The Trump and his cult of personality have. The majority of the US doesn’t want any of this and think this is bonkers.
So where’s the general strike? Where are the blockades, the sit-downs? Sorry, from over here it looks as if the USA is pretttty complacent!
Speaking for the general strike, there are arguably a number of reasons why that’s a lot harder to get rolling in the states. Social safety nets are laughable, worker protections are shittier and union busting is greater than a lot of other nations. A lot of people keep their heads down and don’t act up for fear of loosing what they have.
IMHO complacency oversimplifies and ignores the root causes behind collective action or inaction.
And that said, when it came to shit like ICE, and communities literally have nothing left to lose, that shit gets fucking LOUD in a city. Block by block citizen patrols, lots of organization, etc. But that doesn’t seem to get a lot of press in the news, and people assume Americans are just taking it lying down.
Social safety nets are laughable...
I think this is probably the #1, or close to the top reason why we don't see more from Americans (including myself and my family).
I have medical conditions that would bankrupt me in a year if it weren't for the shitty health insurance I get through work. I'm not quite living paycheck to paycheck, but it's fucking close.
If I stop working, I'll get fired (for cause) lose my health insurance and income and be SOL. My family will get fucked over. Heck, even my life insurance will stop existing because that's through work too.
So what's left? Weekend protests? Let me look up the next "No Kings" in this podunk town...
When your country is the size of Texas, a general strike or mass protest makes sense. When your country's landmass is a bit smaller than all of Europe, but its population is less than half (and arguably 30% of that population thinks Trump is doing fine) - general strikes and mass protests don't work well.
I'm not saying we shouldn't protest, but you've gotta curb expectations and know the dynamic here is much, much less friendly for those activities. (It's a big reason why I'm constantly on edge and having daily panic attacks.)
Yeah look distance isn’t the issue, it’s unity among a large population.
Australia doesn’t struggle holding decent protests and it’s not much smaller in size, with a much smaller population.
Lack of unity, combined with the lack of social safety net, plus individualism, all of which are pretty valid are the bigger reasons. If they were all on the same page or had some unity, the distance wouldn’t matter.
I’ll say this as well; it seems US citizens aren’t willing to do hardship to get what they want. All of these probably make the easy way out, voting, an attractive option but selfishness stops that one.
I’m hoping that people like me that can’t afford healthcare this year will be more willing to strike. Since we don’t have a social safety net or universal healthcare like France or wherever.
When we had that brief social reinforcement during the pandemic BLM happened.
So where’s the general strike? Where are the blockades, the sit-downs?
Europeans don't understand how militarized the US is. They have FBI, CIA, ICE, DHS, Army, National Guard and a few I forget, all with tanks and guns and ready to kill any form of protest. They literally mass murdered singing students in 1970 and no one really cared.
Everyone talks about the right the bear arms against oppressive government...but it's really just fear of visible minorities.
They will just take it because the whole country is afraid.
It's because they have us right where they want us as wage slaves, scraping by to maintain your lifestyle picking up a second job so you can afford higher prices of food and the cheapest health insurance. It's hard to look around when you're just trying to make ends meet for your family.
Unfortunately, things will only get progressively worse if nothing is done. I hope you guys figure it out, but even if you don't, the collapse of the US is enough for the rest of the world.
Don't you wish there was some kind of committee that countries from all around the world can meet and discuss possible remedies to an out of control figure head?
Today showed we get 3 shots for blockades. Arrested for sit downs, and general strike? Yeah, who needs money for resources to take it to the system?!
Apparently, the majority of people ‘in charge’ are just fine and want to continue…
One Day everyone will have been against this. And for a lot of American liberals, that day has come
What's the matter BBC (and western Europe more broadly)? You were all for this kind of thing when it was being done by Israel. Bit late to cry about it now that the leopards are eyeing your face
And EU Europeans are losing everything.
There's less condemnation of EU politicians for the kidnapping of Maduro or for this,
which is EU territory than the heavily provoked Russia's invasive retaliation
against Ukraine's civil war on Russian-Ukrainian separatists after a coup,
to which people, at least in my EU country,
held a referendum against Ukraine for even attempting to join the EU.
I had a stroke reading this
And EU Europeans are losing everything.
To corruption? Your analysis sounds like symptoms of systemic corruption. There's a lot of that to go around at the international level.
Yes to corruption.
Liberal democracy is corrupt to the core.
It has corruption embedded in the electoral system,
as it serves the merchant class, rather than the people,
of which the majority of merchants are from the US.
Europe should seize the personal assets of Trump and other GOP members.
Lmao. They're more likely to buy him a private jet, yatch and a golf course than even point finger at him.
I hate seeing the term americans used. We have been taken over due to a combined minority coallition of the corrupt and stupid.
Every (US)american i know is guilty for that shitshow.
They are doing nothing. The lethargy is insane.
What do you expect some 40 year old in Kansas to do that actually changes something? Start burning down vacant buildings?
That's because they have always supported this kind of thing, they're just uncomfortable with Trump taking the mask off
The people I know are but then again im not confident the people I know are anywhere close to the majority.
So, Americans
On the one hand, it's jarring to see the US brazenly embrace the imperialism it used to do covertly for over a century
On the other, it's nice to see Europe getting a taste of their own medicine lmfao.
More infighting please! Have them wreck each other