Ferrous
@Ferrous@lemmy.ml
- Comment on Realistically, how feasible is it to 100% boycott a massive corporation (such as Amazon) for an extended period of time? 2 days ago:
From the DSA instagram 6 days ago:
Why didn’t the “economic blackout” change anything?
Stocks rose Friday instead of falling, and there was no sign that the “economic boycott” that spread across social media had any impact whatsoever, other than maybe being a promotional tool for smaller businesses.
Why didn’t it work and what would work instead?
We don’t have power as “consumers”.
Working people are always going to need to buy things. And even if a large portion of workers stopped buying everyday goods from Target or Starbucks, we’d still need to pay rent, pay the mortgage, pay utilities, and ultimately depend on a larger supply chain. You can’t “opt-out” of capitalism.
Boycotts that work are focused on a clear target and have with a specific demand, and are built on long-term, deep organizing. But even then, as a tactic, a boycott isn’t going to be what brings the economy to a halt to stop the Trump agenda.
We have power as workers.
In January 2019, a 35 day shutdown of the federal government came to an end after the flight attendants union announced their intention to strike. Such a strike would have grounded a large percentage of air travel, which even if just for a short period of time would have had a devastating impact on the US economy.
If we want to hit the ruling class where it hurts we need to organize as workers, not as consumers. Our power is in collectively withholding our labor, not withholding our dollars (which we only have in the first place by selling our labor).
Strikes are organized, not mobilized.
Strikes don’t happen because someone made an Instagram post calling for it and then everyone thought it was a good idea.
Strikes are the result of long-term organizing that builds tightly structured organization through a series of escalating actions that show the level of support for the union, which if successful leave workers confident and the boss afraid.
A strike can’t work if only a minority of workers walk out either. Strikes require a supermajority of workers to be effective.
So what can you do?
Join an organization like DSA that is working to build the kind working class power necessary not just to beat back Trump’s attacks but to win a better world.
Join the labor movement. Organize at work, in your union if you have one, and get trained on the secrets of successful organizing through organizations like Labor Notes. Looking for a new job? Consider taking a job in a “strategic sector” like healthcare, education, or logistics.
Stop scrolling and start talking to your coworkers, your neighbors, friends, and family. The revolution will not be posted. Revolutions are made through organizing.
- Comment on New bird flu variant found in Nevada dairy cows has experts sounding alarms: ‘We have never been closer to a pandemic from this virus’ 4 weeks ago:
Agreed. Start stocking cans and shotgun shells.
- Comment on flouride 3 months ago:
Yup, same with PFAS and forever chemicals. Maybe I’m ignorant because I’m not a doctor, but I don’t know if this line of thinking holds water - pun not intended.
- Comment on Half-Life 2 is currently 100% for its 20th anniversary 3 months ago:
Sheeiit I absolutely loved the first one, even only having played it for the first time last year. I was blown away at how well it holds up. I do recommend trying it if you have even a morsel of interest. Just my personal 2 cents tho.
- Comment on People born after 2000 have never seen the cosmic microwave background on their TV set. 3 months ago:
That’s not background, that’s a free channel that showcases a polar bear in a snowstorm.
- Comment on Tiny pp 3 months ago:
You seem like the type who’d start dropping N bombs if you saw a person of color driving a car you deemed too loud.
Or maybe getting ableist as fuck if you saw a wheelchair-bound person rolling coal.
Sure, these are shitty things to do, but body shaming is the weapon of the enemy.
Seeing deplorable behavior doesn’t give you a free pass to body shame, be racist, ableist, or misogynistic.
- Comment on Tiny pp 3 months ago:
Good meme, but we really ought to end small-penis hatred.
- Comment on 4 months ago:
If you’re considering building your own firewall, you’ve started down a long path of homelabbing. I’d encourage you to start with a proper setup and allow yourself plenty of room to grow. You want your setup to be extensible, and the firewall is just the beginning.
I’d grab at least a 15U rack and a Dell poweredge R210. Throw in a gigabit nic and install OPNsense. You’ll have room for your switches, NAS, UPS, etc… later.
- Comment on Goodbye, old friend. 7 months ago:
I wonder if there’d be a different prefix for a Martian geologists. I suppose they could be called areologists?