cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/59378754
The calls for a nationwide (US) shutdown this Friday (Jan 30) are growing louder
Let’s get it boys and girls. I’m ready
I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday. But I can avoid going out for dinner or groceries.
So… you think there will be people working at your doctor’s office on a day of a General Strike? This is very entitled attitude. I mean, I get it, I am a nurse and I anticipate the general public will rely on our ethical code to ensure emergency rooms are staffed as well as the other inpatient floors so people in need for acute health care will have beds and care. However, what if we just don’t show up? There is a nurses’ strike in NYC, staff from major hospital systems are not showing up for work. There is a plethora of temporary healthcare employee agencies recruiting strike crossers – some for almost $200/hr. Why can’t those hospitals just pay their nurses? They are certainly able to pay these scabs.
I wonder if you expect the police, teachers, garbage collectors and firemen to also show up for their jobs to continue to make your life smooth and safe? That is an antithesis of a general strike’s impact. Some of you realize your jobs are really unimportant, the rest of us have to carry society and humanity.
So… you think there will be people working at your doctor’s office on a day of a General Strike? This is very entitled attitude.
They texted me today reminding me of the session, and also reminding me that I still have to pay if I don’t show up to my appointment at this point. Also my health issue seriously needs to be addressed.
3 days notice is not a lot of time. And the doctor is holding me accountable to my side of the agreement that I made prior to this strike being announced, my only option is to pay for the treatment, whether I receive it or not. What’s with the personal attack? I said I would refrain from work, and shopping of any form. I feel like I’m doing what I can under the limited notice. I have a long workday tomorrow, but am still preparing to buy groceries after work to avoid spending anything on Friday.
Why can’t those hospitals just pay their nurses? They are certainly able to pay these scabs.
what does this have to do with 3 days notice of a one day strike? What does this have to do with your hostility directed at me?
Some of you realize your jobs are really unimportant, the rest of us have to carry society and humanity.
I am not in a great headspace mentally, and you attacking me, acting like I’m one of those people that is ignoring everything that’s going on, it’s hurtful and counter productive. I’m doing the best that I can.
Take care of yourself and do what you think is right. Judging the other posts of the person your replied to they’re just there to spread division. Don’t feed the trolls, they’re probably getting fed enough on the Russian troll farm already.
Some of you realize your jobs are really unimportant
Don’t “police, teachers, garbage collectors and fireman” kinda rely on other professions to do their jobs? Why do you need to put other workers down? Pretty sure as a teacher I relied on a school bus driver to get the students to me, an HVAC guy to make sure that the building was comfortable, architects and construction workers to create the building, electricians……….
The comments you are leaving seem to me like compassion fatigue and burnout.
My Chinese noses would fire my ass so quick. I’d have to take the day off. But I can’t even do that because of how much business I’m on.
… /s?
I hope people knew I meant boses. Not noses. But ya. New job is for a Chinese firm. Haven’t built up my PTO to take off yet. Plus Fridays are so busy for me. I can’t miss.
Ysk, this isn’t a general strike. It’s a protest, at best.
Obviously its both
A general strike is much longer.
Do you have a copy of the rule book by chance?
“The largest general strike that ever stopped the economy of an advanced industrial country—and the first general wildcat strike in history—was May 1968 in France.[105] The prolonged strike involved eleven million workers for two weeks in a row,[105] and its impact was such that it almost caused the collapse of the de Gaulle government.”
This entire wiki article is a list of HUGE events in history that were affected by general strikes and what was involved in organizing and challenging them.
A one-day protest is fine, but it’s not a “general strike.”
With the amount of indoctrination that has happened in the US, it makes sense that most don’t know how to adequately protest or strike.
At this point in time, it finally appears people are slowly understanding protests as a means to signify discontent. However, the line remains blury as to what is a protest and what is a strike.
A general strike should leave a long lasting mark resulting from halting of the economy - but a single day will only reinforce the fact that strikes which are effectively just protests aren’t going to work.
I started watching network nightly news again after throwing it away for years and years, because I want to see what the average American who isn’t stuck online sees every night while cooking dinner for 3 screaming kids and having to juggle two jobs. NBC, ABC, even CBS.
It’s so bad. It’s dishearteningly bleak when you realize how much of the population catches blurbs and snippets of actual issues sandwiched between stories about weather and a local boy-scout who grew the biggest pumpkin, and of course the required nightly “true crime” story about a spouse who murdered their partner and had an affair.
I have nobody to scream at, nobody to shake. They didn’t even MENTION the strikes (protests) so far on any network, they have not shown the scale of the marches and the chaos on the streets of American cities. To say nothing of the neutral, blameless tone they use.
They only just barely started taking the people’s protests against ICE like an actual news story after Alex Pretti was murdered, because at a certain point, even the hand of the state can no longer dismiss or avoid actual reality.
This is because there are three forces of political capital in the country broadly. The strongest is the liberal masses, the majority. Farmed cattle used for the labor and attention spans and purchasing power. Middle-class America holds ALL the power because they have the most money and keep the system moving… as a result, they are manipulated and sedated the hardest.
The second force is nationalism. About 20% - 30% or so of the population are illiterate, rural or wannabe-rural grown toddlers screaming and waving guns and hating everything that moves, while worshipping the flag and kissing the king’s ass. Armed groups of nationalists have been the driving force of political capital for thousands of years, it’s no different now.
The last group is progressivism. Arguably the weakest, almost not worth mentioning it has so little power now, but is still technically on the list because we’re still here, still trying.
But it’s all shifting, as leftists start taking up arms and marching in larger and larger numbers, the networks and marketing companies have no choice but to notice it. This is because the liberal middle class is now noticing it, and when THEY shift, everything shifts.
To this end, I support continued protests and marches, even if they’re utterly pathetic by historical standards for moving systems.
General strikes aren’t things you can use your PTO for to get a three-day weekend. That’s like protesting a brand by buying their product and then destroying it.
It’s not a general strike if it doesn’t come from the Generél region of France. Otherwise it’s just sparkling absenteeism.
finally americans doing something that works
keep striking
On the eve of government shutdown
I am in the EU. There’s no reason why I should know this. Keep the US in the US-related communities, thanks.
or you could have some common decency and join the strike in solidarity instead of being a whiner
Tell me how I could do it from here (that is not sofa activism like “like and share”) and put THAT in a YSK.
if you’re not in a Union join one, ask around your national unions what it would take to organize a solidarity strike. international strikes are pretty common around the globe
Strikes are organized against one’s own government on topics for which the government has skin in the game.
That’s why Italy, Germany and France see protests against the genocide of the Palestinian people: because those countries sell weapons and buy security systems from Israel.
Now tell me what exactly you think any of those governments could do against the decades long fall into fascism and plutocracy that the US is experiencing, while the same billionaires fund our own local nazi parties.
The only thing that we should keep saying is don’t touch the sick corpse.
well good for you, but the whole fucking world is on fire. if the us falls then how long do you think the eu has?
Depends on how much we (finally) detach from them and start acting as a world power.
I’m also in the EU, and I’d much rather get some posts calling for grassroots political action than the constant “elon said something Nazi again”.
I get all of those already. Don’t need them in a general advice community.
lol, no.
If the strike aint demolishing deathcamps, it’s a festivity.
✌️
Moving goalposts over and over, huh?
Me? Impossible.
🇺🇲ans, looks like.
Then organize something
I did. Pugjesus &
.worldremoved the Allamance deathcamp demolishing op.I tried it again. You can tell how it’s going.
Something tells me 🇺🇲 really really likes genocide.
I do see where organizing that would be tricky. Might have to just go sock hats, sunglasses, and voice changer to organize something like that.
Demolishing deathcamps require much less than that.
But the political will is simply not there.
Heck, if.worldreally cared about saving lives, they would have posted how the US demolished Al-Qaeda.
And demolishing tools are plenty! Medical supplies even more!It’s the political will of 🇺🇲 that’s simply gone.
People like you are entirely unhelpful to your own cause.
A lot of people don’t really want to get involved because they think that involves essentially signing up to be a soldier in some hypothetical civil war. And comments like that just reinforce that belief.
A general strike is the way you get progress in a non-violent method, (well actually the administration will probably make it violent but that will be on them) just ask the French.
Feeding people, sheltering the homeless, networking, and solidifying is
unhelpful to your own cause.
? ? ?
signing up to be a soldier
Giving people the power to defend themselves isn’t enlisting to die for an authoritarian. Are you confused at who you’re talking to?
A general strike is the way you get progress in a non-violent method
If it’s done everyday, until fascists can’t function. Not a weekend festivity.
just ask the French.
Can’t tell if your banter is dated, or ignorant
Absolutely none of what you’re talking about here has anything to do with your own prior comment. I mean you are complaining that action is being taken against people that you think are authorian but apparently it’s not the kind of action you’d like so you basically dismiss it.
Please explain how your negative attitude is helping anyone.
For a singular day? What kind of strike meets demands in a singular day‽
Explain how your “positive attitude” worked for the Minnesota.
Feeding people, sheltering the homeless, networking, and solidifying
Seems to me that not one of those is “demolishing deathcamps”, so by your argument those are all “just festivities”, no?
The thing you’re arguing here is entirely different to your original comment that the above commenter was arguing against.
Are you unaware what a political cause is?
Echo Dot & I differ on what causes create change, and which do not. Unlike EchoDot, I am aware how historically strikes have been able to meet their demands, and it definitively didn’t last 3 days.
Weird that others🧵 said the same thing I said, and they get upvoted.
They didn’t say what you said. They said that they think a general strike in a few days is unlikely to succeed.
Meanwhile you were complaining that not enough murder in is going to be a happening
I said that a strike without impacts to fascist resources is ineffective.
Murder is what the fascists are doing.
I own my own very very very small business (its me, my wife, my sister-in-law and a friend in another state) - what’s the consensus on what we should be doing for things like this? Do I strike myself?
You close down for the day and don’t buy anything. It’s quite clearly spelled out: No work. No school. No shopping.
Any other questions?
Simple yes would have sufficed.
Your business does not create money from nowhere. You buy things, and you sell things. You are part of a bigger economy, and you are striking that.
That’s fair just seems like your anger is misdirected at people who want to help. Most info is framed for W9s. I felt I was asking a legitimate question.
I suppose the any other questions bit was unnecessary, but I was trying to point out that it was listed in the post in a rather humorous way. I apologize because it does sound a bit snarkier than intended. Sorry.
No worries I do appreciate the response
In your defense, it’s kind of a dumb question. Whether you own your business or not, if you’re trying to participate, you don’t work. It’s that simple… (Sorry if you see this, OP)
ignore webadict. since the strike is for 🇺🇲gov, do not do business with them, or contractors working with the government. You can continue your business with comrades involved in the strike.
if when you can donate, do so.
The government does not operate in a vacuum. Corporations and their owners support these policies and actions, which is why economic boycotts are part of the strike.
Corporations and their owners
Comrades are not the rulers🤦♀️. Are you the ruling class?
Is it better to skip work entirely or go and just goof off? Probably the former?
Depends where you work, I suppose.
No call no show sends a stronger message if you’re privileged enough to be able to do that. If not, call in sick. Or go-slow all day. Do what you can.
privileged enough to be able
My European mind can’t comprehend this. Strikes are a right for every single worker, even the most unprivileged ones (with very few exceptions for public safety reasons)
exceptions for public safety
Like nurses, firefighters… but that’s exactly fucking why you have multi-industry unions. So when nurses need a raise, engineers can strike on their behalf.
This is why every time deregulation in general comes up, I suggest we start with the Taft-Hartley act.
Holy shit, even overriding a presidential veto for that shit. Imagine if Congress had balls like that today.
The last time was with Trump
Where in Europe? General strikes are illegal in Germany
I’m from Italy. Here general strikes are common. I know that France also goes strong on strikes.
I’m surprised they’re illegal in Germany. You should fight to change that.
They should have a general strike demanding the right to general strikes.
I don’t see how it’s enforceable, you don’t have to picket, just no one shows up for work at that same time, what are they going to do?
To elaborate on the situation in The Netherlands: You can only strike when certain conditions are met. In short, you use it as a final measurement to force your employer to change something if other less radical measurements were ineffective.
In this case, most employers have absolutely no influence over whatever ICE does, so I’d highly doubt a strike would be ‘allowed’ for something like this over here in The Netherlands.
It’s illegal not to show up to work? I mean on the picket line maybe. But a general strike is more about not showing up than demonstrating. What are they going to send soldiers house to house and force you to go to work at the point of a bayonet?
Employees striking illegally or unauthorized can first of all have their pay withheld (which sounds obvious, but is very rare in The Netherlands). Second of all, they can be forced to pay damages to their employer. And as an extreme measure, their employment contract may be terminated without being able to collect government unemployment benefits later.
That does all seem rather plausible ways to get fucked. If the strike was really general they couldn’t do that to everyone, but if it fizzled out they could. At least your government is not trying to create the fourth reich at the moment, albeit they are sucking enough that the 4th reich aligned far right can run as reform on fake populism and win, then all bets are off.
People who can strike should also go to places of work that people can’t and contribute to sit-ins and slowdowns.
Yeah, I’m in.
Is there no union or organization locally that you can ask? Protest isn’t an individual action, it’s a social organized action, so you ideally should get involved with local orgs or your work’s union for this
Oh, that’s an idea. Unfortunately my work has no union. Tech is full of rugged individuals.
Good moment to join a union by yourself (and/or a socialist org like the PSL) and ask or directly organize yourself together with such orgs!
No
deleted by creator
Just gonna repeat what the OP said: this is an unverified archive link that he found on reddit. Idk what that means, but it looks legit to me?!
E: the website works now: https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php/Main_Page
Much appreciated!
Yeah, not going to be effective. Make it a week, and you might turn some heads a tad.
Then make it a week. It starts with someone. It could start with you.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a Pretti Good idea/start. But, there needs to be more, like a definded list of demands. Otherwise, it’s just an ignorable protest.
Organizations like the PSL do have lists of demands and are actively building a movement around this to gain momentum. You should check them out :)
Don’t ask for a Superman. They don’t exist.
We do things as a community and a collective, its the only way it works.It can start with any one of us. I’ve started, but seems easy for me, if everyone puts in a little effort, and some of us put in a lot, we can make an impact.
It’s this, or bloodshed.
Either way, our comforts are lost. I’d rather suffer on my terms, than theirs.
That’s not a strike, that’s just called being unemployed.
To be effective a general strike needs to be open ended, indefinite, until demands are met. We are not there yet, organizing some smaller ones is a good practice run perhaps, but just preparing for the real one.
In 500 bc, then 350 bc or so, the plebians of Rome had general strikes, decamping to a hill and refusing work until demands were met. One was a written set of laws as the rich were just making shit up as they went. Another was getting tribunes, every tribe got one and they could veto the senate, offer sanctuary, were sacrosanct, elected to one year terms. The second general strike expanded the tribunate.
The Peoples’ tribunes are the only reason their republic lasted for 500 years. Until the imperial boomerang came back on them as well, the tactics they used warring with other peoples were brought home by their own politicians.
Some people are going to stock up the day before, completely defeating the purpose
Consider it practice.
I roll my eyes that these all are on Fridays 🙄
I mean, it’s fine. Go ahead, it will help, but it’s not really a general strike. It’s a day of protest. Come on America, you don’t really get how this works. You can’t use your PTO to challenge authority. It’s the same as protesting a company by buying their product to destroy like MAGA does.
Turns out it’s hard to orchestrate hundreds of millions of people spread out over 9 millions square kilometers isn’t exactly easy to do, but I’m sure you have a better strat
Turns out it’s hard to orchestrate hundreds of millions of people
spread out over 9 millions square kilometers isn’t exactly easy to do,who are blissfully unware of anything happening around them and are comfortable sitting at home consuming media and games and don’t want to risk their jobs because they don’t have the security of community, because everyone has embraced being rugged loners as personality traits and not an obstacle to better lives.FTFY
Yes that is part of the difficulty of organizing them—that and theres many millions of those people and they are spread out. How do you reach them over such vast distances and impact them? Would love to hear how you would have achieved it?
My original comment was only to clarify that a friday protest isn’t remotely a “general strike” so I wish that outlets, forumgoers and media would stop using the term because it’s reducing the power behind the word. Actual general strikes have been performed in our modern world and have crushed governments. This isn’t doing that, and I fear too many naive people are going to think that a couple friday marches on PTO are going to make anyone in seats of power cry.
I never said it’s bad to march and protest, it IS having an impact, but by itself it won’t move anything because the people in power don’t actually care about the will of the people, if all you’re doing is saying you’re unhappy, well great. They WANT you unhappy.
I don’t know how to get hundreds of millions of Americans to understand this, neither do you. None of us do, but we can keep trying and we can keep making sure that our language isn’t getting watered down because we want to believe in things that aren’t real. This is all going to get worse before it gets better, and people will point to it and say “See? General strikes don’t work!” when we haven’t even done one yet.
Are the semantics really a hill you are gonna die on? Alright guys, go get the organizers to change all the banners to reword it so this guy is satisfied—sorry but that’s what’s needed in this moment!
I’m being snarky, but what’s your desired goal? What does success look like to you here, if people listened to you instead of calling it a 1-day general strike?
Some day in the future:
“Hey guys, we’re going to do an indefinite general strike!”
“What’s that?”
“Remember that one day thing you all did on Jan 30? It’s nothing like that!”
“Sweet! I’ll go to work then!”I don’t think you agree that the above scenario is your intended goal, so enlighten us with a corrected conversation
Nah, you’re too reactionary, I’ll pass.
Just saw a thing yesterday about what china calls the “kill line” it’s basically how most people are paycheck to paycheck and one expense can topple people into poverty and homeless. I’m thinking the tariffs goal was to move that line so less people can take action.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to put any of your information in a “protest” form…
Thank you for this. Sucks the local chapters are primarily organized on discord. Seems pretty risky that they could all be shut down in one fell swoop.
Srry guys, not sure if I can simply miss class
Don’t you have a student’s union or representative? Get informed locally on your rights and possibilities.
