I know there are a many causes that should take up my attention, but I feel personally connected to this as I have family across the border. For some context, I live in Chicago as a music director.
I was recently moved by a post from a Canadian begging Americans to do something, anything , to stop war between the US and Canada. Trump’s rhetoric and private comments have made it clear he actually wants to annex Canada, and they don’t want that and neither do I. The post mentioned that “we are your brothers, your sisters, your neighbors. He’s openly planning to attack us and you are doing nothing. What kind of family does that?”
Something about that hit me. I’m so used to taking our, hell my, relationship with Canada and Canadians for granted because it was absurd to think there would ever be a fight on the northern border. But this hit me like a bucket of ice water.
My Uncle lives in Montreal and has been a resident for 50 years. My great aunt and uncle lived in Toronto. I grew up in Seattle, and just 2 hours away I would celebrate Canada day in Vancouver (which also happens to be my birthday). Needless to say, Canada is my favorite country.
My undying love for Canada and Canadians has usually felt like a place of comfort when I would doom scroll, but now I’m heartbroken and terrified of what I’m seeing.
Anyway, now for action.
I wish I could just walk outside with a picket sign and suddenly a protest would erupt, but that’s not how any of this works. I also feel like protest is dangerous and might not even be effective right now. I was in 2 BLM protests and stood toe to toe with the CPD in Humboldt Park. Shit got real when my friends were corralled, but we forced the cops to retreat with our numbers. Back then I remember thinking “at least I’m not up against the CCP in Hong Kong or Russian Cops in Red Square”. But with this administration, it feels like our work has been erased and this time all bets are off when it comes to safety.
What I do have is a weekly music jam that has become a bit of an anarchist community. Oftentimes that’s where we make connections that end up helping us barter goods and services. I just traded trombone lessons for someone to help me make puppets (a sentence I’m so proud to write). We will have community meals and there are lots of leftovers. We organize little trips to Milwaukee or the Indiana dunes. We have about 600 people who attend a year with average events having 40 people.
My shit is microscopic beans, but I feel like it’s a tool I have at my disposal that could effect change.
Anyway how can I do something to help? I would love to hear from my Canadian lemmings especially. 🍁 ❤️
Learn how to fly a drone.
I think trading your trombone lessons for puppet making is cool. I traded a giant turnip and a jar of pickled beets for some of my neighbour’s candied ginger last week.
Since you asked for ideas about organizing and what your fabulous ‘microscopic beans’ group might get up to:
Maybe talk to your community of regulars about being willing to mobilize in some way. Like, who wants basic disaster training. Maybe one of you knows first aid and can teach the rest. Those community meals you have could turn into bringing food to war refugees or families of stolen migrant workers out every Monday morning at the embassy (or wherever they protest regularly in your area). You can make one of your meetings about media literacy, and spotting propaganda, or if you’re all already savvy, you could create a fabulous Introduction to Propaganda Techniques performance and bring it to a mall or public square.
Poster/sticker campaigns telling people which media are Feeding them nazi shit are really helpful atm. No idea what your jam session might make out of an action like that, but artists jailbreak people’s programming in nifty ways no one expects. You could have everyone learn Jesse Welles’ War Isn’t Murder song and flash mob it somewhere.
Also, and this is where I know NOTHING about you, so apologies if it’s too personal or presumptuous.
I remember the G20 up here in Toronto really well. I remember them putting up those barricades all over downtown, telling locals not to go outside in our own neighbourhoods, them rounding up people the nights before protests, getting kettled and on. That shit is absolutely traumatizing, and you’re right: all bets are off when it comes to safety at protests where you are. Your safety is solely in the hands of the protester next to you, as theirs is in yours, just like always. My advice is to ask your group if anyone else feels traumatized by past protests in a similar way. Maybe the number is higher than you think. Maybe they want to talk about like, feelings and stuff. Maybe you can make something out of that (tactics, actions), or maybe it’s just a conversation. Either way, win-win.
The fact you don’t feel safe to protest is by far the most poignant point for me. Unless you are prepared to protest and be loud about it to stand up for your rights and the rights of others then they have won.
Throughout the history of the US, protests have been the one mechanism the public has had to voice their displeasure of the government. From Vietnam war, march on Washington for civil rights the protests have been what was needed for change.
Authoritarianism is not going to go away quietly or peacefully. So unless you want more of what you see then I urge you to protest and be proud and loud about your objection of the current administrations actions.
Edit: I will add it’s easy for someone like me to just say all of this, because being in another country I am not the one facing this. My point I am trying to make is that protests have been a tradition in the US and one that you will need to find strength to do if you really want change to happen.
Insulating yourself in a tiny social bubble and working on bloody puppet lessons is not going to help those who are at threat from your country.
If mass protest is no longer safe, go lone wolf.
I’m not an idiot but even soldiers have emotions, right? Surely the spirit of the ones pulling the triggers will break all violent orders given? How could one possibly interpret any aggressivity as a necessary task in this current state of madness?
That is the opposite of what the we should have learned from what happened with the Nazis and what Milgram experiment warned us of. Its the reason there’s memes about “just following orders.” If pressured, most people will just listen to what theyre told even if it means knowingly hurting someone.
Passive acceptance is part of the reason Nazis were able to take over while not being the majority in Germany.
One only needs to look at the history of fascist regimes to know how that plays out.
Anything to weaken Trump will help.
Calling your senators and representative to urge them to vote against specific legislation sometimes has some impact. It’s my understanding that phone calls have a bigger impact than emails or letters.
I guess the thing that stinks is I’m in a Blue™️ state and in one of the most uncooperative cities to the Trump administration.
That said while it feels like all the districts I’m in are further anti Trump to most, there are many shades of Blue™️ who may need pushing, and many kinds of bills to be pushed.
So yeah everyone listen to Zak
If your local politicians are as anti trump as your dry they are then go meet with them and ask how you can help them.
“I feel like protest is dangerous” is where you lost me. Go to protests. Get violent. You were underrepresented in your country, your government isn’t properly elected, and now that apathy is coming to my fucking front door where I have to explain to the older members in my family that I have to teach them how to shoot and that our borders are not guaranteed.
It’s not so much the violence, but the fact that it was for nothing. We’ve lost everything, and trying the same thing over and over just won’t cut it. I assume there will be protests, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough, and may not have the ROI we need.
If you think you won’t be able to solve these issues without violence then you’re helping your country knock at mines door. This is a very familiar sentiment we’ve had in Canada since I was young.
I’m not ruling out violence, I’m just ruling out ineffective violence. There are other avenues where violence may be more effective.
Some dude went to Nancy Pelosis house and hit her husband on the head with a hammer. You recently had a dude shoot an insurance CEO. Even the Vietnam protests used to be wild. Those are the things that actually matter, you can’t do a safe protest at this point. The more you do the more it’s going to make you the enemy to the rest of the world. And you’ll fucking deserve it at this point.
Right, I think I let this thread drifted into what someone should do generally. I’m trying to figure out what I can do. The thing is, I can’t own a gun because I’ve been in a mental ward. I’ve never fought anyone and at a deep level I don’t think I can actively kill anyone. Someone with the means and mentality should absolutely do that.
I’m looking more to see how I can use the tools I have to make a difference.
I’m gonna tell you what you can do. The US is the easiest country in the world to get a gun. They gave so many to Mexico that the cartel runs half that country strictly from unlicensed US sales. There’s literally one gun store in the states.
Second of all, you say you can’t fight? Take a class. I was a wienery ass wuss and took training when I was in my twenties. It’s fun, but it sucks. But if you want to influence power then that’s what you do.
If you can’t do any of that for some coward based reason, organize or sabotage in any way shape or form you can. I am not schooled in that level of defence, which is why I am focusing on teaching my friends and family. Not because I have to, but because I must now. Because of your country.
Okay well look at the right wing in your country. Threatening judges, doing insurrections and then the politicians pardon them, attacking people in protests on the street. It has come to that point for you guys. Do it. Actual leftists from around the globe have been begging you for decades. Actually do something.
If your country moves forward, make it difficult. Make it known. Organize, bug your MP’s or whatever you have there. Call them. Shout at them in the streets. Talk to your friends who aren’t on the fucking internet. Learn how to use weapons. Disrupt what is happening in the US. There is support for that cause but it’s largely internet bitching with no actual action.
