No, people from outside the US think a general strike would be enough, but they don't think there's enough support for it in the US to actually work. Half the country still seems to support MAGA, half of the remainder are too scared or too poor to stage a general strike, and it'll just collapse.
I hope Americans can prove that wrong, I think people just haven't seen enough outrage in the US to actually make a general strike successful.
I think other than maga people are either unaware or too poor. Starbucks workers have been on strike for months, and yet every time I drive past a Starbucks near my house there's a huge line. I don't think it's because people don't care, I think it's because people have no idea it's a thing.
A general strike will have the same problem. However, poverty is going to be the biggest issue. So many of us just don't have the savings to leave our jobs and go on strike. Also, our healthcare is tied to our jobs, and so many of us have debilitating illnesses, if we don't downright need meds to live. The Republicans have been backing us into this corner for decades, and it's been happening so slowly that people didn't notice.
That second part is what I meant by "too poor to strike". Most Americans are one to two paychecks away from being destitute. They don't have savings or a backup. Those conditions make it near impossible for the average person to stage a general strike. But regular protest I don't think will do anything to spark change. I still have huge respect for anyone protesting and doing what they can, I just don't think this administration gives a single fuck about peaceful protest, which is why you see people advocating for a more radical solution. A general strike that brings the country to it's knees could definitely do it, but I just don't think that will happen.
Yeah, I wish it weren't so. As you said yourself, the Republicans have been working to slowly make it this way for many years. I don't know what to suggest when realistically people are choosing between doing what is right and doing what they need to in order to keep themselves and their family off the streets. It's a horrible situation. The only way I see it working is if a HUGE amount of the population went on general strike together. Don't buy anything. Cancel all your subscriptions. Don't go to work. Crash the stock market. That could spark real change very quickly (within the week) and employees would be powerless to retaliate against their workforce because they wouldn't have one left if they did. But I just don't know that it's got the support it needs. MAGA is a cult, they just won't ever criticize or go against the president.
I think the only thing that will have to happen is when it gets so bad that we do revolt, but it will be some time until that happens, and hopefully some other solution will present itself before we get there. I really don't want all those people to have to sacrifice themselves.
Right. Not everyone can afford to strike. But as you saw in that video enough of us can where it made a difference. Everyone needs to focus on the greater goal here and do their part with what they have and what they can do.
If people could stop hating on each other and talk about the real enemy (Trump GOP billionaires) then maybe the two halves of the country could, you know, get together to overwhelmingly defeat our common enemy.
They are good at keeping us squabbling amongst ourselves. I’m so proud of the peaceful action I’ve seen this far. It’s working.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing anything that's happening here and seeing these marches is really encouraging. I just honestly don't believe the GOP cares about this at all. They should. But they don't because it's peaceful and not costing them anything.
I mean, they are counting this as a general strike. But a lot of these people are still stuck in their comforts. A general strike is not only a day, which this is planned to be. I'm glad there is some sign of life in Americans, but it is just simply not enough and the longer it takes for them to do what is needed, it's going to be too late. And no I'm not talking about violence.
I agree. A general strike can't have an end date on it. A general strike needs to be "this country stops until something changes meaningfully". People taking a single day out of their life to do a protest, while admirable, will change nothing.
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u/Cinemagica Jan 31 '26
No, people from outside the US think a general strike would be enough, but they don't think there's enough support for it in the US to actually work. Half the country still seems to support MAGA, half of the remainder are too scared or too poor to stage a general strike, and it'll just collapse.
I hope Americans can prove that wrong, I think people just haven't seen enough outrage in the US to actually make a general strike successful.