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Nationwide General Strike Planned for May 1: No Kings Organizer | Common Dreams
(www.commondreams.org)
this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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We need to shut it all down for weeks before they realize we’re serious. But to foster change we’d have to shut it down for months.
Bullshit
COVID killed the economy in a couple days
That's why a Government Shutdown makes much more sense. Europeans are always pushing us for a General Strike, but that won't work here. For one thing, many employers will just fire people for not showing up that day. The rest will just dock their pay. In Europe, workers have protections, unions, and worker friendly governments. We have none of that here.
Whatever economic impact will be minimal. Whatever people didn't buy that day, they'll buy the next.
A General Strike hurts us, and is intended to make the government feel empathy for us, and give us what we want. The MAGA government won't budge after weeks of a government shutdown, you think they'll budge after a General Strike of ONE DAY?
IN America, we have a mechanism that European nations don't have - we can literally turn off the government a spigot, and EVERYTHING comes to a halt very quickly. We keep going to work, collecting our paychecks, stimulating the economy, but they stop their atrocities, for the most part.
We can do that, Europe can't. General Strikes will work for them, they won't work for us. Why hurt ourselves, when we can hurt those who are causing the problems?
MAGA isn't going to act to alleviate our pain, exactly the opposite. They are sadistic, if they see someone in pain, their very first impulse is to increase that pain.
But inflict pain on them, and they scream like the cowardly little weenies they are. And nothing is more painful to these corrupt traitors that taking away their money. Let's make them scream real loud.
As if a company will wire 100% of their staff when nobody is showing up.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's cliché, but true and applies here.
"One day at a time" works for people who are recovering from addiction to substances. Why couldn't it help people recover from addiction to capitalism? Consumption is consumption.
"Just for today, I won't drink alcohol" can easily become "Just for today, I won't consume corporate products", "Just for today, I'll hold the picket line", "Just for today, I'll tighten my belt and live off bare essentials."
One day gives people a taste of what's possible without being a major deterrent or barrier to folks who can't afford to miss work for a week or a month. If it's successful, it demonstrates proof of concept and makes similar future actions more likely. It also shows the structures of power what we're capable of, puts them off balance a bit, and builds worker power.
People saying "what we really need is ______" are a bane to the movement that's happening. I'm not saying you're doing it on purpose, but don't fall for that rhetoric. A lot of it is coming from plants attempting to discredit and derail the movement.
Actions being done now are always more effective than hypothetical actions that "should be done," and they build towards greater action. Don't expect immediate perfection, because you'll always be disappointed. It's necessary to start somewhere, and this is a great place to start. If you want to be part of it, grab ahold and run with it. Otherwise, stay out of the way, and above all don't cross the picket line.
One-day boycotts don't work. The corporate world knows it and completely ignores them.
You're so useless. In every thread all you have to offer is "that won't work". Never giving anything constructive or helpful. Just whinging like a bairn.
Well, feel free to do useless things that you think will work. I'm not stopping you, just pointing out that you'll waste your time.
You're completely misunderstanding "just for today..."
It doesn't mean "I'll have a drink tomorrow."
It's about atomizing the process of sobriety. "Today, I won't have a drink." That's all you need to focus on, because tomorrow is tomorrow.
Then tomorrow comes, and you tell yourself "Today, I won't have a drink." Repeat...
Eventually it becomes second nature. But when you're first starting sobriety "Never drink again for the rest of my life" sounds like a huge hurdle. "Go a whole year without drinking" sounds like a huge hurdle. "Go a month without drinking" or even "Go a week without drinking" sound like huge hurdles.
Even "Go a day without drinking" is a huge hurdle for someone who's been drinking every day for years. But it's more manageable. And at the end of each day, you can say you accomplished your goal. Every day, it gets a little easier.
That's what I meant when I said we can apply it to overcoming our addictions to capitalist consumption habits. And I stand by it.
That's an opinion piece that literally says "does it work? Probably not" with nothing else to back the statement.
We have to start somewhere. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough. It starts with one day, then we try 2 or more. We can start with one day and the momentum can build and people can keep going.
Ok let’s try one day first. You know, get our legs under us.
That's why nothing will change.
Not with that kind of attitude.
we're going into summer. the time to plan and plant your garden is immediately. if you are serious about a general strike, goodbye grass hello garden. your entire yard. You're Going To Be Living Off That Shit. I don't want to be shilling a textbook, but i have a friend who wrote one in the 90s for explicitly that thing. There's probably something more recent, but i like to support my friend.