Most Americans are too chicken shit to give up a few days of work. I mean, look at how these 9 to 5vers bitch and complain when people protest and it inconveniences them. They’ve swallowed the propaganda so hard that they applaud the police for arresting and abusing protestors. I have very little faith in my countrymen.
Many people can’t miss a few days work without significant financial implications. Billionaires and corporations have us so underwater that we have no choice but to make a big stink where we can and voice our concern, with the occasional weekend march.
I’ll dare note that in the beginning of the previous century financial implications of such a strike for a worker were not just that, and it involved also possibly serious physical damage (without easily available surgery and care) and detention.
I would really like to find it in myself to do something like that, it takes a certain state of mind and a certain feeling in the air, because how do you start when nobody is yet doing it.
I’d say part of the difference is that, at this point, the billionaires have left us with just enough to lose. I’m sure the risk of physical violence was still daunting, but when you have nothing left to lose then the prospect of physical harm somehow seems preferable to continuing with the status quo. That seems like an easy thing to say, but I’ve been there before.
Ah, yes, of course. That’s also the distinction of Russia’s situation from more classical kinds of fascism. Bad things happen, but the regime doesn’t put them under your nose. Intimidation happens, but there are no public executions Nazi-style. Propaganda happens, but it’s boring and one would think ineffective, except it still sticks, similar to advertising, - they’ve learned some lessons. Nazis were more interesting and imposing, but less efficient. This is state of the art.
Same with today’s monopolies, oligopolies, rotten electoral systems, censorship.
Everything has been optimized to the last cent. Not the good old days, when the bad guys were generous with impressions.
Reminds me of Boussenard’s sentiment on new uniforms in his children’s book on the Boer war - no more nice glares and colors, just khaki everywhere - a symbol of efficiency, because camouflage now is treated seriously enough.
Like Intel’s tick-tock. Worker movements and fascisms 100 years ago were the “tick”, and now is the “tock” - boring, depressing, deadly efficient.
I support a general strike but I’m a doctor that works primarily in an underserved community filled with many immigrants (illegal and otherwise). I would support other people striking, but I feel like I couldn’t possibly stop working because my role is a lifeline for workers.
There are other ways of striking than reducing service. For example you could stop all insurance paperwork and offer your services for free for the duration of the strike. Or anything else that makes management mad and the bosses/shareholders lose money.
So I work for a small community hospital. I have zero input on billing. My hospital is so small and broke that we end up being subsidized by the city/state most years because so many of our patients are uninsured and can’t pay for our services. I can’t make the hospital operate for free because I have zero influence on billing.
Most Americans are too chicken shit to give up a few days of work. I mean, look at how these 9 to 5vers bitch and complain when people protest and it inconveniences them. They’ve swallowed the propaganda so hard that they applaud the police for arresting and abusing protestors. I have very little faith in my countrymen.
Many people can’t miss a few days work without significant financial implications. Billionaires and corporations have us so underwater that we have no choice but to make a big stink where we can and voice our concern, with the occasional weekend march.
I’ll dare note that in the beginning of the previous century financial implications of such a strike for a worker were not just that, and it involved also possibly serious physical damage (without easily available surgery and care) and detention.
I would really like to find it in myself to do something like that, it takes a certain state of mind and a certain feeling in the air, because how do you start when nobody is yet doing it.
I’d say part of the difference is that, at this point, the billionaires have left us with just enough to lose. I’m sure the risk of physical violence was still daunting, but when you have nothing left to lose then the prospect of physical harm somehow seems preferable to continuing with the status quo. That seems like an easy thing to say, but I’ve been there before.
Ah, yes, of course. That’s also the distinction of Russia’s situation from more classical kinds of fascism. Bad things happen, but the regime doesn’t put them under your nose. Intimidation happens, but there are no public executions Nazi-style. Propaganda happens, but it’s boring and one would think ineffective, except it still sticks, similar to advertising, - they’ve learned some lessons. Nazis were more interesting and imposing, but less efficient. This is state of the art.
Same with today’s monopolies, oligopolies, rotten electoral systems, censorship.
Everything has been optimized to the last cent. Not the good old days, when the bad guys were generous with impressions.
Reminds me of Boussenard’s sentiment on new uniforms in his children’s book on the Boer war - no more nice glares and colors, just khaki everywhere - a symbol of efficiency, because camouflage now is treated seriously enough.
Like Intel’s tick-tock. Worker movements and fascisms 100 years ago were the “tick”, and now is the “tock” - boring, depressing, deadly efficient.
Very well put; this is exactly what I’m talking about.
It’s not that they’re chicken shit. They aren’t even against Trump’s policies.
I support a general strike but I’m a doctor that works primarily in an underserved community filled with many immigrants (illegal and otherwise). I would support other people striking, but I feel like I couldn’t possibly stop working because my role is a lifeline for workers.
There are other ways of striking than reducing service. For example you could stop all insurance paperwork and offer your services for free for the duration of the strike. Or anything else that makes management mad and the bosses/shareholders lose money.
That reminds me of the striking Japenese bus drivers: https://japantoday.com/category/national/okayama-buses-strike-by-continuing-to-run-and-refusing-to-take-anyone’s-money
Thanks for sharing this. I’d heard of this before, but being reminded of it bolstered my spirits a little.
So I work for a small community hospital. I have zero input on billing. My hospital is so small and broke that we end up being subsidized by the city/state most years because so many of our patients are uninsured and can’t pay for our services. I can’t make the hospital operate for free because I have zero influence on billing.
I do volunteer at free clinics part time.
This is why safety nets are important. In US you can lose your job, not get unemployment and lose access to doctor.
And this is why the right has been systematically dismantling all safety nets for decades.
This is the end game…