this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2024
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[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

I hate this reality, but remember that in 1950, Black Americans were literally being lynched. I don't think a trump presidency is worse than that or even nearly as bad, at least not this soon. If dems dont win the midterms and get a 2028 trifecta we might have a problem.

Remember, the US has federalism. Power is shared between the states and the federal government. The federal government dont have the manpower to literally put people in concentration camps, not yet.

If you live in a red state or red city, move, now. Move to a Blue State and Blue City.

Federalism is our last defence against fascism. Democracy might be dying, but it aint dead yet. The Climate however, thats another story :(

Only thing an average person can do is try to get people to vote, midterms, presidential, local. Every election Primary or General. Low turnout in Primary could lead to disasterous candidates.

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[–] kava@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

my dad always taught me not to let the workings of the world affect my personal mood

even if the world is going to shit, you can carve out a little slice of life for yourself and the people you love. take care of those people, take care of what you own, do the things you're passionate about and let God worry about the rest

and I say that as an atheist. it's a metaphor

Plenty of great advice here, but one more thing to think about is how such a large win for Republicans can be used against them a bit in the future. They won the Presidency and have majorities in the Senate, likely the House, the Supreme Court, and governorships. They have free reign to do what they want, which is scary, but it also means that they can't blame the Democrats for any bad things that may happen in the next 2 years until the midterms.

Any law that passes with bad outcomes is solely their fault. If the economy gets worse, it's all on them. If the deficit increases, they are the only ones to blame. If they don't fulfill their campaign promises, it's because they chose not to. If there is a government shutdown, it's because they couldn't agree on a budget. If bills aren't being passed, they are arguing too much. They can't even fall back on blaming the Democrats in the Senate because they have enough votes that they could cancel the filibuster while they are in office and reinstate it before they leave.

This means that you, and everyone else, can point out anything the government does that has a negative impact and say definitively that it is entirely the fault of the Republicans. If this is done frequently enough and loud enough, there may be enough frustrated voters to change the outcome the next time around. They will definitely do things that annoy almost every voter, whether they are going too far or not far enough in their agenda, and they can't hide that it was only them that made those decisions.

[–] Anti_Iridium@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

The only way out of this situation is through.

[–] pinkystew@reddthat.com 4 points 1 day ago

Treat it like nuclear fallout. Everything sucks right now. So much life is going to be oppressed. But eventually it will end, and we can begin rebuilding.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 89 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (24 children)
  1. Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to the Workers to protect themselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there's an org you like more near you and join it, the point is that organizing is the best thing any leftist can do.

  2. Read theory. A good primer is Blackshirts and Reds. It will help contextualize what fascism is, what causes it, and how to stop it. I can offer more advanced reading lists regarding Marxism if you'd like, but this is a good starting point.

  3. Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground.

  4. Be more industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well. Theory guides practice, which sharpens theory to be reapplied to better practice.

  5. Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. The Democrats will not save us, we must do so.

  6. Be persistent. If you feel like a single water driplet against a mountain, think of the Grand Canyon. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 42 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

I think an underrated piece of theory that the right-wing seems to understand and utilize more than the left is Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord. They seem to be very good at recuperating our theory and twisting it to their own ends, while we on the left struggle to dΓ©tourne their words and ideas in a way that promotes leftist thought.

I think media theory in general is a big aspect where the left is losing.


EDIT:

Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others.

Also, one of the best ways to survive a fight is to escape it. If getting armed isn't practical, a high-powered flashlight that can temporarily prevent an assailant from seeing you clearly enough to attack and approach is a good move. A group with laser pointers can work, too. Can be quicker and more accurate than pepper spray, but more effective at long range than close.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

That's an interesting point! I agree that Capital does a great job of subverting, de-fanging Leftist theory, co-opting it and churning out opportunism. "Hollywood Resistance," if you will. I think Lenin said it best in The State and Revolution, at least with respect to Marxism specifically but applicable broadly:

What is now happening to Marx's teaching has, in the course of history, happened repeatedly to the teachings of revolutionary thinkers and leaders of oppressed classes struggling for emancipation. During the lifetime of great revolutionaries, the oppressing classes constantly hounded them, received their teachings with the most savage malice, the most furious hatred and the most unscrupulous campaigns of lies and slander. After their death, attempts are made to convert them into harmless icons, to canonize them, so to say, and to surround their names with a certain halo for the "consolation" of the oppressed classes and with the object of duping the latter, while at the same time emasculating the essence of the revolutionary teaching, blunting its revolutionary edge and vulgarizing it. At the present time, the bourgeoisie and the opportunists within the working-class movement concur in this "doctoring" of Marxism. They omit, obliterate and distort the revolutionary side of this teaching, its revolutionary soul. They push to the foreground and extol what is or seems acceptable to the bourgeoisie. All the social-chauvinists are now "Marxists" (don't laugh!). And more and more frequently, German bourgeois scholars, but yesterday specialists in the annihilation of Marxism, are speaking of the "national-German" Marx, who, they aver, educated the workers' unions which are so splendidly organized for the purpose of conducting a predatory war!

Also good point with respect to Self-Defense!

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[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 41 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Your fear is understandable and valid, this is a dark timeline and a really bad outcome.

But being afraid and panicking cannot possibly help anybody, least of all yourself.

Take a few days if you can to reset mentally as much as possible.

Then, get to work building resistance, it's more critical now than ever. Find a leftist org near you and get involved. DSA, a local anarchist group, a worker co-op that needs volunteers, a democratic socialist org, anything leftist that is doing real work locally.

If you can't donate your time, donate your money. If you can't donate either of those, then help them spread the word on your social media. Post all their links and use your social media to advertise their events and meetups, help make people aware.

On the personal side, protect your health. The conservatives largely want to demolish healthcare, especially for underprivileged folks. Your health is so critical, especially now.

Quit your vices or at least, reduce them:

  • Quit smoking/vaping.
  • Stop drinking, at least heavily if you do.
  • Stop eating junk food/candy.
  • Get in shape, hike, calisthenics, walk, bike, etc.

It will not only help protect you from an administration that wants you to have less coverage if you're sick/injured, it will help your mental health and save you money, sometimes tons of money.

Final advice for money, save it as much as you can. Practice frugality, get together with friends to cook and share meals. Get involved socially with people, learn about your community, build solidarity.

We will get through this, I believe in you, and I believe in the human drive for true freedom, equality, and community. Don't let that flame burn out, we're in this together, and only together can we come out victorious. ✊

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 36 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Get involved in Mutual Aid groups!!

No one is coming to save any of us, the only people who have our back is each other. We have to drop this American individuality bullshit and focus on growing communities that function outside the capitalist/US government paradigm because those institutions are not going to save us: they plan to grind us into paste to make money.

We truly are at the end game, the capitlists don't see our middle class as valuable internationally anymore, so they want to cut the strings and make us compete with people who get paid dollars a day to solder parts together in a factory. Bezos pushes his employees so hard because he's part of this mindset, too. They expect our lives to revolve around making them money until the planet is burnt to a cinder.

Figure out what your useful skills are, and add them to the pile. A lot of us here are tech nerds, and we can build out sneakernets and large-scale non-internet-connected-LANs in neighborhoods. Others can offer grow food, others can offer medical care, and so on.

We have to accept that the systems as they exist are failing us, and we can only count on ourselves and each other.

We don't have to do it alone.

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[–] ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)
[–] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (6 children)

Come ~~in~~ to Europe πŸ™‚

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[–] xelar@lemmy.ml -3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Why bother about politics when everything is just a theater. People thinking that voting changes anything still amazes me.

Dont treat politics seriously. It will come one way or another to you in some shape or form. Focus on things which you really can improve/change/work on.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 days ago

To ignore political struggle is a privledge the vast majority cannot afford.

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You should be doing the same thing as before. Stacking cash so you might have a chance not to suffer the clown dystopia...

Not sure how people forget this priority online and sweat over regime whores swapping presidents spot.

[–] MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

"Ignore the problem, hope you get rich enough to keep ignoring the symptoms"

[–] sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 41 points 2 days ago

Republicans also control senate and might control the house in addition to majority conservative judges in supreme court. I so hope its going to be "just 4 years"

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Go fishing.

For real. Take some time to focus on something new and "pointless". Soak in some gorgeous views and learn about your local waterways. Reconnect with the land around you.

Life's easier with a clearer head.

[–] jo3rn@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 2 days ago (7 children)

Although I agree with the rest of the comment, I would suggest a less brutal activity, such as a hiking or bird watching.

These also require less equipment.

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[–] Kaput@lemmy.world 30 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Is now a good time to think about a third party? Actual left one. Not 1995 Republicans left.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 28 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Absolutely. It always has been, to be clear, but it is always a good time to start. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there's an org you like more near you and join it, the point is that organizing is the best thing any leftist can do.

To be clear, electoralism cannot and will not save us, Revolution is necessary. Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution and Lenin's The State and Revolution have remained correct to this day, and are only further proven correct with the passage of time and the accumulation of confirming evidence.

A good primer is Blackshirts and Reds.

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[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 2 days ago

It's time to push for ranked choice voting, which will in turn enable third parties.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 29 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Get organized. Nobody ever won their rights by voting, they won by getting together with their neighbors and coworkers and standing up to capital. Unions used to be a major political player in the US, but capital has almost completely destroyed them, with the help of the dems and the repubs. The working class has been hypnotized by trinkets into ceding all political power. We need to claw it back.

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[–] TheOubliette@lemmy.ml 28 points 2 days ago

It will be strikingly similar to the last 4 years but the partisan narratives will simply flip in various ways, as will those of allied media. The bad things that the Trump admin did in his first term that became suddenly tolerable, ir even "good" under Biden? They will be back to being good again. Dem politicians will be back to calling themselves "the resistance" despite losing another layup because they could not do more than campaign on "at least we aren't them" while presiding over a genocide and economic decline for the average person, both with intentional policies. Remember that they are all PR and cynicism and are lying to you about what they will do, as they are not beholden to a disorganized public in any way.

To be clear, bad things will be happening. It is only reasonable to feel some despair for them, but if you can allow that to motivate you to substantive action you can escape merely being a witness to suffering and can begin to work materially against it. Much of that suffering was going to happen anyways or a different form of suffering may have happened under a Harris regime. It's not like Democrats did much with their power, they tend to pretend they have no party discipline or power even when thry have the presidency and Congress, so they allowed the major shifts at state levels to occur largely unheeded and served a right wing agenda at the national level. So it is important yo ask the question of what action you can take that does not depend on expecting Democrats to save you. They won't. What we need are other organizations, ones that organize independently of ans often in opposition to the Democrats, Dems who otherwise suck up all political energy demanding improvements to people's lives and turn it into more cops and wars.

So, the two ingredients to effective organizations are political education and organization building. The former is just an organized form of reading and teaching, and it is essential because we have all internalized false ideas of how politics functions. They are taught to us by the ruling interests that keep us disempowered *because * this keep them in power. The latter is about growing and improving an organization so that it can have greater and greater leverage and develop strategies for gaining and wielding power (and power is not things like letter writing campaigns to already-elected ghouls, it is making demands that must be met or else).

You can enjoin this kind of project in many ways. You don't need to jump deeply into a hardcore organization straightaway; it can be useful to join one that is only oushing yourself moderately at first. Maybe a mutual aid organization or a single issue or single community group. The important thing is that it is of the left and therefore not of thr Democratic party. You can also engage in your own political education independently if you'd like, which can keep the pressure down when you are first starting out with irl left work.

And of course please do rely on whatever community you already may have, including here. I am happy to chat here or via DMs if you'd like and can answer basically any question you might have. I'm also happy to recommend readings that you may find useful or helpful.

[–] deadsuperhero@lemmy.ml 21 points 2 days ago

Yeah, the election results were a horrible thing to wake up to. I had really hoped for a better outcome, but this is the direction America decided to go.

The biggest thing to remember right now is that the progressive cause will always have work to do, and challenges to face. Even if we had won, either partially or by a landslide in the House, Senate, and Executive branch, that would still hold true. The American Right may very well unleash new horrors that make life intolerable for absolutely everyone, and may take up policies that get people killed. Now, more than ever, it is on us to build bridges and networks of support. All we have to do is outlive these bastards, and oppose their worst tendencies at every turn. Vote early, vote often, and vote locally.

In the coming days and weeks, pundits will likely try to highlight all the possible reasons that the Harris campaign failed, because they love sounding like informed geniuses who take a result, work backwards, and highlight what should have been done. Try not to lean into the tendency to blame people on the left, and try to avoid infighting. It's going to happen.

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 days ago

in the short term: do something that helps you cope with our reality.

in the long term: reach out the people who both love and respect you and tell them how you feel. mutual aid is how we survived every time there's been a hostile government and it'll work again. we've been here before, we've survived, and we will do it again.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Arm yourself. If they get violent, I'm returning the favor.

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They are going to spend those 4 years doing everything they can to fix the next election as well. Gerrymandering, voter intimidation, you name it. By all means hide in bed to get over the shock but, if you stay there, you'll need to stay there more than 4 years.

The federal gov has been nuked, act as if only your state legislature exist, organize unaligned party.

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