Life Pro Tips

Or also on a related note, do not obey in advance. If they want to disallow peaceful protests, make them actually have to do it and don't just assume they will. Make them have to choose which fights they really want to have. They still changed course on a total funding freeze after enough pushback and after getting blocked in the courts. There is still fight left. Cynicism and dooming is what they want you to have.

Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

LPT: Vote Democrat next time instead of refusing cuz "I'm sick of voting for the lesser evil."

lol "hypothetical"

but yea, it's important to clarify reality: the law means nothing to fascists. those same laws still apply to you.

This is what happens when one party gets complete control of government

This is very much the kind of statement that comes from a place of privilege. You have lived a privileged life and figure you have nothing to lose. You either don't have or don't care about loved ones who can face repercussions for your actions. Let alone "illegal" repercussions. Just ask anyone who has ever been part of a major protest about how cops follow "protocols" and so forth.

He is a deeply complicated person (and may be the only "successful" free speech and 2nd amendment absolutionist in existence...) but Karl at InRangeTV posted a youtube video on a very similar topic a few months back ("Obvious ally or grey man") that even touches on the idea of being privileged enough to act. He referenced a wonderful blog post by Margaret Killjoy on the same topic (https://margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/we-are-the-strange-and-scary-things) where she also discusses, among other things, what it means to protest when you DO have things to lose. I strongly encourage people read her blog post and, if they can get past the gun nut side of things, seek out and watch Karl's video.

Personally? I have a long history of running my mouth off at people what need mouthing off. It has caused me no end of troubles in my life. I've been part of major protests, among other things. And... I increasingly am focusing on my own exit plan. Because you can protest the bad apples that ruin the bunch. You can get your voice out there and hopefully shift public opinion before the militarized police crack down on you. That doesn't work when you are protesting those militarized police to begin with and we have a government that is increasingly making it clear they don't care about those precious Rights that we thought protected us. Because I don't know just how much I am personally willing to lose. But I do know that the line of how much I am willing to have my loved ones lose is a lot lower.

And that is the reality and what we see every time there is mass unrest against a fascist regime. They don't draw the line at you. They go after your family. Your neighbors. And they make it public so that people know to turn on their loved ones and neighbors to avoid repercussions.

So I encourage everyone to educate themselves and make similar decisions.

But "you have nothing to lose" is the kind of childish bullshit that people who watched too many harry potter movies spew.