I feel like fixing the current mess would require a pretty serious overhaul of the government but no one seems to be having that conversation.
If a bus driver is trying to drive off a cliff, the passengers can band together to stop it even if they haven’t all agreed on a preferred destination.
In that metaphor, though, the passengers have agreed to prevent the bus from driving off the cliff. From my experience with the No Kings protests, there isn’t an overarching demand other than “Maybe don’t be so terrible” and a general expression of displeasure.
To keep with the analogy: the goal is to step on the brake … aka apply the checks and balances supposedly built into the system and stop letting Trump just do whatever he wants without consequences.
Yeah, but in this case the passengers are committed to not laying a hand on the driver as he drives them off the cliff.
I’m not trying to be pessimistic or disparaging, but wasn’t the issue with the 2011 Occupy movement exactly that they couldn’t agree on a destination?
The passengers came together and joined forces at the back of the bus momentarily before returning to their seats. The bus driver understands now how many there are. This isn’t a race
What are the demands of the No Kings protests?
No kings.
- It’s not a race.
- Lots of people are having that conversation.
The purpose is for previously comfortable people to get used to taking action to oppose fascism. It’s mostly a large visible Fuck You Trump party, but you meet people there. You got up, you broke your routine, you were in line at Michaels with other people who were also buying posterboard and markers. They’re in your community. You aren’t surrounded by them - they are surrounded by us. And, huh. There are more of us here then there are cops in town. Interesting.
At events, those previously comfy people make connections and when they say “i wish i was doing more” someone else can say “some of us are going to the home depot on monday to interfere with ICE.” or even just “there’s a dinner after this why don’t you come too?”
Then it feels less weird to get up and do something next week. There are plenty of people who will just have the fuck you party and not do anything else, but there are also plenty who will do more.
Its purpose is to create momentum. That’s how I see events like this. Most people don’t have a quick on switch for taking big actions. You practice things and talk about things first.
If you’re on bsky, @drlisacorrigan has a thread that discusses the theory behind events like this. It starts:
In social movement studies, we talk about how marches and protests expand the threshold of acceptable risk so that people take more and bigger social risks IN PUBLIC, EN MASSE. This is extremely important for the bourgeois white folks holding signs and building social rapport.
I think you have to be logged in to read her thread, but I believe what she says is the theory behind why nokings was created. On their page, you find a ton of other groups that are partnering - real world groups that do real things - and they also have weekly suggestions of actions to take.
So the demands of the protest, imo, are for comfortable people to get up, figure out who’s around them and with them, and take action or join one of the partnering organizations that fit their interests and skillset. Since the problem can’t be solved with one single action, like impeachment, there needs to be labor involved in every aspect.
Another demand, much catchier, is that we not have kings in the United States.
No idea, but I wish the put this level of energy into ending the two party system.
Until the two party system is fixed America won’t get better
I feel like fixing the current mess would require a pretty serious overhaul of the government but no one seems to be having that conversation.
Obviously the act of protest alone won’t do a thing. It’s a method for the people to express themselves and show those that may have power to make changes that they have popular support. A prosecutor, legislator, judge, or president going out on a lonely limb not knowing if they have support of the people is a risky position to be in.
Believe it or not, all governments (more or less) rule by consent of the people.
Impeach, remove, convict. Once that’s done, we can work on reversing the decades of economic squeezing we’ve allowed due to apathy or ignorance.
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For the executive branch to abide by the constitution and the law.
If this conversation doesn’t happen, expect things to get worse.
Yeah, it feels like No Kings is a liberal protest aimed at returning to (and maybe codifying) the status quo rather than anything class-conscious or reformist, and certainly not revolutionary. Not to say that they don’t offer a great opportunity to get liberals to look critically at the structures they idolize, and I’m thankful for any leftists who are doing that work, but the movement itself isn’t anything special.
