to bypass the 2 term rule. I think it more than possible that Trump and/or Vance may try this, e.g. by fabricating a "state of emergency" or one of the other methods favoured by autocrats and one party states.

I would agree there is little point in opposing specific policies: one has to watch them fail and then allow their proponents to reap what they have sowed. But the undermining of the country's system of democracy cannot pass unchallenged, as that easily becomes a one way street.     

  

[dimreepr]

18 hours ago, MSC said:

As a community, what can we do to protect ourselves and our fellow man in the rising face of technologically advanced neo-fascism and industrial feudalism? 

My biggest concern after the US election, is that we are reaching a scary tipping point where over half the population could become brainwashed to support people like Donald Trump, making louder calls for violence and stronger acts of it being more frequently perpetrated against anyone who is a threat to fascist strong men everywhere. Today it's the illegal immigrants, tomorrow it could be eliticide, professors, scientists, researchers, artists, teachers and one day common sense dissenters. 

Right now we are awaiting the chaos of "dictator on day one" with little hope that the Biden administration will make any sort of hail Mary run using the free pass from prosecution the supreme court just gave the office of the presidency. It will be a peaceful transfer of power into the hands of chaos. I hope that the guardrails of American democracy can withstand another 4 years of Trump, but how many are going to be hurt in the process? 

Maybe I'm just being a completely apocalyptic unreasonably? I don't know, but none of this feels right and I feel a storm coming for humanity in so many ways and all seemingly of our own making. 

This community genuinely has not only some of the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure and privilege to know, in more ways than one, but also some of the most hopeful and passionate. So as a group, of many brilliant diverse individuals, what can we do?

Quote

 

This is basically Pascal's wager, you may as well believe in free will bc you've got nothing to loose.

You have to be responsible for you, you do what you do for a reason that you have agency over, claiming you don't have freedom to act, is an excuse.

Even if that choice leads to disaster, for instance, driving to the pub and drinking to much, knowing that imbibing alcohol limit's your ability to make a reasonable decision, freely. 

 

This is from a recent post, in a different thread but I think applies here.

The process is a double edged sword, but you have no choice but to trust it's robust enough to survive... 

[Logos]

20 hours ago, MSC said:

As a community, what can we do to protect ourselves and our fellow man in the rising face of technologically advanced neo-fascism and industrial feudalism? 

My biggest concern after the US election, is that we are reaching a scary tipping point where over half the population could become brainwashed to support people like Donald Trump, making louder calls for violence and stronger acts of it being more frequently perpetrated against anyone who is a threat to fascist strong men everywhere. Today it's the illegal immigrants, tomorrow it could be eliticide, professors, scientists, researchers, artists, teachers and one day common sense dissenters. 

Right now we are awaiting the chaos of "dictator on day one" with little hope that the Biden administration will make any sort of hail Mary run using the free pass from prosecution the supreme court just gave the office of the presidency. It will be a peaceful transfer of power into the hands of chaos. I hope that the guardrails of American democracy can withstand another 4 years of Trump, but how many are going to be hurt in the process? 

Maybe I'm just being a completely apocalyptic unreasonably? I don't know, but none of this feels right and I feel a storm coming for humanity in so many ways and all seemingly of our own making. 

This community genuinely has not only some of the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure and privilege to know, in more ways than one, but also some of the most hopeful and passionate. So as a group, of many brilliant diverse individuals, what can we do?

I would wait until measurable actions happen that indicate fascism before making that assumption, such as the government reforming to give someone like Donald Trump unlimited power without checks and balances. It would have to mirror history, such as Hitler's rise to power. I wouldn't consider racist voices on social media or some fringe fascist or Nazis who happen to support Trump indicative of actual fascism. People have a tendency to fearmonger.

19 hours ago, TheVat said:

One power late stage capitalism gives we the peeps is to use our money to say no to Trump's "what global warming?" shtick.

So this is a Marxist economic argument?

[CharonY]

Did you already forget what he did when he was supposed to transfer power? 

[TheVat]

9 hours ago, MSC said:

kind of feel as if "buy electric" only really captures one aspect of the reasons to have very real and deep concerns about the future of the USA and this planet. It also doesn't help me because already done, I get around by ebike. Shirley you don't mean Tesla though? 

Twas really only mentioning one aspect, as a bit of synecdoche.  Resisiting oligarchs and fascists wouid be a vast mosaic of possible choices that citizens make.  The problem is people knowing they have choices, i.e. seeing above the ocean of propaganda and marketing they swim in.  E.g. a lot of people don't know that over vast stretches of the US, it is cheaper to heat a home with a heat pump than a gas furnace.  Or that Biden admin set up generous rebates for it (which may soon go away).  When those rebates vanish, people will be pissed, and we will have that Leopards Eating Faces Party thing again.  (the meme, for those who missed it, is something like:

I never thought leopards would eat MY face, sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating Peoples Faces Party.)

 

Sincerely, 

Shirley Thevat

[npts2020]

10 hours ago, Logos said:

I wouldn't consider racist voices on social media or some fringe fascist or Nazis who happen to support Trump indicative of actual fascism. People have a tendency to fearmonger.

Me either but I watch C-Span almost every day and the amount of ignorance and hatred (pretty astounding IMO) on display by callers is not encouraging when one would think these are people who actually bother to follow Congress.

Edited November 20 by npts2020

[dimreepr]

22 hours ago, Logos said:

I would wait until measurable actions happen that indicate fascism before making that assumption, such as the government reforming to give someone like Donald Trump unlimited power without checks and balances. It would have to mirror history, such as Hitler's rise to power. I wouldn't consider racist voices on social media or some fringe fascist or Nazis who happen to support Trump indicative of actual fascism. People have a tendency to fearmonger.

Indeed they do, how else does fascism rise?

It's not out of kindness or acceptance or forgiveness.

It's like every revolution, when one recognises the threat it's much too late to stop it...