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New data shows No Kings was one of the largest days of protest in US history
(wagingnonviolence.org)
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this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2025
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And awesome to see how effective it was, glad we got the regimen to rethink its policies... Oh wait they doubled down.
What are you trying to accomplish here?
Everyone else: next one is September 1st.
https://www.fiftyfifty.one/
I think he’s correct in stating this administration won’t care if we protest or how large it is. What we hope happens is that the protests get more momentum amongst the politically inert. That momentum could build us up to a general strike which would have more influence once the capitalists bottom line gets impacted. Maybe. IDK. This all sucks.
I've been to all the 50501 protests in my area as a show of support, but I'm not trying to accomplish anything. I'm just of the opinion that protests without action accomplish nothing. I am all into exercises, some real civil disobedience.
Our great grandparents armed themselves and took over the factory floors. We need some of that energy.
That's why there needs to be a clear line that people know exists between performative protest and concrete protest.
For anyone confused:
Performative protests, like the No Kings protests, serve to:
Concrete protests actually delay or stop the bad thing in question (e.g. blocking exits to ICE facilities)
A lot of people are hoping No Kings and similar protests will stop Trump. They won't. Of course they won't. But you can bet there's a lot more people donating to charities that either legally fight the administration's actions, or disrupt fascist policies on the ground, and a lot of people end up breaking off from these more liberal protests to later go to more concrete ones.
They're not worthless, but nothing beats direct, concrete action.
https://beautifultrouble.org/toolbox/tool/dont-expect-a-concrete-outcome-from-a-symbolic-action
Performative protests are INCREASING my hopelessness and despair.
“WOW, biggest protest in the history of the U.S.? And did fuck all? Welp, if that can’t do it, nothing can. We’re fucked.”
Maybe it's just me, but seeing regular ass people who were previously entirely disinterested in politics start marching in the street, actively educating themselves about the political landscape, and even seeing some break off into actual blockades of ICE facilities gives me a lot more hope than seeing people do nothing in the first place.
You have to remember, the average person mostly just cares about their family and personal financial circumstances, doesn't take risks, and just reposts platitudes on facebook from time to time.
This is an improvement from the status quo, and any progress toward a better direction is good. I guarantee you, you will see many more people engaging in concrete actions as time goes on, because these sorts of protests help spur people into further action. Hell, we've already seen that happening.
These protests are gateways to concrete actions, not something that replaces them.
So double down right back at them. What are you doing to stop what's happening? How else should we disrupt the regime's efforts? What do you recommend? Or do you think shitting on people's efforts is helpful somehow and will lead to a good outcome?
My mom was a huge speeder. She almost never went below 10 over the limit. Any time someone told her something along the lines of "The sign says 60, and you're going 80." she'd respond along the lines of "Well, good thing signs can't stop me then, huh?"
She'd always slow down if she thought she saw a cop, though.
I always think about that when people talk about protests as if they're the final step and not just the warning before a revolt. If you want self-centered people, like the ones running our government, to listen to your signs, you need them to fear what comes afterward if they don't.