How can I join the resistance ?
How can I join the resistance ?
How can I join the resistance ?
If you're in the US, please come help expand [ https://consumerrights.wiki/ ]!
It's simple. As soon as you see any Democrat that might beat a Republican, look up something they said one time that will make others angry. Try to make it something that will make it look like you're taking the moral high ground and allow no room for nuance or common sense. Keep as many people from voting as possible so that the most fascist candidate wins.
That's how .ml got more Gazan children to starve to death than have to! Err, I mean stopped Israel by helping Trump get elected. Mission accomplished!
Lemmy.ml had zero impact on the election. The Dems ran a horrible campaign and lost because of it.
Genuinely disgusting how you fucking nazis who literally started the genocide and PLUGGED YOUR EARS when the subject was brought up suddenly bleed for the Palestinian people. Do you think we don't remember what you were doing a year ago?
Go fuck yourself behaving as if these people are nothing but political pawns for your nazi fucking party of preference. You would be just as happy watching them be exterminated now as you were watching concentration camps on the southern border. We already have examples of you doing this from both directions.
You must honestly think we're fucking stupid if to fall for your sudden act. You just wanted to be the one giving them the bombs.
Great, now spend this righteous energy fighting against the current administration. No? Just more posts about how Gavin Newsom is bad for trying to move the needle while continuing to ignore the actual fascists that you explicitly cheered for 9 months ago? Very fucking interesting.
Do you honestly think lemmy.ml had any sort of impact on the US elections lol
Right now there isn't really one (assuming USA which is where I'm located). IMO the best thing you can do right now is first find likeminded people IRL and do stuff that's interesting to yourselves and other like minded people, then use those shared interests/bonds as a foundation for motivated community outreach.
Where I live I feel like the sense of community is almost nonexistent despite having a large population. IDK how much of that is from me being autistic, but a lot of things that stem from capitalism like car culture, addictive social media platforms, anything AI, shitty work-life balance, and horrible safety net are also strong contributors to society being super isolating, which then causes anger and self centeredness which results in a lot of what else is wrong with society.
One of the reasons Republicans are as successful as they are is that they provide community through stuff like religion and church, which tests people's commitment through rules and tithes but also results in tighter bonds where people are more open and trust each other more and do a lot of (mentally) uplifting things together. Then politicians use that to create a unified vision of an ideal society and wield that to their advantage to gain political power, and those communities are super motivated to uphold it.
Meanwhile there are tons of churches everywhere, but as for a left-wing equivalent there's next to nothing and I'm not even fully sure that it's possible to replicate something like this with left-wing values. Probably the most important things to take from this is being based on an agreed upon set of values, having a shared vision, expecting some level of commitment (including financially), meeting IRL, having regular activities that are enjoyable and based on the shared values/vision, and the most visible outreach being centered around the interests of those being immediately talked to and also around helping the local population which contributes to a positive image of the organization among less informed people and helps boost its popularity (it's also less difficult to make changes locally than nationally). Once there is enough popular support, then there's actually a chance of gaining political power and overthrowing capitalists through next step actions, but without popular support or some other form of power the chances of that succeeding is basically none.
As far as organizations that exist right now go, for ones like PSL I'm not sure how other chapters work or how it works on a national level. The problems I have with my local chapter is that it mainly focuses on peaceful controlled protests (has no chance at making meaningful change, sucks for community building, and is ultimately a waste of time) and it rarely focuses on local issues on social media (not good for building local support, and I want to actually do stuff, not just read and yell things). The best organization I've found so far which I'm volunteering with is one that stemmed from Food Not Bombs, which is run by leftists and focuses on raising awareness of local issues (specifically related to homelessness), using temporary aid as a way to protest unjust laws and promote a vision for an ideal society that fixes systemic issues that cause homelessness. Outside of the main distribution efforts, the main organizers in the group know some homeless people by name and where they're located and will help them as well. They've also gotten media attention in local mainstream news outlets (not exactly good attention but it's something). Some other Food Not Bombs chapters have gotten national media attention for breaking laws that hurt homeless people. A more broad organization that still prioritizes local issues (until more can be done outside of that) would be a lot better IMO, but that doesn't really exist where I live so this is what I've been involved with for now.
Your number one step is privacy. Privacy is the foundation of freedom; it "protects the right to be left alone".
If you're a beginner, Naomi Brockwell's videos have very good tips. If you're not a beginner, read Michael Bazzell's book Extreme Privacy. Read it in full and decide the level of privacy you want (you likely will not need every single one of his tips).
Start contacting local socialist orgs, PSL, DSA, CPUSA, etc., go to their meetings and start talking to people. Look for groups that offer education, seem to have good internal democratic processes, good comradely vibes, and who are actively engaging in campaigns to struggle against injustice, and doing stuff that you want to participate in.
Groups that have lots of political discussion, rather than being obsessed with internal processes, groups that don't work with cops, and don't just follow the dems on everything, is another thing to look for.
Your local conditions are the most important thing to consider. I wish I could tell you what group to join, but it varies quite a lot. A small and very active group is probably better than a large group with mostly inactive members. I'm in DSA, because I want to build a alternative workers political party, and I like DSA, but I also know that not every chapter is the same, there's def some chapters I would not recommend, although my local is very good.
Once you find your political home, you can branch out, keep working with other groups help build coalitions in your city. The most important thing is, you can't affect change by yourself. We need to combine our efforts to be effective. Always speak up, speak your mind and rep your personal perspective, and groups that don't handle good well considered perspectives can be toxic. Then again, we can bring toxic perspectives with us, so always be open to hearing criticism and always be trying to improve yourself. Be patient and assume good intent but find a group you can work well with. Develop your cadres.
Virtually every group needs people who can take good notes and/or can begin meetings on time. Like that bar is so incredibly low, but the people who do it for their own groups are some of the only people who will do that reliably, and they're also often people who are the most committed and experienced. Taking those simple functions off peoples workload or even providing support in those areas can be invaluable to the whole group. Other things, like doing phone/text banking or tabling for like a few hours per month is incredibly valuable work, that helps with turn out to events and allows recruiters to make and build contacts. Very low bar, very high impact. One of the groups I'm involved with actually pays people to make calls so volunteering for that work on your spare time, and being reliable and consistent is another invaluable quality in a new member.
One final tip, it is better to do one thing consistently then it is to try and take on everything that you see needs done. Make room in your life for organizing, and don't take on extra unless you're sure you have time/energy for it. Tell people in your life like "I have a commitment every Thursday from 7-9 pm" and then stick to that for a while. Burn out will fucking destroy you. So check in with your self, and check in with others.
Check out generalstrikeus.com. Also the peoples Union
What resistance? It seems to me that there is not one big organised resistance that is taking members.
Find a local event and network but be careful about it. The US had that "no kings" thing early in the summer (or before?). That was just a bunch of people against tyranny. No real organisation to it. So you'd go to something like that and just talk to people.
It helps if you have an anonymous way to chat. Something like Signal or Matrix or one of the others. Even Telegram would be better than using something public or corporate-backed, like SMS for the former or WhatsApp for the latter. But be careful with Telegram, read up on it, it's not a solid recommendation but it's better than nothing. Fortunately there are alternatives. Even if the other person isn't tech savvy — you probably are by being on Lemmy. So, show them the way.
Occasionally contact them through anonymous chat, just see how they're doing, and discuss future plans.
Also, aside from demonstrations, places where like minded people meet. For the authoritarians and conservatives, that's church, the local BBQ spot, and other, more obvious groups. I feel like they feel they can operate more openly since the US president is one of them. Used to be, these guys wore masks and were hidden, joining them wasn't about finding them, they'd find you, that kind of thing. Nowadays it's all out in the open. But I think liberals and progressives have meeting places, too. In response to church, for example, you should know that The Satanic Temple is not about devil worship, they're about resisting Christian imperialism. They're the ones fighting churches trying to get the Ten Commandments posted in every classroom. I'm religiously neutral, so they do not interest me, but they're certainly an option. For the anti-theist/"hard atheist," they're a good option.
No, don't use Telegram. Chats aren't end to end encrypted by default, you have to specifically request a secret conversation. It's also not possible to encrypt group chats on telegram. Matrix, signal, session, simplex, and many others are much better.
Yeah, I know about Telegram's limitations. Been using it for ages, just to chat with my wife since she uses Android and I'm on an iPhone, and I don't do social media. It was the best way for us to message back and forth and we haven't moved off of it.
I have Matrix, Signal, and Session as well. Nobody chats me up on them but I keep them as options because why not? My phone has 512GB. Most is music and video. Apps are nothing to me.
there is not one big organised resistance that is taking members
The biggest is DSA
Nice try, fed.
Or mossad
Close enough, but I suspect Mossad has TV's upper hand.
Join an org, if you're a fed the good ones will filter you out. I recommend either the Party for Socialism and Liberation or Freedom Road Socialist Organization if you live in the US.
If you want a place to start with theory, I made an introductory Marxist-Leninist reading list, feel free to check it out!
<3
<3
Pee on your shoes.
We will contact you.
A member of the resistance has contacted me, thank you !
Done. Am now resisting arrest in the Wendy’s diner.
serious answer: start by reading theory and knowing how "the resistance" works at all.
"I want to help"
"Read several books first".
Are you aware of how disgusting and classist it sounds?
once you get a grip of ohm's law, resistance is a breeze
Here's my Marxist-Leninist reading list if you want a place to start (I'm aware of the joke, haha)!
For anyone wanting a good place to start, I made an introductory Marxist-Leninist reading list! Under a bit of revision right now, but still fully usable!
start resisting, you will find the others quickly
Want to help Terrence and Philip?
Sneak out after you get tucked into bed tonight and meet at Carl's Warehouse.
Punch and pie.
I know guys, let's like all form a resistance group and we'll all meet downtown on Thursday at 6 o'clock. That way we're all done with work and everything and we'll have a big fucking meeting. Like every resister, all over the country, we're all gonna meet downtown.
Think about it. There will be too many of us for the cops to do anything about it.
Like, even though they'll know where we are and when we're gonna be there, it'll be all of us versus only however many of them can actually show up.
That's the cool part... There is no "resistance" ...that's just something made up to profit off terrorizing people.
Be kind by default, and turn to defense mode when proven to be necessary. Helping and loving each other is resistance against cruelty. <3
When you find out, let us know.
Look up the group Indecline and see if they have any suggestions for civil disobedience around you.
Right now I think it's more just a collective of individual action, not so much a group of people that meet up. It's also near impossible with how monitored everything is these days. Be careful where and how to talk about this stuff tho. Anything that has a speaker has the potential to listen, even if it's "turned off".
there isn't one you can join, but you can start an argument with stevens dad on twitter any time you want
Eat more rubber and glass.
I was going to give you a tip, but then I saw that you might be a Marxist-Leninist, so now I have less motivation for that
Are you bourgeois?
I wouldn't be surprised if you considered me to be bourgeois. I'm not sure that there's anything you could learn about me that would lead to a different opinion.
Socialists need to learn to stop being dogmatic. If a Marxist-Leninist revolution is our most viable solution, democratic socialists et al should back it. If democratic socialism is more likely to succeed, Marxist-Leninists should back it.
I want to note that I am not of, relating to, supporting, or advocating socialism. I didn't realize that "not a Marxist-Leninist" can mean "a socialist but not a Marxist-Leninist" as well as "not a socialist", and it's possible that people might have assumed that I was some kind of socialist, but I'm not. I do have political opinions, but they probably wouldn't be described as "socialist".
My guess from the question an expectation of some formal group. Such groups exist. Better yet is prefiguration.
Build community in your neighborhood by getting to know your neighbors and contributing your skills to meet common goals. People, being social animals, work together to meet their needs. That is resistance.
Look out for your neighborhoods safety. Some ideas for doing that include: securing a water source, learning to raise food, learning basic repair of equipment, working on cardio, learning grappling/striking or joining a gun club. Be a neighbor with skills.
Lastly, never trust an organization with a heirarchy of leaders. Said leaders will eventually need to lynched. Joining the Marxist-Leninist book club is about as productive as Bible study.
Why on Earth would you advocate for lynching any and all leaders? If someone is elected, and helps guide the people to a better future through correct practice, then that's a good thing, not the grounds for execution.
Get into non-dual spirituality. Zen Buddhism is a good start. Stop thinking you can win the cycle of suffering by spinning the wheel a little differently.
Marxist nonsense will succumb to the exact same human frailties as capitalism. Greed, tribalism. It's the same thing, they just demonize a different group of people and thought. They're still creating a division and separation. No system of thought that's not grounded in what can be said to be inarguably TRUE is free from tyranny - the only way out is to release your attachment to anything that could be used to control you, to force you to act unlike you truly feel called to act.
Materialism is the ultimate means of oppression. And it's something you've been conditioned to believe in since birth. Socialists, communists etc. still rely on materialism to drive their ideology and somehow think they're better because they make nice noises about equality. Childish. At least capitalism is logically consistent with it.
Unless you are willing to take a really fucking hard look at your core beliefs about the nature of reality, you will not change anything. You're just giving the leash of materialism around your neck to a different master.
Materialism is the ultimate means of oppression.
Materialism was historically just one way of understanding the world. Over time, it got accepted more and more because it could make testable (and useful) predictions, and they turned out to be right.
And it's something you've been conditioned to believe in since birth.
Because it works.
Socialists, communists etc. still rely on materialism to drive their ideology
Because it works.
I like how you just stated that Marxist "nonsense" will succumb to the same issues as capitalism, with no qualifications or real justifications, and instead are arguing for idealism and a rejection of science and understanding.
I'm reminded of The Preacher and the Slave by Joe Hill. The pie in the sky is a lie. Everyone needs to eat. Religion does not feed people.
Tell me you don't know shit about spirituality without telling me you don't know shit about spirituality.
I said Zen Buddhism is a start. Not the end.
Go out. Join the chorus. Channel bartleby the scrivener. Where im at people are regular hanging around ice centers and ready to film what they can. Tell them they are not wanted here. Chant with them. Play with them. I bring cards and have considered a frisbee. Be out and occupy your space. This is where you live. Its yours and your neighbors. Make that clear.